HKFE

I'll give the author two stars purely for risk-taking. The concept at least is original and it has to have taken a certain audacity to write this book.

What I don't understand is why he wrote it, or why we are supposed to enjoy reading it. The girl Ursula is a stupid, self-centered, insensitive, thoroughly repulsive excuse for a human being. Not that she isn't convincingly depicted--Tuten did all too good a job on her--but I can't think why we are supposed to care about her and want to read about her. And certainly not why we are supposed to admire and approve of her, as Tuten obviously does.

That Van Gogh might have fallen in love with someone like her is all too plausible--he did, after all, have a record of wasting himself on women who were far beneath him. But Vincent's love for Ursula is not shown as yet another self-destructive folly, but rather as something fine and beautiful.

Vincent himself is handled a good deal better. The flashback to his days as a preacher among the coal miners is perhaps the best thing in the book. The attempt to get inside his deteriorating mind is very fanciful and speculative, but then so is any attempt to see what goes on in the head of a schizo-affective.

As for the modern-day narrator, he is simply pathetic. Who can care about him? Who even wants to know about someone like that?

Furthermore, Tuten might have made a little more effort to get his facts straight. For one very big thing, the "Night Cafe" that Van Gogh painted and wrote about was located in Arles, not in Auverre-sur-Oise.

I have to admire the artistic courage that went into the writing of this book, but the results are just too badly flawed. But I admit I would like to try reading something else by Tuten. He is undeniably a gifted writer.

Long being an admirer of VanGogh's work, I was immediately interested in reading this brief novel when I discovered it recently. It's a heavy subject for an author to attempt -- I would think it would be much 'safer' to write about characters of one's own creation, eliminating any preconceptions that might be held by the reader -- but I can recommend this book very highly. Frederic Tuten has succeeded, I believe, in creating a believable view of VanGogh -- not a biography, but more like a snapshot or an observation.

The center of the book is a wonderfully enigmatic woman named Ursula -- Van Gogh's lover, friend and fellow artiste (she's a photographer). She's also a morphine addict. Sharing addiction with Vincent (his addictions being to pain, art, and absinthe) gives them a bond that unites them in not only love but life. When Ursula steps through a crack in time to emerge into late 20th century Greenwich Village, the 'progress' she sees breaks her heart. She attempts to embrace it -- as she does everything else in her life -- but ultimately feels herself drawn back to her own time, to Vincent.

The novel is subtitled 'a love story' -- and it is certainly that, but not in the traditional sense. The love here is not just the romantic variety, but love of life, of creation, of joy and pain -- all of the things that besiege and bless us all. The trick is to understand how to accept them.

After reading about some of Tuten's other works, I'm not really sure if I want to read them or not -- I'll have to investigate them further -- but I'm certainly glad I stumbled across this little gem. It's a beautiful story, gently and lovingly told.

Beautiful, haunting, surreal, poetic. Not a book for realists or those seeking the everyday, this book allows you to enter tuten's dream for a few hours, then leave it with a thousand beautiful(and ugly)visions dancing before your eyes. A masterpiece.

These are cards with an afirmation. This is quite different from the original cards with just one word printed on them. Unfortunately the discription of the product does not identify it well. The afirmations may be nice for some, but are really rather narrow interpretations of the possible inspiration of the word itself.

I have bought many different kinds of angels cards. This deck is the only one that really touches soul qualities. I find it to be the most naive and angelic. Among my friends this has been the deck of preference as well. I would highly recommend it to everybody... This can be used in many different ways. I use them for daily churning or inspiring others. In a group when we arrange "angels' night" we make use of the cards for further inspiration. And many many different ways.

Of all the inspirational cards I have, these are my favourite. They are easy to use, have lovely illustrations and are a true inspiration for every-day living. They can be used at many levels from simple guidance to deep meditation. My kids take one each on the way to school each day to give them guidlines for the day and I also use them at workshops I give on a deeper level.They are also a very sensible size to carry around when giving workshops or travelling. If you want an all round, easy to use, adaptable set of cards I would have no hesitation in recommending these.

I would not recommend this book to anyone who is seriously looking into the finer points of restaurant design. Many of the chosen establishments have a very dated look to them, the photography is not up to par (so its not even good enough for the coffee table) and overall this book is a big snore. I am disappointed enough to return it, which I will be doing today. Definitely not worth the price. For a better read, try Restaurants That Work, by Martin E. Dorf.

I truly enjoyed the pictorial nature of this book. The descriptive text is also written in a visual style. I would have liked to read more about the concept inspirations and possibly some costs and expense of the designs. i have visited some of these wonderful spaces and would also liked to have addresses to visit more "Bars, Pubs and Cafes" during my travels.

A usefull tool for all the people that are somehow involved in the restaurant bussiness.Lots of cool places around the world showing a huge amount of solutions and perpectives.

Another reviewer here says, "No celebration of diversity here!" People of different backgrounds getting together on an equal footing and talking is essential to Oldenburg's idea of the G.G.P. It just couldn't be plainer. Another reviewer says that Starbucks is their G.G.P., and while Starbucks is okay for something mass-produced, it's not quite the local, inclusive hubbub of a place that Oldenburg is talking about.

Four stars because the arguments are (as a third reviewer says) anectdotal and not so tight. (But then, how do you document a phenomenon as elusive as "place where diverse people get together and exchange information and ideas," especially if the phenomenon has all but dried up?)

I found out about this book from the movie, "You've Got Mail." The director, Nora Ephron, mentions in the commentary of this movie Ray Oldenburg's theory of the third place. This book has helped me greatly in finding my third place, Starbucks. Nora Ephron refers to Starbucks as being a great third place and it certainly is. To sit and read, or to relax and have a cup of coffee, Starbucks is the place. My third place. This is a great book.

Oldenburg's scholarship here is a little fuzzy -- while I found myself agreeing with many of his points, much of his evidence seemed anecdotal. His cross-cultural comparisons were interesting: the French cafe and the Austrian coffeehouse are institutions that seem, well, very foreign to Americans.

There are no substantive mentions of hair salons or bookstores in this work. I'm not sure how they slipped into the title.

On the whole, this work raises interesting questions about the decline of public life and public space in American culture. Oldenburg throws a number of darts at the suburbs and poor urban planning, but seems to spend more time lamenting the lost innocence of small-town America than thinking about the future and how things could be turned around. There's a lot of thought-provoking material here, and I think this work represents a good jumping-off point for further consideration and research.

I didn't like this book very much, bucause in it, Modred's stone merges with an under-cover agent who gets Modred's memorys, but has amnesia. In this book, modred gets pretty much out of the rest of the series.

This is the final time we see Modred in the series. Too bad, for being a "bad guy" I liked him. But then again, I'd never want to meet him in my life doing his "profession". The new detective will be interesting to see how well he interfaces with the rest of the group and I can't wait till he get's in an arguement with Broom. That will be the funniest thing to see in a long time in this series.

This is a wonderful Southern cookbook but also a great history of the Loveless. I enjoyed reading the sidelines as much as looking at the recipes. I also noted it was co-written by twins, Donna McCabe and her sister Mamie Strowd. My copy was signed by both of them!!

This cookbook shares many great southern recipes and is a must for all cooks but a great starter for the newlyweds. We all loved it/

ITS A SHAME SHE DIDNT PUT THE RECIPE FOR THE BISCUITS, BUT THAT RECIPE HAS BEEN A SECRET FOR AGES AND WAS A KEY SELLING POINT WHEN DONNA BOUGHT THE LOVELESS. THERE ARE PLENTY OF MOUTH WATERING RECIPES DONNA AND MAMMIE HAVE COMPILED AND I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE

ITS COUNTRY COOKING AT IT'S FINEST!

Usually when I buy a cookbook, it is because of the recipes and how close it is to being authentic. This cookbook does not come close at all. I love Vietnamese food and have grown up eating it and know how most dishes should look and taste like. This book will give the reader a small idea of what some of the dishes are but it is not authentic. There are too substitutions for too many ingredients that although the dishes may look valid, the ingredients are not. This book is definately not for readers with adventurous palates for Asian foods. This book is only good for the ones who only like to stay within the Northwestern taste limits. If you are looking for a Vietnamese cookbook that is close to being authentic, I suggest Corinne Trang.

The year before last, I went to Vietnam for three weeks and came back fired with enthusiasm to try some of its cookery at home. It had become a bit of a standing joke that I always ordered Spring Rolls and I wanted to see if I could make them myself.

I bought a selection of Vietnamese cookery books through Amazon and I can honestly say that having tried using all of them, "Cafe Vietnam" by Annabel Jackson comes top of my list for usability.

This book is by no means comprehensive (if you really want to sink your teeth into Vietnamese cookery, then you need to try other ones) but the selection of recipes, great photos and easy-to-follow instructions are ideal for beginners at Vietnamese cookery.

The thing that appealed to me the most is that the recipes are simplified and yet retain authenticity and originality. If you look at the same dishes in other Vietnamese cookery books, you will see that they are often considerably more complex and can therefore put you off from trying them.

I was concerned at first that the simplification of the recipes would diminish the authentic taste of the dishes but it doesn't. The concise paring down of the ingredient lists and handling instructions make the recipes more accessible (do-able), and makes one realise that some of the other cookery books, though lovely, are unnecessarily fussy. As always, the proof is in the eating, and I thought the results of my cookery experiments were not as good as the food I had in Vietnam but nevertheless highly satisfactory for an amateur.

One of the most healthy cook book. Since I was born there I have try most of the food in Saigon and Hue. You can come to Little Saigon town in California and you can have all of the taste of the finest food of Vietnam.

Sorry, I didn't like this book at all. Very few pictures and the recipes are nothing special. Many typos/ mixed instructions. I threw it away.

I do not understand the reviewer's comment that the Buttercream recipe was missing "cream" and "vanilla"! The recipe for the Butttercream is called "VANILLA Buttercream"! There is vanilla in the recipe(1 teaspoon!). And there is no cream in buttercream! Beyond that silliness, I have been using Anne Warren's recipes for buttercream and cakes for years after seeing her on Martha Stewart. My family and friends love them! The Buttercream is so much better than store made lard and sugar icings. The section on colors is especially precise and correct. The science behind the section "Hazards to Buttercream" is very informative & helpful. If you want to make and decorate cakes beyond the ordinary and mundane, this is the book. If you can follow directions carefully and have a bent towards creativity you will create beautiful and sophisticated tasting cakes.

I have decorated cakes for more than 20 years, and have devoured cake decorating books from the early days of Wilton in the 70's to the more recent publications of artists such as Colette Peters. I first learned of Ann Warren's beautiful cakes, unique style, techniques and recipes on a fairly detailed segment of Martha Stewart Living on Lifetime, and saw a couple of short segments on the Food Network -- I tried them and I'm hooked. If I had the privilege and pleasure of spending a day with anyone in the field of cake decorating, it would be Ann Warren.

The book does a great job of explaining all the important details of her unique style and gives detailed recipes and instructions. I highly recommend it. Though there are several pages of color photos of Ann's beautiful cakes, I would like to have seen more of them and more close-up shots of some of the flowers for studying techniques. Perhaps a sequel???

I have had the opportunity to work in Venezuela for many years and what the author describes here is unaccurate. I have never seen or feel any kind of racism in that country. However, there exist a clasist separation. But, that is not even close to the racism that exists in USA.

Being a native and also someone who has lived outside of the country, I can say that this book digs deep into the ambiguous relationship between class and race in Venezuela. Racism isn't an outright problem, classism is, but color does tend to relate to class, a way of thinking that is still inherited from colonial times. I just wish the book gave a closer look at modern times. Maybe one day there will be a sequell. A good book that must be read in the context of the country and realize that racism in North America cannot be used as a litmus test for racism else where since each region has its own heritage. If you read it with racism in the United States in mind, then you will miss the meaning and conclusions of the book. The book examines the almost forgotten but still unconsciously practiced bias that skin color plays in a Latin American society.

As a student soon to graduate with degrees in Spanish and Latin American Studies and as one who lived in the Dominican Republic for some time, this book is fascinating. It discusses the very serious and prevalent issues of identity, "race", and "racism", that exist in many parts of Latin America on some level. It is a perceptive and intelligent look at a very real topic that is usually not found in detail about places such as Venezuela, or Latin America in general for that matter. I found it to line up with all of my study regarding Latin America as well as my experiences in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. I learned from this book, and so will you.

good.. interesting..
but I am more interested where Nora is than where the Cafe is

I cant imagine a philosopher cafe without..Nietzsche...but it was good to finish the book with Nietzsche's words... Its a good book for kids and adults..