When I set out to write a book about the natural history of breasts, I knew I'd have to answer some awkward questions about my book topic. At a...
Continue »
Elizabeth David remains the greatest cookery writer of the 20th century. She was the antithesis of her contemporary Fanny Cradock, who unlike her was a grotesque charlatan. David was a true intellectual and had a wonderful way with words. Suffering a dreadful stroke, quite young, she managed to climb her own personal mountain and won through. Her later mental decline was a terrible act of robbery, which led to her eventual demise. Her expertise and knowledge, unlike Cradock, was not based on abject snobbery and pretentious claptrap, but on research, travel and a cosmopolitan ethos that was not confined to French cuisine. Her post-war and post-rationing books were a revelation and a powerful breath of fresh air to those who had suffered during those rationing blues. A great book to read when traveling (try reading it on a plane, etc.) to or around Europe. Highly recommended.
A novel of rare, undulating emotion, feeling and humanity. A story so universal that the gay element is almost irrelevant, since it touches on human life in such a deft and incisive way. Isherwood's primary genius is in the way he composes a literary aria of the human condition without sacrificing truth. It is with great joy we read this truth in A Single Man and are humbled by it's crystalline substance. And yet there is a profound delicacy and tenderness in the tone and feel of this underrated literary masterpiece, whilst it at the same time it manages to achieve fusion with the visceral depths of human angst. A book of rare, moving narrative written with extreme skill and conveyed with the master touch of a truly great writer. I cannot wait to see the movie!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Don't Miss
Customer Comments
Awfultruth has commented on (2) products.
An Omelette and a Glass of Wine (Cook's Classic Library) by Elizabeth David
Awfultruth, February 6, 2010
Elizabeth David remains the greatest cookery writer of the 20th century. She was the antithesis of her contemporary Fanny Cradock, who unlike her was a grotesque charlatan. David was a true intellectual and had a wonderful way with words. Suffering a dreadful stroke, quite young, she managed to climb her own personal mountain and won through. Her later mental decline was a terrible act of robbery, which led to her eventual demise. Her expertise and knowledge, unlike Cradock, was not based on abject snobbery and pretentious claptrap, but on research, travel and a cosmopolitan ethos that was not confined to French cuisine. Her post-war and post-rationing books were a revelation and a powerful breath of fresh air to those who had suffered during those rationing blues. A great book to read when traveling (try reading it on a plane, etc.) to or around Europe. Highly recommended.A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
Awfultruth, February 6, 2010
A novel of rare, undulating emotion, feeling and humanity. A story so universal that the gay element is almost irrelevant, since it touches on human life in such a deft and incisive way. Isherwood's primary genius is in the way he composes a literary aria of the human condition without sacrificing truth. It is with great joy we read this truth in A Single Man and are humbled by it's crystalline substance. And yet there is a profound delicacy and tenderness in the tone and feel of this underrated literary masterpiece, whilst it at the same time it manages to achieve fusion with the visceral depths of human angst. A book of rare, moving narrative written with extreme skill and conveyed with the master touch of a truly great writer. I cannot wait to see the movie!(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)