MAPS ARE A PLUS
I jumped right to the “Cooking School” chapter. You wrote beautifully about Chef Aiello’s happiness at sharing his personality & knowledge with you. Your heartfelt prose brought me into your book. Maps are a plus for me, too. I like to know where things are when I am reading about them.
Karen C
Niantic CT
I CAN FEEL THE HUMID AIR
I just opened the book in the middle and read about David, Italy’s land, and Roman memories and was transported. Although I am not such a great reader of poetry, I find your verse clear and accessible and the images savory. I can almost feel the humid air of southern Campania. Thank you.
Jon G
New London CT
PASSION FOR TRAVEL
We just finished reading Under Vesuvius last night and were very impressed with the literary illusions, poetic verse, and just a simple love of the Amalfi area of Italy. Evident throughout this book was a passion for religion and travel. Thank you for sharing this theological, culinary, and poetic journey.
Lou and Fran
Norwich CT
WIDOW WRITES FOR FRIEND
I imagine if Phil were here, he’d be jotting a note to you, expressing his awe, his gratitude, and his undying affection for you for conceiving, writing and sharing Under Vesuvius. Although he may be out of our reach, I know he is with us, smiling over your shoulder, amazed, as am I.
Judy F
Matamoras PA
LIKED SHORT STORY SECTION
And when I read Windows on the World, it was much like reading one of Ken Follett’s books (especially the Kingsbridge series of novels). I can’t imagine how much research went into developing the description of the processes and steps required to make the abbey windows (from ore mining through installation) not to mention traveling to the ore mine and aspects of life during that period of time.
Windows on the World certainly communicates your deep understanding of, and passion for, the interconnected topics of environmental quality and industrial hygiene.
Andy P.
East Lyme, CT
ALL THE ELEMENTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Sometimes an author shows you a place, sometimes one can tell you what a place looks and feels like; this author lets you BE in a place – and that place is one of the loveliest in the world: the area in and around Sorrento, Italy. In the first part of the book, written in verse format, the author invites the reader to travel with him to such places as Pompeii, Capri, and Naples. We walk with him down the streets of Pompeii, enjoy a cooking class in Sorrento, shudder with him at the burial crypt in the Aragon Castle, and reflect on the lives of all those who lived here. Of course, one cannot visit Italy without visiting a number of churches, and the author does not disappoint giving vivid descriptions. However, as travelers, many of us go to a church, hear a bit about the history of the church, admire its beautiful windows, and perhaps attend a service. Few of us, though, reflect on the people who created these magnificent buildings.
In the last part of the book, the author, in prose form, does just this. In riveting detail, he writes a story about an Abbey and the group of Brothers who are tasked with creating windows for a new chapel. The story has all the elements of human behavior: greed, conflict, fear, kindness, determination and suffering. The story comes to a climax when the author reveals not only the beauty accomplished but the price that was paid for it.
If you have even been to Italy or dreamed about going, you will find this book a good companion.
Mary B
Stonington, CT