By Emily
Whaley in conversation with William Baldwin
Mrs.
Whaley and Her Charleston Garden was exactly what the title indicated, a rambling
conversation. I loved when the
conversation was about her garden, which has inspired me to work more on my own
garden next spring. Some of her tips
were very useful. She would wander off
topic, but kept coming back to the garden, which is what kept me reading.
However,
there were a great many flaws in the content and writing. Many of her attitudes and opinions were
definitely old school and not politically correct. At times, I found them a bit offensive. I also had a very difficult time with the
writing. Apparently, William Baldwin
just transcribed the conversation. Good conversation
does not always translate well into good writing. The never-ending sentence fragments were a
challenge at first, and quickly became an annoyance. The book is interesting if you are a gardener
or interested in Charleston, but was definitely not a great read.
The Last Chinese Chef
By Nicole
Mones
I loved The
Last Chinese Chef. Nicole Mones, the
author, lived and worked in China for eighteen years. That must have contributed to the authentic
feeling throughout the story. The
historical and contemporary information about the culinary arts was
fascinating. The characters were well
developed and believable. Mones wove a great
story, which I enjoyed from start to finish.
I found The Last Chinese Chef to be a great read!
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