Italy Books

This is definitely my favorite cookbook ever. I use it all the time, and still haven't even tried about 3/4 of the recipes...there are just so many! It is true that some of the recipes require ingredients that are hard to find here (though I was able to make some of the recipes I can't make here while i lived in Italy). Still, there are plenty to choose from that are relatively fast, very easy, and use ingredients that are readily available in the U.S. Some of my favorite meat dishes, vegetable dishes and pasta sauces come from this book. Two thumbs up!

Marcella Hazan's cookbooks are all great. This is the BEST. The characteristic that sets her book apart from all others is not the ingredients and not lucious looking pictures (there are no photos), but rather the important processes she describes in clear detail. I bought this as a gift for someone but have owned this version for five years and its earlier edition for 25 years and have never been disappointed. She is the best. Period. You'll never need another Italian cookbook.

This is a hefty book - lots of detail, lots of instruction and pretty strict about how things need to be done. As someone who hasn't ventured outside of my comfort zone for cooking, this structure can be very helpful - but it can also complicate things as I have to prepare everything in advance and rarely can pull off a recipe in this book with a low stocked pantry.

Still, I can't fault the book for my need to prepare - overall it's great and when I do have the time to make a special trip for all the right ingredients I know I'll have everything spelled out for me. The thing is huge so it's not easy to move around a kitchen counter with a couple of fingers in the middle of cooking, but like my title indicates, it's like a text book. There's more than just recipes, there's reference information, instruction on preparation and history. A very well rounded book.

...I've referred to this book over the years for technique and authenticity of Italian cooking...it is a wonderful book. I agree that it is on par with Julia Child's French cookbook. I've made many of the recipes and they are fabulous....the poached shrimp, easy and delicious...the grilled shrimp with flavored breadcrumbs is another favorite, the Lemon, garlic & parsley chicken cutlets is marvelous...her focaccia recipe is the best...fried tomatoes......I can go on and on. Ms. Hazan has given us a remarkable gift.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the depth of her knowledge of Italian cookery is amazing, on the other, the lack of specifics and inaccurate cooking times can be quite frustrating. This caveat should suffice: when making use of these recipes, make constant use of your tasting spoon!

I made Pasta e fagioli with fresh cranberry beans according to Ms. Hazan's recipe, and, because of Ms. Hazan's widely-acknowledged eminence, I followed her recipe precisely, something I rarely do, as I am an experienced cook. Her time for cooking the beans (45 minutes), left me with undercooked beans; they should have cooked for at least an hour and fifteen minutes, if not an hour and a half. No big deal, except I added the pasta at the point Ms. Hazan recommended.

I am sure that this book will be an invaluable resource to anyone who wants to learn Italian cooking, just make sure to test and modify these recipes as necessary ahead of time; following them as is can result in flubbed meals.

This is a great book! I lost it in my recent divorce and it was one of the few books I had to go buy again. The salads and pastas stand out. It's well-written and all the recipes are really quite simple.

Being raised 1st generation Italian, I had some problems finding some of the old authentic recipes my family used to cook. Not any longer. This book brought me home. I love, love, love it and every time I have a dinner party, this is the book I turn to for a special meal that my guests rave about for weeks.

This is by far, my favorite cookbook. I am a vegan, but have no problems replacing the cheese and egg ingredients, without sacrificing the taste.

Jack Bishop is a genius.

Tina Volpe
Author, The Fast Food Craze

For medical reasons, my husband and I had to stop eating meat and we were completely lost as to what we could eat besides veggies. I stumbled across this cookbook and purchased it for a friend who's an established vegetarian. After I gave it to her, I found myself reading through it. I love it so much, I decided to purchase a copy for myself. The recipes are easy to make (and I'm a horrible cook), the selections are quite broad (especially when you're clueless as to what to fix) and the manner in which the book is organized makes it easy to follow (all the pizzas are together). I highly recommend this book regardless of your status as a vegetarian: novice or experienced.

This cookbook is amazing. Some of the recipes are so simple you think, "Wait a minute. . . this is a RECIPE? Broil asparagus and drizzle vinagrette over it?" But try it . . . and asparagus never tasted so tartly and meltingly delicious. In every single recipe, the flavor of the vegetable itself is intensified and highlighted. The tomato tart is worth buying the book for all by itself! The very simplicity means the recipes are relatively easy and fast projects, and I've yet to find one that didn't bring rave reviews from company. They're so reliable that I often try one I've never tried before for guests -- we all get to be amazed together! Totally terrific, whether you're a prinicpled vegetarian or (like me) just like vegs as part of an omnivore diet!

No one in our family is a vegetarian, but the recipes are so good that we prefer some of them as written, without meat (pancetta, sausage, prosciutto, etc) with which we usually add to "improve" vegetarian recpies. Risotto recipes are particularly outstanding! The picky, more carnivorous members who avoid anything green actually LOVE the risotto with spinach and herbs as well as the soups. They now eat their vegetables!

A terrific trip down the memory lane of great Italian American Cooking. A celebration of tradional Italian American dishes prepared the way they should be, simple and delicious. What a great book!

This is your typical Americanised Italian cookbook. Recipes are so basic they are uninspiring and there are millions of better books out there. I would recommend Louke Werles Ialian cook book, now thats fantastic Italian food that hasn;t been tampered with.

I love this cookbook. It reminds me of my own family. My father was from Italy, and he used to cook like this all the time. Unfortunately he passed away when I was very young, so I never got to ask him about certain recipes. When I read the reviews on this cookbook, I knew I had to have it. I'm so glad I decided to get it, because the recipes that I have tried so far are great. I also like the little stories that she has, it reminds me of pictures of my family as well.

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I got this book as a gift, and I've tossed other books out of the way as a result. The recipes are delicious, honest and easy. They are from a time when you didn't need $4000-worth of appliances to make dinner, and I have found that all of the recipes I've used in the book are superb.

I love this cookbook!!! Her recipes are just like my Grandmother used to make. Unfortunately all of our family recipes are not written down. So whenever I am unsure of how to make something I check with Elodia!

I have just finished 'The Master of Verona' and I must say I've a sort of bittersweet taste in my mouth.
First things first: I am a Veronese and for us tales of Cangrande e Dante are the stories we grew up with, almost every corner of the old town is linked to them in some way, so I'm a bit sensitive about a novel featuring both of them.

I like history and I like historical novels, and I realize that novels take liberties with history to tell a good story, and The Master of Verona *is* a good story, but, there are a few things that marred my enjoyment.

The use of Italian in the novel is often awkward,for instance no one would say 'Signore Montecchio' in addressing another, it would be either 'Signor Montecchio' (rater modern-sounding) or, in the old way, 'Messer Montecchio'. It probably doesn't mean much for the average reader in English, but for someone who knows Italian this sort of repeated little mistakes is comparable to the irritation of driving over a bumpy road.

In chapter 17 (page 218 of the trade paperback ) at the beginning of the horse Palio, a rider utters, in Italian, what is defined immediately after as a 'joyful curse'. I believe Mr. Blixt was somehow misled, since what the character says is, in fact, a very strong blasphemy. I do not object to strong language when it has a reason to be there, and mr. Blixt's use of it is definitely not gratuitous, so this faux-pas (I don't think it was intentional)definitely stands out.

I like many characters in the book and I feel their relations and their development are well done, Pietro is a likeable protagonist, young Cesco is intriguing, Immanuel Ben Solomon and Gemma Donati have interesting cameos, Cangrande is the Cangrande we in Verona are proud of...up to the last 20 pages.
I felt that I was led to like Cangrande, almost revere him, until the final dialogue with Katarina. In a way I think I felt just like Pietro did: betrayed, if this was mr. Blixt's aim no doubt he succeded, but that's not really how I like to feel at the end of a book.

A last note to those who wonder after reading 'The Master of Verona'. Scholars have debated for centuries about the real meaning of the 'Veltro' prophecy in Dante's Inferno, lots of interpretations have been proposed, there isn't and never has been a consensus, Dante's other writings don't shed any light on the matter.

This book is like watching the play of Romeo and Juliet with DVD commentary. This supposition of the origin of literature's most famous feud is well paced, well thought out, and gripping. Delightful characters abound. I'm looking forward to the next installment. Read it, read it, read it.

Rich, real characters to FANTASTICALLY-imagined landscapes to a true and heart-wrenching love story epic in its scope, and powerfully sound in its execution---- This book has got it ALL!!!

When I started reading this book, two things were apparent from the get go: the author of this book knows what he is talking about and this will be a book I will not want to put down! I have been a historical fiction reader since the second grade and have read many complex and heavy plots in this genre since that time. I think that any reader of historical fiction knows how hard it can be to keep names straight and battle scenes are often next to impossible to understand--I often skip them. While the plot of this book is complex, the names are foreign and numerous, and there are many battle scenes, the book is always clearly written and easy to follow. Reading this book is like watching it being performed before your eyes. The images are clear and exciting, and I missed the characters when I had to put the book down even for a second. The research that went into this book must have been extensive. This book will make you learn, it will make you think, it will surprise you in the end, and it is all wrapped in a fast paced, enjoyable package. The book is long, but when I was through reading it, I wished that it was longer.

When I first began this book, I thought I may have trouble keeping the characters and locations straight. However, within the first few pages, I was completely engrossed in the story and the lives of those portrayed. Blixt cleverly includes maps and a "cheat sheet" which describes the characters' relationships to one another, as well as which ones appear in history and in Shakespeare. The book is well-researched and the attention to detail makes it all the more interesting. I can't wait to read more!

I like this book; The Rommel Papers.
Finally I understand the concept of "Blitzkrieg" and how the German Army could penetrate the western front in 1940 so quickly.
The person Erwin Rommel also stands out in an impressive way.
The book is also very exciting to read.
I recommend the book.
Bjørn Braathen, Norway.

I have purchased and read lmost all one person can on Erwin Rommel and really feel ashamed that I never purchesed this book, it is excellent .
I encourage any one going into the armed forces ,espeicially a combined arms branch to read this book.

This is a fantastic book. The number of pages at first daunted me, but (after the first few which are kind of so-so), the book just takes off! He not only talks about the campaigns that he fought in, but he also breaks down what he learned and what should and should not have been in each one. What should have been done from those up above and how his enemy either defeated him (I agree fully on his conclusions about Montgomery's victories over him) or lost to him.

He goes on (around the end of certain chapters) to go on about what a commander should and SHOULD NOT be to his men and to himself--EXCELLENT stuff!.

What I found most interesting though, was that (unlike many other works I have read) Rommel really was ONE HELL OF A WRITER. His words are enticing and chapter after chapter I'm just compelled to go on.

I've read 'Panzer Leader', 'Lost Victories', 'Panzer Commander' and a host of other books from former Wehrmacht officers and none of them really NAIL it all like this one does (though, I HIGHLY recommend Erhard Raus' 'Panzer Operations' as it does for the Ostfront as this does for Africa and French theaters--'41 and '44).

If you want a great book on the tachtical methods of the German army in World War II--this is for you.
If you're a military man or buff who's looking for (what I believe) is a blueprint fror any 'commander' to follow--this is for you.
If you're just a regulatr Joe--or Jane--who's just looking for a great read about what it's like behind the lines, in the front with your men and all places in-between--then this is for you, too.

Like my review title says, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Get it! You won't be disappointed.

A well written book about Rommels experiences in WW2 taken from his notes made during his campaigns and from letters written to his wife with additional narration or corrections by the author. If you have read ATTACKS by Rommel you will like this book.

great book written from the surviving papers after his death there would have been more but a lot of his stuff was taken by the Nazis, and much more was lost to the US Army but his wife and son saved some and from this B.H. LIDDELL-HART was with the help of the wife and son to put his great skill as a battlefield commander in a new light A must read for any student of WWII also checkout ATTACKS by Rommel this book is about his time as a young lieutenant in WW I

This is a wonderful book. Arthur's love for the region is apparent. He keeps most of the recipes very simple and I have yet to come across a bad one. His pizza dough recipe is excellent and is a favorite. It's easy to work with and thankfully has no sugar in it. His zucchini scapece is perfect too. For anyone trying to capture the flavors of the region - I highly recommend this book! Yum!

The book is more than an excellent cook book. Besides good cooking tips it has a lot of gastronomical information concerning Naples.

Gracia mille to Mr. Arthur Schwartz for his most wonderful volume on the cooking of Naples and Campania. It made my mouth water from the first I opened it, even the paper feels good. The first thing I read, quite by chance was the charming ode to Neopolitan food from a book of stories by Giambattista Basile , "My Broccoli" (p.309). I was hooked!! Lucky Mr. Schwartz that he was able to make the opportunity to travel all through the Campania to research the recipes for this book. It is once again an example of Italian food as an uncomplicated, unfussed with cuisine that only requires of you an understanding of the technique and ingredients of impeccable freshness. There are great things in this book for all the seasons. This winter I was greedy for his "Orecheiette con Broccoli di Rapa" (p.168) and the "Pastiera Rustica di Taglioni" (p.188). I've done the Monkfish Mediterranean Style (p231) enough times to not have look at the recipe and it is delicious (rave reviews from guests). One night I had some left over spaghetti and was needing a quick supper so I tried the "Frittata di Spaghetti"(p.222) and find it's wonderful for all kinds of occasions with lots of variations. All of the recipies have a very clear 1.2.3. procedure with Mr.Schwartz being careful to tell you of any pitfalls. There is a lusty quality to the book, just like there is in Naples and the Campania, that makes this book a pleasure to use. I'm really looking forward to his next book. Sicily perhaps? This book? Highly recommended!

Whenever we tend to think Italian, the first things to come to mind are pizza, pasta, (especially spaghetti) and marvelously rich desserts and pastries. Now, in this tell-all compilation by acclaimed cookbook author, restauranteur and "Food Maven" radio talk-show host Arthur Schwartz, these dreams are brought to life. Whether you crave any variation of innumerable pastas with tomato sauce or that other distinctly Neapolitan favorite, the iconic pizza, this book provides the reader/cook with page after page of historic information and culinary tips from perhaps Italy's most bountiful region. This is the "true" Italian cuisine we have all grown up eating and making yet another staple to the American way of living. Aside from all the classic recipes spanning over one hundred years in the American cucina, this book is laced with dozens of contemporary monzu (a corruption of the French monsieur, in Italian refers to any respected gourmand or culinary bureaucrat) classics, including Paccheri alle Cardinale, Pizza alla Campofranco (a more extravagant style of pizza, made with brioche and prosciutto) and timballo, a "drum" of pasta baked with ragu in lavish pastry. Naples is also home to fritto misto, a wide range of tempting fried foods that has rightfully been granted its own distinct caliber within the region's clientele. But perhaps the author's greatest achievement is the equally sinful array of dolce, from classic tiramisu and rich torta caprese to the most-loved of all Neapolitan pastries, Sfogliatelle. Savor the experience and celebrate the wonderful cucina and hospitality that inspired Dean Martin to "That's Amore".

I found this an excellent and challenging cookbook. The recipes are not so much hard in the sense of, say, French Chef recipes requiring a roux or a souffle where timing and proportions are critical. But you do need a feel for the basic ingredients, for these dishes are not "forgiving." If you don't know, say, just when to stop arborio rice or white beans, you can come up with some nasty dishes. And sometimes the recipes are actually missing a bit in terms of seasoning. Think of them as a great rough draft.

Further, these are dishes that really require that you also work with excellent ingredients. If you have, say, a tough piece of veal, don't think you're going to find the sauce to cover it up.

And really, what we've learned in the past ten or twenty years is that--surprise surprise--food is the stuff you eat and not just how you mix it about and fry it up. And yet we can't review THAT here. That is, I can't help you by saying "this rabbit is too old. this kale is too tough." That would be silly because we all have different things "at hand." But because G-d doesn't copyright and market his produce, we can't even review, say, the greatly overrated portabella mushroom, or give rave reviews to the never-let-you-down broccoli rabe or the shallot, the crucial pivot of half of restaurant recipes.

Perhaps that's what AMAZON needs to do--to broaden the scope of reviewing in its most general form. So that we can review an ingredient, a technique (say, broasting)--and why NOT a particular chicken? Or an idea of what to do with that chicken? Or a particular day? A goldfish I once had as a pet? It seems to me that all these could be as useful as my review of this cookbook, recommended strongly but with some qualification. [35]

Interesting, detailed story. Typical Kertzer. A must read for students of Italian, Church and/or Jewish history.

We are accustomed to viewing excellent documentaries on the TV and the big screen. It is nice to find a literary documentary just as enjoyable. The mid 19th century was an incredible time for change. Europe was adjusting to the post Napoleonic ideals of political and religious freedom. The United States was fighting against the secular immorality of slavery. Prussia was building a military machine to dominate Europe. Italy was struggling with a unification which would require shedding the medieval yoke of the Catholic Church. In the midst of these changes a 6 year old Jewish boy , Edgardo Mortara, is kidnapped within the Papal States under orders of the Inquisition. The charge is that the boy has been secretly baptized. The baptism cannot be undone and therefore the boy cannot continue to live with his Jewish parents. Governments from around the world protest the kidnapping and Pope Pius IX responds with traditional dogma. This is a wonderful researched narrative which brings together themes which will be of interest to Christians, Jews and any reader curious about the changing role of the Roman Catholic Church in this period of European history.

The excellent DVD, "Secret Files of the Inquisition", (available from Amazon and Netflix) dramatizes part of this story and includes commentary by the author, David Kertzer.

Simply one of the most insightful books I have ever read. Thank you Mr. Kertzer for illuminating this fascinating event in our history.

Douglas Wood has already summarized and evaluated this book, justly praising its historical worth. I'd like to add a note about its shock value; in a moment of history when anti-semitism seems to be a joke in some people's minds, surely this is a book that might make the pain and folly of bigotry "real" in terms of a single family, and therefore accessible to readers who can't empathize with mass tragedy.
It's also quite a thrilling book to read, by the way, a better detective story by far than Dan Brown could manufacture.

A Jewish family's illiterate Catholic housekeeper sprinkles well-water over an infant child and furtively mumbles the baptismal sacrament. When the Inquisitor learns of the deed, he orders the kidnapping of the then six-year-old Jewish boy. This foul deed is almost certainly sanctioned by the highest levels of the Catholic hierarchy. The police forcibly remove the child from his family's Bologna home and swiftly transport him to the Church's House of Catechumens in Rome for reeducation. Despite all protests from the boy's family and the Jewish community and in the face of a destabilizing international uproar, the Holy Father refuses to yield. By holy grace, the boy has been miraculously saved and the Church keeps him, inculcates him in the Catholic Christian religion, and assiduously converts the boy.

The boy kidnapped in the name of religion? Edgardo Mortara. The Holy Father in question? Pope Pius IX. The year? 1858. That's right 1858, not 1458, not 1658, but smack dab in the middle of 19th century Europe.

Historian David Kertzer tells the complete tale in his excellent work, `The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara.' As Kertzer relates in the epilogue he learned to his surprise that there was no reliable work on this topic. Kertzer sets out to remedy this gap and succeeds by examining the episode in fine detail. Using detailed court and police investigation records, Kertzer explores numerous evidentiary questions such as whether the baptism took place at all, whether the proper conditions for a valid lay baptism existed, who put the girl up to it, and how did the Inquisition find out about it?

The story is told against the background of the movement to unify Italy under secular rule. And here is yet another surprise for the uninitiated reader, including this one: until 1861 the Pope was still the temporal ruler of a wide swath of the Italian peninsula (this rule continued on a lesser scale to 1870). The treatment of young Edgardo was one of the factors that helped build support across Italy and internationally for the Risorgimento or Italian reunification.

The episode also hastened Pius IX's evolution, shall we say, to reactionary beliefs. Pius IX not only made papal infallibility part of Church dogma, but he also issued his infamous Syllabus of Errors in 1864, a broad attack on rationalism, science, and religious freedom - really a frontal assault on the Enlightenment and most other signs of progress in the previous three centuries. If Kertzer's book does nothing more than direct his reader's attention to this astonishing document, he has succeeded in the historian's task.

Kertzer examines the trial of the Inquisitor in detail and the formidable difficulties facing the prosecution. For example, what crime did the Inquisitor commit when his acts were legal at the time he committed them? Would the new government prove willing to violate the fundamental principle that the accused must have had notice of the illegality of his acts?

As for Edgardo, he remained with the Church fathers until he reached his majority and by then his conversion had firmly taken hold. He went on to become a famed proselytizer for Catholicism especially among the Jewish peoples. This role may help explain why this story has remained untold: it embarrassed Jews and Catholics alike.

Some readers may find the detail devoted to the investigations and trials to be excessive, but bear in mind that Kertzer is writing the seminal history of Edgardo's kidnapping. A fascinating tale full of surprises, very highly recommended.

Somehow, when I read this memoir of a former Poor Clare, it stimulated a long past memory of when a Franciscan friar told me of a favourite, private prayer of Francis of Assisi: "Lord, who are you? Lord, who am I?" One wishes that Beryl and Vittorio had ever been taught to approach both those questions in a solid fashion, or to develop the maturity to truly formulate an answer. The picture which emerges is of sincere, dedicated people who were truly seeking God, but who, perhaps because of the lack of any genuine spiritual direction coupled with an excessive stress on obedience, never developed a true clarity of vision. They seem to be a spiritual mess - not wicked or crazy at all, but so devoid of a sense of personal identity and integration of their values into their lives that one wonders if they had any clear picture of vocation, or even of what love for one another entailed.

To the author's credit, she does not turn her reflections on her life into a 'novel form.' The text raises many questions and provides few answers. There is no element of "we were in the wrong places - we found each other - love conquers all" - and, since things are seldom clear-cut or resolved in this life, it is an honest image. The Scent of God is more a reflection than a standard biography. Many books by former religious mock the life in the convent, or show that the candidate was totally unsuitable, or provide an image of monastic life as either gruesome, romantic, or laughable, and there is none of this here. The paradox is that Beryl seems well suited to the life in the cloister overall, and details which may raise the reader's eyebrows (a mattress stuffed with husks for maximum discomfort; an anorexic being cruelly reproached as if her symptoms were wilful 'bad example') do not detract from a generally positive sense of Beryl's being a good candidate.

Much goes unexplained - and there were areas where a more detailed treatment was neglected when it could have been enlightening. The obsession with the novice mistress is all too common when one is in a situation where pleasing her is seen as the sign of a call to obedience, and when every moment of one's life is under her controlling eye. Yet, just using this as one example, Beryl does not explore the situation with mature hindsight.

Neither Beryl nor Vittorio, at age 30 and 57, seem to have either spiritual or emotional maturity. Vacillating and overly magical in approach (there are multiple instances when Beryl sees dreams or portents as divine signs - winning a book confirmed she was to be a Poor Clare), one wonders if they even understood what true love and commitment is at that point. Beryl's character is highly irritating at that point - narcissistic, totally blind to others' situations and given to childish self-centredness and a sense of 'look at all I gave up,' a supposedly mature celibate who was caught up and flattered with her attractiveness. In one scene, where Beryl is treated for a skin problem and the doctor places her hand on his penis, it is astonishing that a grown woman would see this as flattering, enjoying having aroused him, while being blind to the degradation and abuse.

As Beryl mentions at times, things could have gone differently had she had counsel available. The bishop from whom she putatively seeks advice, then tries to impress, apparently neither sees this nor points it out, which shows he had no abilities in direction or discernment. The tragedy seems far beyond a lost vocation. One wonders if either members of the couple had enough sense of vocation or self to make a choice.

Many elements, again unexplained, are highly puzzling. For a priest to wish to be laicised and marry, yet want to confine intercourse to marriage, is understandable. For him to take his prospective bride into the bed with him is bizarre. One wonders why - a test of control of himself? How did he not become physically aroused - was this a by product of the cancer? Why would a couple who wish to observe the virtue of chastity take such chances?

The memoir is not the weary "I only became a nun because the Church thought only religious were holy - I left with the new theology of marriage" balderdash. My sense was of recording of memories, many which the author herself may not fully understand, which showed a sad lack of the "Lord, who am I?"

My life as a man could hardly have been more removed from the one lived by Beryl Singleton Bissell, so I was unlikely to be interested in a book about someone who become a nun at an early age. Yet I found myself riveted by this story which moves in and out of Puerto Rico, New York and Italy, through a long search to define the meaning of faith and to work past the many obstacles encountered along the way. This remarkably fast-paced book, for all its emphasis on a contemplative life, is jammed with intense experiences all lived before the age of forty, and it is so well-written that it immediately establishes common ground with any reader. I give it my highest recommendation.

I don't normally read memoirs but I was intrigued by "The Scent of God". From the very beginning, Beryl Singleton Bissell's prose drew me in as if I walked into her life and shared her childhood, adolescence, and later her tumultous life after leaving the convent. Her story is so honest and raw and I admire her candidness in revealing a love that no Catholic girl/woman would openly confess. Walk with her as she grew up with an alcoholic father and a manic mother. See what it's like to struggle between the secular and spiritual world. Find out how life's twists and turns mold naivety to resilience and survival. Grieve with her as she says good-bye to a love that she fought heaven and hell for. You won't be disappointed.

I just finished this book very early this morning and have been haunted by it all day. Never has a story been so moving for me. Beryl's will and pure sense of the self is astounding and through all of her life challenges, particularly those revealed at the end I believe she still manages to stand tall and find comfort in her journey. There are no mistakes in this life and this story was a gift to me as it actually has strengthened my faith in God. Don't miss this read -- it's a must have for every library.

When I was an adolescent growing up in a small Kansas town, I sometimes dreamt of becoming a nun--even though I was not Catholic. My cousin, Virginia, had given her life to God and went off to a convent. It all seemed so dramatic and selfless, and I admired her courage and commitment to a life of prayer and spiritual discipline.

I have always been intrigued with the women who left their homes, families, friends and all their personal belongings and took vows of poverty and chastity. And I've also been curious about what life is like behind those sacred walls.

When I discovered Beryl Singleton Bissell's memoir, The Scent of God, I devoured it, savored it, dog-eared the pages and filled it with yellow highlighting. I only do that with books that speak to my heart and soul; I know that I will return to those pages again and again.

The Scent of God takes the reader behind the walls of a convent and into the heart and mind of a young woman who wanted more than anything to be "good", to please God and to be loved. While perfectionism and a compulsive need to be in control of her mind and body led to anorexia, controlling her heart would prove to be more difficult.

This is a story about choices, commitments, faith and love. It is about the choice that Beryl had to make between her calling and an Italian priest who won her heart.

Beryl's memoir is beautifully written, weaving in the rituals of everyday life in the convent with the emotional and spiritual evolution of a young woman who comes to trust herself as well as God.

This is the best most spectacular book on leonardo to date.What can i say that hasnt already been said in the reviews above except that i cant believe that a couple of reviews gave 3 outof5 stars for this book. I think the book deserves 10 out of 10. The book is a masterpiece in itself. Keep up the great work.

without studying Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artist and would-be inventor of all time. He left us a legacy of paintings, drawings, diagrams, inventions, and even sculpture for all to see. He's known more than the Mona Lisa painting, he's an inventor of sorts as well as a very fine draughtsman.

This book should be a required course for art students everywhere.

I first saw this outstanding book at the Palm Springs Air Museum's Da Vinci exhibit last month. It is a comprehensive and beautiful tribute to Da Vinci's genius that young and old alike can enjoy for decades. Spending an hour glancing through its pages is a visual treat; reading it to more deeply appreciate his multiple talents will take years. Though the price of the book may seem high, it is an unique volume and worth the price.

this book is a daily source of admiration, exposed on our table and we change the page practically every day to have a new work of wonder to admire every day. combined with more and deeper information on leonardo da Vinci the true art becomes clear.

The massive size of this book is only dwarfed by the enormous amount of information it contains. Did you know Leonardo Da Vinci conceptualized the helicopter...or the x-ray machine...or even the engine???? He did indeed and it's all in this comprehensive anthem. I highly recommend this book for the Da Vinci neophyte as well as the most avid "Leo scholar" as both will be awed and amazed.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It makes you think a lot even after you've finished it. There are many lessons to be learned from this book. For example: choosing between your ideals and the loved ones (when of course they are in conflict), God vs atheism, love and hate (how one can possess both of them towards the same person), ideals and the will and determination to fight for them.

...if I live or if I die." Tremendous drama, capturing quickly the complexities of human development in so many camps. This book had me excited to turn the pages.

It will take some time to understand the intent of the author's finish, but she may have created something different than she intended. Soviets could not have understood what they were pushing!

This story is of the same quality as 'Tale of 2 Cities,' so I expect it will become more available soon.

Read this book for the first time in Russian when I was 12 and it had been my favorite book ever since. Was able to read it in the original language just some years later, realizing that:
1. The Russian translation is wonderful:)
2. The book is still my favorite one.

It's amazing how Voynish manages to write a book which countains a love story, yet not boring nor sexual, a fight story, yet not overpatriotic/stupid. The continuation book feets perfectly ("An Interrupited Friendship" and may be should be read between the 1st and the 2nd parts of "The Gadfly" (I read the "Interrupted Friendship" some years after "The Gadfly" and it was still perfect).


BTW, Ethel Lilian is a daughter of mr. Bool - for those of us who know what boolean algebra is - that's her father's doing! I know it's a piece of useless information:)

It's rather a mystery to me that this book has never gained the kind of popularity in the US that it's always had in Russia. And yes, one can put it down to its political background and revolutionary theme, especially in what is a "lesser" known milieu of Italy in the 1840's, but really this is entirely the outer shell that could easily have been set elsewhere more "popular." I think the problem after all is that this book has been judged by its cover, as it were. But setting aside, it is the most profoundly human and tragic book you may ever read. Much was said of the themes of the book in the other reviews, and it is all true, so I will only say that the ending of the book caught me riding home on the subway, and I wept like I have never ever wept in my life. People stared at me as if I were insane, but of course I didn't care - I was being affected by something most people would never imagine feeling for anything, and certainly for no "thing" like a book. I wept for two hours afterward. And then I couldn't touch another written word for months. If ever words produced raw, overwhelming feelings, surely it is between the pages of The Gadfly.

This work is pure treasure and a great place for someone who wishes to begin reading fine literature to start. I cannot believe that I never heard of this book until I was 50! It ended up on my large "reading list" and I had to order it online to find a copy -- then (I kick myself) it laid around here for a year before I opened it. When I finally did, I discovered that I could not put this one down -- a quintessential page-turner. It's a very personal saga of a very good man, and, a Priest who betrays him during an Italian rebel uprising period. I savored "War and Peace" and "The Brothers Karamazov", and while "The Gadfly" is that sort of book (much shorter), it's not such a tough go as the former titles. Voynich was brilliant. I read an average of three books a week, and have done so for many years, and this one is one of my top 3 reads ever. Don't miss this one and if you wish to double your pleasure, get a copy of Dmitri Shostakovich's sountrack to "The Gadfly" movie and allow it to play as wallpaper as you read. Incredible stuff!