In 1671, Carlo Dimerco is the only man in the world who knows how to make ice cream. As confectioner to Louis XIV, his talents are kept a closely guarded secret and his dishes served up for the King’s pleasure only. But Carlo has fallen hopelessly in love with Louise de Keroualle, an impoverished lady-in-waiting to Henrietta d’Angleterre, sister of Charles II of England. When Henrietta dies suddenly, Louise and Carlo’s lives are changed irrevocably when they are sent to London.It quickly becomes clear that Charles II wants Louise as his mistress. There ensues a famous rivalry between Louise and the king’s other mistress, the cockney actress Nell Gwyn. But Carlo is heartbroken. The only power he has left to wield is through his exquisite ice cream confections ...Where will his loyalties lie? Will he seek his revenge?
A clever and complex woman builds an ice cream empire after immigrating from Russia in this stunning novel of power, Prohibition, and performance set against the backdrop of early 20th-century America. In 1913, little Malka Treynovsky flees Russia with her family. Bedazzled by tales of gold and movie stardom, she tricks them into buying tickets for America. Yet no sooner do they land on the squalid Lower East Side of Manhattan, than Malka is crippled and abandoned in the street. Taken in by a tough-loving Italian ices peddler, she manages to survive through cunning and inventiveness. As she learns the secrets of his trade, she begins to shape her own destiny. She falls in love with a gorgeous, illiterate radical named Albert, and they set off across America in an ice cream truck. Slowly, she transforms herself into Lillian Dunkle, "The Ice Cream Queen" -- doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises and a celebrated television personality. Lillian's rise to fame and fortune spans seventy years and is inextricably linked to the course of American history itself, from Prohibition to the disco days of Studio 54. Yet Lillian Dunkle is nothing like the whimsical motherly persona she crafts for herself in the media. Conniving, profane, and irreverent, she is a supremely complex woman who prefers a good stiff drink to an ice cream cone. And when her past begins to catch up with her, everything she has spent her life building is at stake.
Be it soft-serve, gelato, frozen custard, Indian kulfi or Israeli glida, some form of cold, sweet ice cream treat can found throughout the world in restaurants and home freezers. Though ice cream was once considered a food for the elite, it has evolved into one of the most successful mass-market products ever developed. In Ice Cream, food writer Laura B. Weiss takes the reader on a vibrant trip through the history of ice cream from ancient China to modern-day Tokyo in order to tell the lively story of how this delicious indulgence became a global sensation. Weiss tells of donkeys wooed with ice cream cones, Good Humor-loving World War II-era German diplomats, and sundaes with names such as “Over the Top” and “George Washington.” Her account is populated with Chinese emperors, English kings, former slaves, women inventors, shrewd entrepreneurs, Italian immigrant hokey-pokey ice cream vendors, and gourmand American First Ladies. Today American brands dominate the world ice cream market, but vibrant dessert cultures like Italy’s continue to thrive, and new ones, like Japan’s, flourish through unique variations. Weiss connects this much-loved food with its place in history, making this a book sure to be enjoyed by all who are beckoned by the siren song of the ice cream truck.
Perfect for readers of Hilary Mantel, Alison Weir, and Philippa Gregory, Empress of the Night is Eva Stachniak’s engrossing new novel, told in the voice of Catherine the Great as the Romanov monarch reflects on her ascension to the throne, her rule over the world’s greatest power, and the sacrifices that made her the most feared and commanding woman of her time. A critically acclaimed historical drama and instant #1 international bestseller, The Winter Palace brilliantly reimagined the rise of Catherine the Great through the watchful eyes of her clever servant Varvara. Now, in Eva Stachniak’s enthralling new novel, Catherine takes center stage as she relives her astonishing ascension to the throne, her rule over an empire, and the sacrifices that made her the most feared and commanding woman of her time. As the book opens, the charismatic monarch is in her final hours. From the fevered depths of her mind, Catherine recalls the fateful trajectory of her turbulent life: her precarious apprenticeship as Russia’s Grand Duchess, the usurpers who seek to deprive her of a crown, the friends who beg more of her than she was willing to give, and her struggle to know whom to trust and whom to deceive to ensure her survival. “We quarrel about power, not about love,” Catherine would write to the great love of her life, Grigory Potemkin, but her days were balanced on the razor’s edge of choosing her head over her heart. Power, she learns, is about resolve, strategy, and direction; love must sometimes be secondary as she marshals all her strengths to steer her volatile country into a new century and beyond—to grow the Romanov empire, to amass a vast fortune, and to control a scheming court in order to become one of history’s greatest rulers. Gorgeously written with vivid detail and lyrical prose, Empress of the Night is an intensely intimate novel of a woman in charge of her fortunes, who must navigate the sorrows, triumphs, and hopes of both her soul and a nation. Praise for Empress of the Night “[Eva] Stachniak’s absorbing novel opens readers’ hearts to an extraordinary and misunderstood woman. . . . Wonderfully, lyrically written, Stachniak’s story vibrates with passion, drama and intrigue. This is a feast for fans.”—RT Book Reviews “Stachniak’s insight into the opulent lives of Russia’s rulers continues in this reflective second novel. . . . Historical fiction fans will appreciate this personal account of a formidable and, indeed, infamous ruler.”—Library Journal “The book takes on a dreamlike quality. . . . Ambitious . . . moving . . . structurally complex and psychologically intense . . . vivid descriptions.”—Quill & Quire “Stachniak brings to life one of the most fascinating—and controversial—female rulers of all time.”—DuJour “Empress of the Night casts light on Catherine’s life with unflinching honesty and intimacy. This fun novel of lovers, intrigue, and malicious and manipulative nobility keeps readers enthralled with every page.”—Virtuoso Life
Perhaps the history of ice cream isn't crucial to the advancement of civilization, but it's one of humanity's sweeter inventions and that may make its study more significant than one would think at first glance. This is the "elite treat" of Europe that underwent an American transformation as stunning as Norma Jean to Marilyn Monroe. From hand cranked machines to Baked Alaska, Dairy Queen to Ben and Jerry's, the history of ice cream also becomes a history of American culture and tastes. Paper edition (unseen), $18.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Was ice cream invented in Philadelphia? How about by the Emperor Nero, when he poured honey over snow? Did Marco Polo first taste it in China and bring recipes back? In this first book to tell ice cream's full story, Jeri Quinzio traces the beloved confection from its earliest appearances in sixteenth-century Europe to the small towns of America and debunks some colorful myths along the way. She explains how ice cream is made, describes its social role, and connects historical events to its business and consumption. A diverting yet serious work of history, Of Sugar and Snow provides a fascinating array of recipes, from a seventeenth-century Italian lemon sorbet to a twentieth-century American strawberry mallobet, and traces how this once elite status symbol became today's universally available and wildly popular treat.
With a single kiss, a young maid saves her beloved from the Snow Queen’s icy imprisonment. When splinters from an evil troll’s magic mirror get into the heart and eye of Kai, he is tricked into accompanying the Snow Queen to her palace, and only the innocence and kindness of Gerda’s heart can save him. The inspiration for Frozen, Hans Christian’s Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” is one of the most beloved fairy tales in history. HarperPerennialClassics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.
An experimental narrative, in which three characters freed from the flow of causality, inter-twine through the experience of conversation. Arguing that building is not a structure but an activity of thought - less concrete, more porridge - the Alien Architect encounters the Persistent Midwife, fucked-off with toyshop utopias and declaring herself a suspension - an Ice Cream Empress - and Lou Loa, perhaps the most difficult to understand, not least, or in part, because he claimed to have been present at the creation of the White Horse of Uffington, and to hold the stuff of his being in a leaky bucket of black ink. Evoking the writings of Malevich and Schwitters with the pastoral moments of Traffic and the ventriloquised insanity of Little Richard, history is revealed as a flow of conversations as they chance upon precious artefacts, all shaped by the fluid crystalline structure of the most delicious of desserts, ice cream. Ice Cream Empire is commissioned as part of The Time Machine, selected and edited by Francesco Pedraglio from open submission. The Time Machine is a project that asks us to forget about archives and embrace the confusion of the present, in order to consciously experiment with all our imaginable histories and expected futures.
**Don't miss John Sandford's brand-new thriller Ocean Prey – out now** The ultimate con game thriller from the internationally bestselling master of suspense, John Sandford When the cops of Longstreet, Mississippi see a black boy running away from them and clutching something in his hand, there's only one thought in their minds - bag-snatcher. So they shoot him in the back. Except, Darrell Clark isn't a thief, he's a computer-crazy fourteen-year-old, who was running home before his ice-cream melted. And now he's dead. When the predictable police cover-up begins, Darrell's friend, Marvel Atkins, decides it's time for the corrupt city government to go. Using Darrell's computer, she contacts the only two con artists with the nerve to take on a whole city: Kidd, computer-hacker extraordinaire, and his partner and some-time lover, LuEllen. To pull this off, the sting has to be perfect. And it will be, because if Kidd knows one thing, it's this: a corrupt city regime is about as stable as a house of cards. All he has to know is where to push... ***Praise for John Sandford*** ‘One of the great novelists of all time’ Stephen King ‘A series writer who reads like a breath of fresh air’ Daily Mirror ‘Delivers twists to the very last sentence’ Daily Mail ‘Crime writer John Sandford is one of the best around’ Sun 'John Sandford knows all there is to know about detonating the gut-level shocks of a good thriller' The New York Times Book Review ? 'Sandford is consistently brilliant' Cleveland Plain Dealer ‘Perfect entertainment’ Kirkus Reviews on Escape Clause
Shares the life of the fast food entrepreneur, including her education, her early career in the aerospace industry, and how she used her software expertise to revolutionize the way Panda Express did business.
