Advantages: A superbly-written detective novel. Disadvantages: The ending is not as strong as the rest of the plot.
family still has a home. Whilst appearing to investigate complaints of harassment made by a family friend, Contessa Zulian, he's actually looking into the possible abduction of an American from an island in the Venetian lagoon. Some of his methods are unorthodox, even unethical and he has to examine his own conscience when a fellow detective is brutally murdered. Throw in a good helping of local politics and corrupt local politicians and you have the makings of an excellent story.
The story is dominated by the city itself, with the title coming from the lagoon in which Venice is situated ? the Laguna Morta. This isn't a book written by a casual visitor. Michael Dibdin lived and worked in Italy for four years and when he writes of the cities in which the Zen novels are set he brings them to life in a way which few travel books are ...
Advantages: That Caribbean atmosphere. Disadvantages: Stinking hangovers!
There's a lovely story attached to the origins of Tia Maria, all about Jamaica during the Colonial Wars, fleeing noblewomen, black pearl earrings and a secret family recipe. You can read it on their website (http://www.tiamaria.co.uk) if, like me, you like to know the folklore and stories behind the things that you buy. The website will also tell you how this famous liqueur is made and the process sounds equally romantic: coffee beans grown in the foothills of the Jamaican Blue Mountain range are gathered, cracked, and mixed with vanilla and sugar and alcohol then bottled and sold to those of us who love to savour a little bit of the taste and the atmosphere of a lazy Caribbean holiday whenever we can. Otherwise, I'm afraid, the website is a little dull with some rather unadventurous cocktail suggestions and a design in similar rich ...
jillmurphy 21.08.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Tia Maria
Advantages: Purpose designed Disadvantages: A bit fiddly
This is a boring but necessary review. Boring because you'd all much rather be reading about DVDs or perfumes; necessary because now the spring sunshine is streaming in, have you seen the state of your venetianblinds?
This is a purpose-designed gadget for a notoriously fiddly job. There are two parts to it: the brush and the anti-static fluid, so you get a twin-pronged attack on the wretched things. The brush looks like a huge, thin toothbrush with 6 "bristles". Each bristle rotates and is covered with a woolly yellow fibre (don't know what it is and the packet doesn't say). The fluid is in a 375ml spray bottle. Spray a little of the fluid on to the brush, then pull the trigger underneath the brush handle which pulls the bristles apart. Slide the bristles of the brush between the slats of the blind and release the trigger ...
Chouchinciao 13.04.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Blind Brite
