No comments about Within Tuscany.

3 comments about Mattanza: The Ancient Sicilian Ritual of Bluefin Tuna Fishing.

1. This book is very well written; it's almost poetic with the lyrical descriptions and vivid images that Theresa Maggio creates with her words. The author also eloquently captures for her readers the conflicting emotions she experienced as a modern American woman viewing unfamiliar cultural practices and dealing with an ancient Sicilian way of life. This against the backdrop of loving the people (and one man in particular) and exploring her heritage as a grandchild of Sicilians. She writes with a sadness and shares a sense of loss with the people as old traditions fade away; the ancient way of fishing for instance - MATTANZA - the bluefin tuna fishing ritual that is dying out as modern fishing methods intrude.

   In the best traditions of good travelogues the book paints a sensitive and romantic portrait of traditional cultures; we are invited to feel a poignancy about the inevitable losses that changes through modernization brings. The author in describing her man says "he was a good man in a dying trade, a fisherman to the core of his soul. His boat, his nets, and the sea were his life."

   Writing style and attention to culture - the hallmarks of a good travelogue being present - what then is the problem with the book? The truth is that the cultural practice itself is not one that we develop much sympathy for. MATTANZA, although certainly not a glorification of death, and steeped as it is in religious symbolism, nevertheless is shown up as a bloody ritual, and more unfortunately for the book, a rather senseless one.

   Maggio describes the scene around the trap. "The net was drawn taught, and they skittered in front of us, half out of the water...The fish were as big as men...I remember the din, the thunder of falling water, and their frantic thrashing. They darted to the corners of the net, but there was no way out...when the thrashing calmed they were battered, bleeding and floating on their sides, but they were still alive...this killing went on for an hour, the blue square turned red. When the last fish was taken the currents cleared the square of the blood and milky water that clouded it." Not exactly a practice that has much to recommend it. Even if you wished to take a principled stand and say 'I can't pass judgement on other peoples cultural practices,' the book sets itself up for just this sort of criticism where, after the Mattanza, Maggio says "the tourists...were towed back to port." Now we see the reality. This ancient traditional cultural practice, steeped in religious symbolism, is not so precious afterall. It has allowed itself to be bastardized into a blood-sport tourist attraction in order to make a few dollars. This admission, and the failure of Maggio to contrast the traditional practices with even more exploitative, modern commercial fishing activities, leaves the spotlight firmly on MATTANZA; and unfortunately for the book wheras the writing style shines, the cultural practice it describes does not.




2. Maggio's words sent me to a time and place that my thoughts could not imagine without a guide to show the way. The startling contrast between the ritual of the tuna slaughter and life in my cozy home nestled by a roaring fire are apparent from the opening pages. A true adventure that reads like a fictitious novel of love for the life and life for the love of a bloody massacre few have witnessed. Sushi? Is it a non-fiction? Is it an advertisement for the gourmet market? Is it a traditon that will endure? Without Maggio's persistant journeys to the site of the tonnora and the substance of a writer without limits, this work would not have traveled to my hands and through my mind.
   Inspirational story-telling by an artist that paints through words and colors with the culture and rich tradition of a brutal ritual.
   Thank You Ms. Maggio for giving my dreams substance and a sicilian fantasy.
   jackie farrow



3. this was a great read. this woman can really write well.
   I loved her descriptions of these fisherman. Made me wish
   I wasn't married. I'd go over there and get me one!
   great descriptions!

1 comments about Frommer's Italy from $90 a Day (Frommer's $ A Day).

1. I have had mixed results with Frommer's books. I like their maps and guides to attractions... BUT... The hotels they recommend in the lower end category often fall short. I especially did not like their recommendations for Rome.

   The book has a great layout but the hotels need to be rechecked. I would make sure to balance this book with another guide like Karen Brown's or Fodor's... I make sure any hotel I stay in has a good rating in at least two sources....

1 comments about Southwest Ireland, 5th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan).

1. I carried this around during my 9/2007 trip. It was one of the few guides I could find that focused on the S/W, and it was slim enough to easily carry around. I appreciated the specific recommendations on where to stay and eat. Being a nature lover, I also appreciated those recommendations. I had some minor wishes: A couple of restaurants were (long) closed, and ideally this book would be pocket-sized with fold-out maps.

5 comments about Rick Steves' Ireland 2007 (Rick Steves).

1. You have to hand it to Rick Steeves: he carved out a niche in the travel business by focusing on average travelers, and trying to make their journeys better than average with useful information. I agree with his overall philosophy that spending more money doesn't necessarily enhance one's experience. However, he often lapses into a disconcerting lecture -- never quite a rant -- about how Americans should be quiet, humble, considerate, etc. when they venture abroad. I for one could do without his preachy style. If I am considering a trip to Ireland, and have come as far as Steeves' guide for information, it stands to reason that I'm no yahoo who expects a "Top o' the mornin'" from Irish people, or a McDonalds in every town. There are some of us who are educated and curious travelers, just as there are boobs from Over There. But then, Steeves isn't writing a book to lecture European dolts, is he?
   
   Aside from the overdone bits about how rude Americans are, Steeves curiously leaves out some wonderful sights in Ireland from his guidebook. I loved Bantry House, on the Beara Peninsula, but there's no mention of it. Likewise, he neglects the must-see island of Ilnacullen in Glengarriff, with its Italianate villa and gardens. He also missed niceties like the Avoca handweavers (great tea and scones on the go, upscale wearables, etc).
   
   Some of his estimates for how many days to give each town were off. Kinsale rated two days. Though it's a small town, the harbor, fortress, wine shops and surrounding activities alone were worth a bit more time. I don't know anything about his B&B recommendations, other than the fact that his choices were 10-15 euros more expensive than my picks in the same regions, with not much lost in hospitality or cuisine. I realize you can't cover it all, but with the Internet being such a great source of info, it's hard to rely on just one book for accommodations. Experience is wisdom.



2. Rick Steves really takes you on the best trips around Europe. His descriptions are spot on and his maps are easy to follow. I would never use any other tour book when traveling.



3. Once again Rick has made what could have been a dry guide book interesting, fun, and full of information that travelers really want to know. It takes talent to write a book such as his, fun to read for the sake of reading.
   
   I highly recommend Rick's series of Travel Guides. Buy them and enjoy even if you aren't trotting the globe.



4. I just traveled to Ireland without leaving my chair - that's how I felt after reading this book front to back. I bought this book to learn more about Ireland, from a traveler's perspective. Rick Steves provides a good mix of history and detailed information suitable for travel planning and entertaining enough for the armchair traveler. I enjoy Rick Steves' programs and I plan to purchase more of his books.



5. We bought Fodor's Ireland, and brought along the Rick Steve's guidebook as well. We found everything we wanted in Fodor's. In ten days we were helped exactly one time by the Rick Steve's. We thought we'd try it, as it came recommended by a friend, and bundled together on the Amazon page we thought it would make a good companion with our new Fodor's...no. I'll not use this guidebook again. We had everything we needed in the Fodor's. We both thought this was a waste of money, when we were looking for an invaluable resource for our car trip.

2 comments about Fodor's Ireland 2007 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. The guide was good but not great - happily others contributed facts so we could make more informed choices as to where and what to see related to museums and castles. Not as good as other Fodor's books!



2. We just returned from driving along the coasts of Ireland for 10 days. Fodor's hit the mark one more time...this is a very complete companion in the car! Having the book in the car helped us to plan ahead, and also to read about the many spots where we just "found ourselves". Like having a third person in the car....an Irishman! :)

5 comments about Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas: A Golfer's Pilgrimage to the Courses of Ireland.

1. As we plan our trip to Ireland Jim Finegan makes us realize that we need to spend more time there to enjoy more courses from the great ones to the unknown treasures . His epistle on Scotland does the same. My only real question is, Do I need a Michelin guide as well or shall we just enjoy the beauty and finesse of the Irish courses as he tells us to ?? A great manual for Irish Golf.



2. this book is a must. I am a PGA professional who recently spent six weeks in ireland. thankfully i brought along my copy of emerald fairways. it was just as valuable to me as my golf clubs. his insight on the golf courses are extremely accurate, but the most valuable information is on food and accomodations. It was amazing to have read the book and then experience everything exactly how it read. even the people he comes across and writes about, really exist and are still around interacting in the same manner as he writes. simply a must have for anyone who has even dreamt of going to Ireland. Scotland may be the home of golf, but Ireland is golf heaven. there is a reason so many golf pros (woods, janzen, duval, stewart, etc.) take trips there. Finegan does an amazing job that could not be topped by anyone, not even Christy O'Conner. Enjoy it, I know you will.



3. Golf in the Kingdom comes to life with real information.

   My golfing buddy and I are in the planning stages of a trip to either Ireland or Scotland. If you appreciate humorous, passionate writing, then this is the book. You can feel the pace of play and exciting in his words. You can also feel his appreciation for the joy of the trip in his conversations with golf pro's, barkeeps, hotel owners.

   After reading this joyful book, you'll be hooked on travelling just like he has, same courses, same restaurants and inns.

   Makes a wonderful gift for golfers who fully appreciate the game of golf. Between this and the Scotland book, I think that I've given away seven copies.




4. James Finegan's three volumes guides to golf in Scotland, Ireland and England are literate and engrossing. I can't imagine a golfing trip to the UK or Ireland without these guides.



5. Stopped wearing this item and replaced it with a different model from another company. It slipped off my belt too easily.

1 comments about New Worlds: The Great Voyages of Discovery 1400-1600.

1. "New Worlds" is an unbelievably great book! After reading the recent "Rivers of Gold", I started to look for an up to date overview of the age of discovery. I was especially interested in events prior to the voyages of Columbus and the role of Portugal.
   
   Dr. Fritze offers a balanced and detailed overview that includes Portuguese contributions. But the book goes much farther. It details the European knowledge and mindset prior to exploration. It covers politics, trade, technology and other factors crucial to setting the stage for exploration. The book is lavishly illustrated. It has great charts and maps.
   
   "New Worlds" is the best history book I have read since "Guns, Germs and Steel." It may be better.
   
   Despite searches on Amazon and web searches, I could not find a book remotely covering the age of exploration. "New Worlds" is on Amazon... but it is like finding a needle in a haystack. Luckily I stumbled across "New World's" at the Stanford bookstore.
   
   My kudos to the author. I hope your publisher will find better ways to get the word out. (I'm shocked how clueless they must be about web marketing.)

4 comments about The Town Below the Ground: Edinburgh's Legendary Underground City.

1. I only gave this book 4 stars because I felt that it was too short and abbreviated. Then again, I'm the type of person who likes rich historical details. The author doesn't bore you with dates or technical details, the story of the origins of Edinburgh's underground city are told with a marvelous gift of oratory, making you feel like you're hearing a story told in front of a fire, a story that grows more and more chilling.

   The story is simple, due to overpopulation, numerous underground chambers and vaults were built to accommodate the fast growth of Edinburgh's Old Town. The poorest of the poor lived in these dark cramped vaults and more often than not died there too, having never known anything but poverty and misery. You are told of the kinds of people who lived there: villians and widows, families and loners. You hear of how they lived, from the people too sickly to work to the poor children forced to climb inside chimneys to clean them. Full of misery, disease and hoplessness, it's no wonder the underground city has gained a reputation for being haunted.

   Tales of the supernatural happenings are also found in this book, tales of a mischeivious yet harmless ghost who haunts a pub to the frightening stories of tourists and tour guides alike being assaulted by unseen hands and claws.

   Whether a history buff or a fan of ghosts stories, you're sure to enjoy this book. It's easy reading, educational AND entertaining.




2. ...those readers who don't come from Edinburgh found the book entertaining, but those who do found it disappointing, and I must add my name to the latter category.

   As a lifelong Edinburgh resident I've heard stories of the underground city all my life, and the emergence of this book offered the promise of a full and final explanation of what's really there and what isn't. However, aside from a reasonably interesting general history of old Edinburgh, the book is astonishingly lacking in facts of any kind. It's all conjecture, rumour and myth. At least fifty percent of the book is merely a series of fables and ghost stories with absolutely no descernable facts or evidence to either back them up or dismiss them.

   If someone's going to bother writing a book on the underground city, wouldn't you expect them to have something to TELL? Not so Jan-Andrew Henderson. For him the gathering together of a few myths and legends was enough. No solid research, maps, plans or diagrams, descriptions of exactly what remains of the underground city; No reports of excavations, eyewitness accounts; no rummaging through old property plans or title deeds to discover reports of mysterious doorways in lost cellars that seem to lead nowhere. None of this.

   If you're really interested in learning about the underground city you'd be better off saving your money, and instead paying a visit to one of Edinburgh's many pubs in the old town, where you'll encounter characters who can tell you much more about it than anything in this book




3. I must start by saying that I haven't actually read this book. I did, however, visit Edinburgh a week ago and embark upon a tour of the old city that focused sites of murder and mayhem. On that tour, my guide was Jan-Andrew Henderson. He brought an overlarge group of American teenagers to silent, rapt attention with his description of the old city of Edinburgh inside the Floyden wall. We ended at Greyfriar's churchyard, home to 400 monuments and approximately 800,000 bodies. He was a charismatic and knowledgable story-teller, and if he writes at all in the manner in which he speaks, anything he could put on paper would be worth reading. ~ Interested in History

   P.S. On this tour Henderson made no mention of his name or plug for his book. I found out his identity later from my overall holiday tour guide (completely independent from Henderson's tour) who had accompanied my school group for the experience.




4. I found this book to be very entertaining and interesting! I don't usually like "ghost stories", and do not believe in ghosts (though I don't want to go looking for them in case I'm wrong...ha, ha); however, having been in Edinburgh 5 months ago, the underground city fascinated me. Though the book can often only reference "stories" and can not be factual, since most of the items in this book are impossible to verify, the author includes a lot of accurate historical information too. I took a tour of South Bridge when I was visiting Edinburgh, and fortunately, did not encounter any ghosts or strange occurences. After reading the section on South Bridge, I was even more glad that I didn't encounter any strange incidences (ha, ha). The author does not try to sell you anything and doesn't use his book as a publicity plug, which is nice. I recommend this book for its entertaining and interesting information!

5 comments about The Aran Islands (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics).

1. My dad was born there in the 1950's and i was named after it. not a bad place, not much to do but nice to visit. the book is informal but informative.



2. "The Aran Islands" is a delightful rendition of the experiences of J. M. Synge during his visits to the Aran Islands just over a century ago. Synge's journey had been encouraged by William Butler Yeats. "Go to the Aran Islands. Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression." Here Synge gained an insight into the Irish character which would enrich his later works.

   The Aran Islands are a chain of islands off the coasts of Connemara and Clare. Isolated by the sea, the Arans, like the Galapagos in the natural world, preserve the language and customs of traditional Ireland.

   The book is a narrative of what Synge saw and the stories he heard during his stays in the Arans, told by a master storyteller in the finest Irish tradition. The language is delightful, the stories are entertaining and the insight into the Irish soul is profound. A must read for any lover of the Irish.




3. The search for authentic experiences is regarded as an important theme in postmodernism. John Millington Synge's book demonstrates that this quest for authenticity has been an important part of cultural inquiry for a long time. This wonderful book was written almost one hundred years ago, but it reads like a contemporary ethnographic inquiry. He provides vivid descriptions of daily life and wonderful presentations of the folklore of the Aran Islands. The book is primarily descriptive, but there are interesting textures and conclusions throughout Synge's writing. I would recommend reading this book and then watching Flaherty's film "Man of Aran." Follow up that visual feast with Stoney's "The Making of the Myth." To complete your excursion, top things off with a reading of Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and "Riders to the Sea," two fine plays that he set on the Aran Islands. The stories, descriptions, and textures within Synge's book will become very clear when you're finished.



4. This book describes the adventures of J. M. Synge on the Aran Islands around the turn of the Twentieth Century. William Butler Yeats suggested that Synge visit the island in order to learn Irish and become acquainted with traditional Irish culture as it had been preserved on the islands. Synge followed his suggestion, and made four lengthy trips to the islands. In this book, he recounts his experiences on the islands, together with some of the stories and poems that were recited to him there.
   
   The book is a unique collection of travelogue, journal, and research notebook. Synge describes his relationships with individuals on the islands, as well as some of the common traits and customs observable there. He tells us about harrowing sea passages that he took from island to island in small rowed boats, and records a number of folk-tales that were shared with him by island residents. Synge was to draw on all of this material in his later writing career, making the book quite interesting for those who enjoy his plays. The book also provides informative details of what daily life was like in this remote region at the time.



5. Not only does this book describe a time long past but Synge has a deeper sense of the psychology of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands and how it differs with that of "civilized" people of the time. Anyone who is interested in this topic and enjoys this book would do well to read Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan, which is a personal account by Mr. O'Sullivan of his life on Ireland's Great Blasket Island and is a wonderful, lyrical read that shows alot of humor as well as love for the natural world around him.