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Summary: Get a New Editor and/or some new jokes
Review: Ms. Myers desparately needs a new editor and some new jokes. I have read all of the books in the Penn Dutch series and with few differences they are all alike. There are many synonyms for "wailed" that Ms. Myers could use that would make the book more interesting and less repetitious(I would be glad to provide a list of at least 50 options), and the jokes (which are the some in each book) are getting tired and old. Believe me, I fully understand the "eating a sandwhich alone and having the whole family for company" joke by this time. My suggestion is to read the first book in the series and forget the rest.
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Summary: Myers has done it again !
Review: Tamar Myers has done it again another great Yoder mystery! If your looking for a great read and some new recipes you have to pick up this book.
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Summary: Will you quit wailing, already?
Review: Tamar Myers, The Hand That Rocks the Ladle (Signet, 2000)I'll get this out of the way first and foremost: I like the Den of Antiquity novels better than I like the Pennsylvania Dutch novels. But it's hard to turn down any book that has recipes as a part of its plotline, isn't it? Myers brings back indefatigable Mennonite heroine Magdalena Yoder, owner of the Penn Dutch Inn and the most unreliable narrator outside the autobiographies of some of those she reports have stayed at her inn. In this episode of her escapades, her cook, Freni, has a daughter who's pregnant with triplets, a husband who's feeling sympathy pains, and a cadre of evil doctors straight out of a Robin Cook medical thriller. When Freni's daughter gives birth to twins, everyone is quick to blame it on her old doctor, who has something of a fondness for the bottle, and probably miscounted the heartbeats. Right? But Freni knows different, and she ropes Magdalena into finding baby number three, despite Amanda having an innful of very odd guests, no cook, and a mysterious stranger she is convinced is Michael Jackson. The main problem I have with the Penn Dutch mysteries is that the narrative tone just gets under my skin for some reason. The Den of Antiquity books are narrated pretty much like any other novel, but Myers has infested Magdalena Yoder with a voice that stops just this side of annoying; imagine Frances MacDormand's character in Fargo, but with a rural Pennsylvania accent, and I think you'll understand what I'm getting at. It's n full steam here, and undercuts the otherwise fun book (and wonderful recipes for things like Toad Stroganoff. I kid you not). The other problem with it is that one of the main clues to what's going on comes in the first couple of chapters, and might as well have "I'M A CLUE" stamped on it in big red letters, so when you get to the big twist ending, you've seen it coming for the last two hundred pages. Those problems aside, the book is well-plotted and well-paced, and the nutzoid quality of the characters makes it as interesting a read as any of the other Penn Dutch books; still, if you're a Myers newbie, you might want to head for the Den of Antiquity mysteries first. ** ½
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Summary: the hand that rocks the ladle
Review: This book became long and drawn out with all of Magdelena's wandering thoughts. There were too many distractions to keep my interest and remember what the mystery was to be solved. When reading my first Dutch Inn mystery, Parsely, Sage, Rosemary and Crime, I was amused and interested but now I find others lacking cohesion and very repetitive. Thumbs down from Wisconsin!
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Summary: Typical Magdalena Fair
Review: This book has some definite possibilities, and the idea behind the story is a good one (baby nappers in Hernia, and it's up to Magdalena to uncover the ring.) But, the books are so repetitive, and overusage of certain words take away from the story, and this repetiveness certainly takes away from the humour that is supposed to be behind each scene. Still some of the characterizations are good, but my favourite character, Frenie, doesn't appear that much in this one. In spite of these shortcomings the reader gets a real sense of the Pennsylvania-Dutch country and the lifestyles of the Amish and Mennonites.
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Summary: Typical Magdalena Fair
Review: This book has some definite possibilities, and the idea behind the story is a good one (baby nappers in Hernia, and it's up to Magdalena to uncover the ring.) But, the books are so repetitive, and overusage of certain words take away from the story, and this repetiveness certainly takes away from the humour that is supposed to be behind each scene. Still some of the characterizations are good, but my favourite character, Frenie, doesn't appear that much in this one. In spite of these shortcomings the reader gets a real sense of the Pennsylvania-Dutch country and the lifestyles of the Amish and Mennonites.
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Summary: Fabulous series
Review: This book started with what I thought was an unbelievable premise. But in the end, it turned out to be something I could unfortunately believe. I like this series set in the Inn. The customers are always a hoot. Magdalena is hilarious in all her antics and beliefs. I don't really get into her carrying around a kitten in her bosom though. I always look forward to reading more in this series. Highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous series
Review: This book started with what I thought was an unbelievable premise. But in the end, it turned out to be something I could unfortunately believe. I like this series set in the Inn. The customers are always a hoot. Magdalena is hilarious in all her antics and beliefs. I don't really get into her carrying around a kitten in her bosom though. I always look forward to reading more in this series. Highly recommend it.
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Summary: The editor fell down on the job!
Review: This is my first book by Tamar Myers. It will be the last. This plot is so tangled and the characters so shallow I wonder how it was ever published. Here's why I say this ... The first chapter of the book says it's October, but later on, in several chapters, Magadalena Yoder, owner of the PennDutch Inn and the main character, says it's July. Which is it? It's never clear. Magadelena is Mennonite descended from Amish, but in a scene when she meets up with two Amish children she answers them in English when they address her in Pennsylvania Dutch, which she speaks. And the children's grandfather refers to her as "English" their term for all outsiders. The woman lives in the community. Her family is Amish and she's a practicing Mennonite. It doesn't make sense for her to be referred to as "English." Magdalena's character is annoying. The woman is supposed to be 45 years old, yet she constantly addresses people as 'dear'. "Well, dear, it must be something you said." "Yours is a beautiful name, dear." "So, dear, what do you know about this Hemmy person?" Cut me a break! The only people I know who address people as 'dear' are either bad waitresses or really old ladies. When a 45 year old talks to people this way, it's downright stupid. But the clincher is that Magadelena figures out 'who done it' because the character uses the words 'rubber band' instead of the Pittsburgh slang term 'gum band'. This proves the character couldn't possibly from Pittsburgh as claimed. I am a born and bred Pittsburgher and haven't used 'gum band' since I was 8. Would that be a clue that I'm not who I say I am? For Tamar Myers it is. Take your chances, but I thought this book was a complete waste of time and money. The editor should have been able to catch the numerous discrepancies and mistakes. I wonder if it was ever read in its entirety.
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Summary: "Overuse of word nearly ruins good book," she wailed!
Review: This is my first Tamar Myers PennDutch book, which is of the type that my family categorizes as "potato chip books." You know - no nutritional value, but tasty to eat anyway. Magdalena's adventures were quite tasty, but I found myself nearly screaming out loud with irritation at Myers' repetitious use of the word "wailed" throughout the book. In fact, so often does the word appear that, to the detriment of the story line, the reader begins anticipating the next "she wailed", which creates a sense almost of boredom right in the midst of even the more exciting parts of the book. Futhermore, Myers' overuse of "wailed" made the otherwise acerbic, assertive, and funny Magdalena sound like, well, a whiny old spinster. I plan to read at least one more book in the Magadalena series with the hope that the annoying "wailing" mannerism is a one-book phenomenon. The character is funny enough to rate 4 stars if only Myers would consult a thesaurus the next time she has the urge to have Magadalena wail.
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