Title: Worthy Effort Review: Stallings did something good. He brought out several misconceptions about the Last Supper (i.e., that it was an all male event). He additionally attempted to give us insight into the goings on of the week leading up to that fateful Passover from a cultural perspective. However, he made one severe (and common) error: He juxtaposed later Jewish cultural and religious traditions onto the first century disciples of Jesus. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your perspective), these sort of mistakes are all too common, so he has done no worse than many other authors on the same and similar subjects. Additionally, such mistakes did not mar the book so much so as to prevent me from lending it out to a friend who knew little to nothing about Jewish culture in general and first century culture in particular. Is this product review negative?
No
--
Title: Sexy! Review: I'm not going to rave about Bartoli, we all know what she can do with what approaches sfogato mezzo with an extention to beat the band. And for those of you who care, yes, Marilyn Horne actually did say, "Honey! It's a pretty little voice" to Chris Purdy of WOSU/Columbus. I love Horne, but Bartoli is simply a mezzo of a different color. And so I'm going to rave about Pregardien, which is where the sexy part comes in.This gentleman is absolutely fabulous with a rich, well-placed and resonant tenor perfectly suited to Haydn's Rinaldo. What a treat he is. According to the blurb he sings Lieder, oratorio and things Baroque and Classical. I want to hear more from this fellow about which Amazon will be pleased.<G> Is this product review negative?
No
--
Title: I am dame joan's biggest fan Review: I am dame Joan's biggest fan. But she is awful here. It's like comparing Elizabeth Taylor's breathtaking beauty in "Cat in the hot tin roof" to her these days at age 70 as short and fat. There is no comparison. The voice is old, and the trills and scales are no longer there. If you are so die-cast fan to Sutherland that you can deal with this, by all means, get it. But if you're a new opera buff, stay away from this, like the plague. Sutherland is a far greater artist to be degraded by this pathetic performance. Is this product review negative?
No
--
Title: Honest, frustrating and eventually rewarding book Review: Cheers to the honesty of the author. She shares her feelings and behaviors with all their warts -- so that I got frustrated with her frustration. I was so sad the Meseta was depressing to her and that she couldn't sense the beauty of the place. Also sad that she so took for granted her companion. Somehow, though, it all made sense by the end (no spoiler here), which made it a worthwhile read. A true happy ending! What makes the book rewarding ultimately is her very honesty. I'm glad she didn't hide her feelings, but just wish she'd been a little more even-tempered as a author/guide/companion as I "walked" the Camino with her. Is this product review negative?
