Picture of author.
17 Works 412 Membros 4 Reviews

About the Author

Helena Attlee works as an editor and as a journalist writing on gardens and garden history Alex Ramsay writes on garden history and is well-known as a photographer of houses and gardens
Image credit: Helena Attlee

Séries

Obras de Helena Attlee

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1958-06-13
Sexo
female
Nacionalidade
UK
Ocupação
travel writer
Relacionamentos
Ramsay, Alex (husband)

Membros

Resenhas

Helena falls for the violin playing Klezmer music on the first occasion she hears it. Hearing something about the violin's history she goes on an exploration of the culture it came from, allowing her studies to help her explore Italy from a new viewpoint. The account of her travels is cleverly contrived to tell the story of the instrument, although we did get a bit bogged down in C18 Church music. We hear about the history of violin making, Amati, Guaneri del Gesu and Stradivari and how it came to an end and was forgotten in Cremona till the fascists decided to reinvent the industry there again in the 30s. Meanwhile we explore the forests of Paneveggio, where the spruce for the instruments came from, and the journey down river to Venice, then from merchants up the Po to Cremona. The Lutiers unselfconsciously perfected the design and made them for aristocratic, or church buyers, but later on, when the source had dried up merchants begin to value, collect, forge and sell the "Old Italians". The owner of Lev's violin is actually Greg Lawson and he bought it from Lev Atlas who is still with us and you can find Lev playing Russian/Jewish music on You tube.
The travels come with helpful maps of Italy, although a diagram of the parts of a violin would be useful. Apparently these instruments are regularly taken apart and repaired, or even altered! The glue is traditional, and since its not rigid it allows for flexion and repair. The varnish comes in 25 - 30 layers and is vital.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
oataker | Jul 29, 2021 |
These days lemons are a part of our culinary lives, but there was a time not long ago when these were seen as exotic fruit. People would return from Italy on holiday in the 1950’s with tales of trees laden with fruit, inhaling the heady aroma that the fruit gives.

And it is to Italy that Atlee takes us. From the Sicilian terraces full of mandarins and blood oranges, to the Southern Italian groves full of the huge citron and bergamonts. She visits the perfumed gardens of Liguria to see their particularly sour chinotti and witnesses the festival in Ivrea where the inhabitants throw 400 tonnes of oranges at each other. Along her journey she draws together the history of the places and the fruits, sips limoncello on sun soaked terraces, discovers new pastas, meets Rabbis choosing perfect citrons, but mostly lets these fruits permeate her soul.

I really enjoyed this. Atlee writes with authority and confidence on her subject, talking about the Arabs who brought the fruits to Italy, to the modern organised crime syndicates who controlled the Scillian trade. All the way through she manages to evoke the feel and atmosphere of the places that she visits, and on a damp day in the UK there is no place that I would rather be than a sun drenched piazza in Italy.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
PDCRead | 1 outra resenha | Apr 6, 2020 |
Some 28 important gardens in Japan are covered off in this book by Helena Attlee. Basically it is a picture book with some details about each garden ...mainly historical details. There is very little about any theories of garden design or layout , but maybe the is unnecessary with a book like this. The photographs are great...though, in a few cases, I noticed the perennial problem of photographing Japanese gardens; you need to be there at the right time. So the photos of the gardens in Okayama...Koraku-en appear to be taken in early winter. I had the same problem. Visiting there at the wrong season....before all the azaleas come out and the grass turns green. But, in it's own way, each of these great gardens has something to offer to the visitor in every season. And the constant march of the seasons.....so evident in Japan.....lends a unique charm to every garden. Still....it's hard really to beat these gardens in spring when the cherry blossoms are in flower or in Autumn when the leaves turn to bright red and yellow. I think Helena and her photographer husband have done a pretty good job with this book. It's a good overview of a large number of very beautiful gardens ...and they have not neglected to pick up on a few of the small details that make these places so lovely:....moss around the base of trees; roof tiles inserted in the ground; a rock tied with string to mark a no-go area. Great pictures.… (mais)
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Marcado
booktsunami | Oct 10, 2019 |
The Land Where Lemons Grow is, as the subtitle would suggest, a book about Italy and citrus. The author, whose specialty is gardens, travels around Italy exploring the local culture from the far north to Sicily. This is not just about places that grow citrus, but also those who use it, whether they be Orthodox Jews seeking perfect citrons for Sukkot, the Battle of the Oranges during Carnival in the northern town of Ivrea, or perfumers seeking the perfect bergamont. The reader discovers local delicasies, historical gardening trends, and all kinds of interesting facts about the citrus family.

There is lots of travelling here, but there are maps in each chapter, so you never get lost. This is something I found extremely handy. For anyone with an interest in citrus, Italy, gardening, or history, I can highly recommend it.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
inge87 | 1 outra resenha | May 29, 2015 |

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Associated Authors

Alex Ramsay Photographer
John Ferro Sims Photographer
Albert Nolla Translator

Estatísticas

Obras
17
Membros
412
Popularidade
#59,116
Avaliação
4.0
Resenhas
4
ISBNs
36
Idiomas
7

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