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Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions it Aroused |
The author has drawn from an impressive number of sources to present a vivid picture of the evolution of the tulip from its origins as a wildflower near the Himalayas and its spread via Central Asia to become a much-prized flower in the gardens of Turkish and 17th century Dutch enthusiasts. Growers produced numerous varieties and demand for the rarest ones led to a boom and speculation in Holland culminating in a famous bust.
(Jeremy Swann - bwl 59 Winter 2011) |
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Wait Until Spring, Bandini |
This is the first book in the Bandini Quartet, about an Italian family on the breadline in Colorado (presumably in 1938, when it was written). The father is an unsuccessful and frustrated bricklayer whose wife's only real passions are him and her religion. Their three sons are left to themselves and mostly unable to cope with their circumstances and dysfunctional parents. This book is beautifully written and completely heartbreaking. I will read the rest immediately.
(Julie Higgins - bwl 59 Winter 2011) |
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