| Title | : | The Crepes of Wrath (Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery, #9) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0451203224 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780451203229 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2001 |
The Crepes of Wrath (Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery, #9) Reviews
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Maybe the problem is just that I grew up in SE PA and know people with backgrounds similar to the MC's. I end up feeling like the book is disrespectful of both the mennonite and amish. The constant comments about inbreeding felt really out of line. I think Magdalena would be allowed to make some jokes about the oddities of her culture, but I don't think a person would still be practicing and living in that area if they felt as much hatred towards it as she does in these books.
Then to finish it off, the title gives it all away and I knew who did it long before most of the relevant clues were revealed. Except for the recipes, there is only one other mention of crepes in the book, so DUH! She should at least have had Freni serving crepes at the inn or something to make it slightly more appropriate.
Although I also personally dislike scrapple, I found the comments about scrapple out of place too. It is a very common food in the area and many love it, even those without close ties to the pennsylvania dutch community. -
Page 34 was when I lost it lol. Funny book but the ending was a little wonky.
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I came for the crepe recipes, I stayed for the murder-mystery. I stumbled across this book while googling recipes for “Palatschinkes” which is what we always called crepes when I was a kid. That word was taught to us by our PA Dutch grandmother, although I’m not sure how universal that term actually is.
Anyway, going into the story, I hadn’t realized this was book 9 (of 20) in a series. I don’t think missing the first 8 affected my understanding of the story though. I may have missed out on the backstory / personalities of some of the characters but overall I think this works fine as a stand-alone book.
I thought the story was fun, but the characters were all a bit too goofy, in a slightly cartoon-like way. The best comparison I can think of is
A Confederacy of Dunces. Not that I’m comparing the two books, merely the not-quite-grounded-in-reality composition of the characters, and to a lesser sense, the plot. The book was still enjoyable, but everything that happened seemed way too convenient, and almost coincidental. It felt like the protagonist, Magdalena, was stumbling directly from one plot point to the next without much planning or effort.
Still, I did enjoy this book. Growing up with a lot of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, I enjoyed many of the references. I also love a good pun, so I may check out a few more books in the series. -
Really cute with some yummy crepe recipes that I would love to try.
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I used to enjoy this series, but no longer. This book seemed to have a weak plot, and I have gotten tired of the character of Magdalena, whose whining and self-absorption has gotten repetitive and boring and now detracts from the story, in my opinion. When the series first appeared, I thought it was very funny and entertaining, especially since I live among several Amish neighbors in central Pennsylvania. I definitely could appreciate the satire of the 'English' uber-fascination with things Amish to the point that it becomes ridiculous (which is one of the strong points of the series - poking gentle fun at those who think doing everything the 'Amish way' is quite the cultural experience), but in recent books that has been overshadowed by the characters that have become caricatures of themselves. However, I really do like this author and her other series; I just think this series needs some freshening up, both in plot and characters.
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Lizzie, Hernia's worst cook has died. An autopsy says it was drugs. Thelma, the "midnight" visitor Magdalena talks to says Lizzie was murdered, and that Thelma may be next.
Melvin asks for her help in solving the murder, and the phone in town is down so Jacob, Hernia's most-handsome Amish, comes asking to use the phone.
During Magdalena's investigation, she finds a rivalry between Lizzie's family and another Amish family, including older teens who have a car. Because the autopsy said that Lizzie died of illegal drugs, Mags is on the look-out for the drugs and the sellers too. Thelma is run down.....
With the drug-supplier revealed - and on the run, things in Hernia might go back to normal?
Recipes:
How to Make Crepes
Crepe Fillings
Apple Filling
Scallop Mushroom Crepes
Italian Crepes
Zucchini Crepes
Lemon Crepes with Raspberry Filling
Cheese Blintzes -
The lead character is unlikable and there are some truly cringe-worthy sentences.
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Absolute, total fun yet again! And I must gather my courage and try making crepes!
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It was an okay read. My first by this author. I did learn some things about the Amish. I won't seek out this author, but I would read another book if it lands on my shelves.
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Magdalena’s brother in law Melvin has asked her to find out who is dealing drugs amongst the Amish youngsters and who has killed Lizzie Mast. He really wants her help, as he is running for city council. Magdalena’s sister already envisions them living at the White House! And Magdalena even promises to contribute to their campaign.
And so Magdalena sets out to investigate some “English” who have recently moved to Hernia, and the sons of one of her neighbours who might know more about this.
And how about her suitor and new neighbour, the Jewish doctor Gabriel? Why is his car at the barn where the teenagers are meeting for their illegal parties? Is he involved?
The new guests at her Inn all seem to hide something as well, but they seem happy enough to be there and try to live like the Amish do.
Magdalena is getting into all kinds of strange and embarrassing situations, but she is smart and solves the cases almost always to my big surprise. She sticks her big nose into everyone’s business, while still running her famous PennDutch Inn. The little bits of Amish and Mennonite culture are nice to read about, but I have no idea how accurate this all is.
Especially now that she has this kitten living in her bra, like her sister has that hideous little dog living in her bra too. It is just too much.
I do like Magdalena’s conversations with her old cook Freni, who is real Amish and distrusts everything remotely worldly. Her sister is something else completely. And then there is the gorgeous Jewish doctor who is Magdalena’s new neighbour and seems to be courting her. It is fun, and there are so many misunderstandings.
Tamar Myer’s humor is not really my cup of tea, but I will try to persevere in reading all the books I bought so far. If only she would not shriek so much …
6 stars.
© 2014 Reviews by Aurian
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So this was one of the silliest books I have ever read. It wasn't at all what I expected, and turned out to be quite entertaining. Nothing high-brow or anything, but still entertaining :)
I had several misconceptions about this book. First, for some reason I thought that with a name like "Tamar", the author was Jewish. I don't know how that could be confused with Amish/Mennonite, but yes, that's what I was expecting (no mocking me for my total disregard for the subtitle). Second, when I realized the correct religious context, I was often surprised by current cultural references. Which also led to me questioning parts of the book! Like how does she know who Dennis Rodman is (in context) if she doesn't watch tv? I know, I know. It's just a silly book, but ... I have to say I was a little caught off guard by some of the double entendre. Not offended, just totally surprised by their appearance! I'm guessing that's just part of the author's thing.
Her style of writing is very similar to the way I talk -- loaded with asides, parenthetical phrases, disclaimers and imbedded parenthetical phrases. I found this charming, even if it caused me to read some paragraphs more than once!
Although I don't fully get why Magdalena assists the (apparently) one policeman in town, all the interesting turns and sidetracks of small-town life made it fun to read. Of course, the first time the crepes were mentioned . . . well, let's just say I figured it out. But that didn't take anything away from the story.
All in all, a quick, light, entertaining read. -
Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery #9. A cozy mystery with recipes. Magdalena Yoder is Mennonite and runs a B & B in the heart of Amish country. But she's not a typical gracious B & B owner; she isn't always tactful, her guests get on her nerves and she not above charging them extra to do the chores around her place as part of their ACE--"Amish Cultural Experience". How she ever gets away with that or has return guests, I'll never know, but her sleuthing skills are to be counted on, and in this volume she is newly "deputized" by her brother-in-law, who should never have gotten the job as police chief in the first place. He's running for state legislature and needs Maggie's help so he can concentrate on his campaign. Good thing Maggie is one to be counted on to dig up the dirt and find the killer who's poisoned the crepes.
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In the next installment of the Penn Dutch series, Magdalena Yoder is up to her knees. It's one week up to Lizzie Mast's death, when one of her neighbors mentions about her death and the letter. While Melvin is running his political campaign, it's up to Magdalena to find out who killed her, while she's dealing with a new group of guests at her inn. Little did she know, she falls in love with Gabe Rosen, and learns about the Amish teens drug ring, and other suspicions. When she's close to the truth, her life is in the line, when an unexpected threats looms over her. Great culinary recipes for crepes accompany this tasty cozy.
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A fun foodie mystery. I liked the crepe recipes and the headstrong main character. Take this on the plane on your way to the beach.
Magdalena Yoder is a strong headed Mennonite inn keeper with nosy investigative skills. She efficiently checks in her guests and gets them to pay for the privilege of cleaning and doing chores! Hmmm that reminds me of someone I used to know! Anyway, this book focuses on Magdalena and her investigation into the Crepe murder—of course there are crepe recipes in between the pages too. The heroine deals with small town gossip, reveals a little about Amish life and works diligently to solve the crime. -
When Marley McKinney agrees to cover her elder cousin's Pancake House for a few weeks, she had no idea how life changing the decision would end up. The idyllic seaside setting of Wildwood Cove comes with a town full of locals who all know each others' business - almost before it happens. Marley is targeted by greedy land developers, a youthful summer crush reappears, still handsome and single, and Marley fears for her life more than once!
A delectable story with a full menu of incidents and substitutions for the truth.
Was Marley's cousin murdered and why? Who is telling the truth?
A first rate cozy.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review -
Very funny. I thought at first that her attempts at humor was corny in the beginning part of the story. But I had many laughs at her associations of biblical passages into the funny situations faced by her main character, they were witty. And we get a glimpse of some everyday life of the amish, interesting. I just find her habit of keeping a little cat in her bossom alarming. Hope little Freni grows soon so that she does need to live in Magdalena's chest anymore. And oh, I would love to try her crepe recipes!!!
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Not my normal type of book, but I was looking for something mindless and stumbled across this in my pile. It's insanely cliche and I think reading the whole series would make me nuts, but it was entertaining and a quick read.
My favorite part (and the only time I laughed out loud) was when it was written about the housekeeper's crush on Mel Gibson because he's s good Christian and good husband. Yep, this book is a bit older! -
I enjoyed this novel quite well, except that I thought some of the author's humor crossed the line into the territory of being crass. It was a bit depressing as well to think of drug problems even in the Amish community - but it is such a pervasive evil that I suppose I should not be surprised at the idea.
A good mystery, and a bit of a surprise ending for me as well. -
I don't think that I'm the target audience for this series. It's a cozy mystery, which I love usually. It includes food in the mystery, which I usually love. But I never really connected with the main character. She seemed a little one dimensional to me.
I did finish this on my daily commute, but I won't be looking for any more books in the series. -
I'm not a big fan of this book - maybe one and a half stars. I do so wish I had liked it more because there are lots of books in this series, and I thought I was in for some real good reading. Unfortunately, I find Tamar Myers' sense of humor just a little off - doubt that I will read any more of her books.
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Title intrigued me, Amish subject seemed enticing.
Disappointed, even though it was to be a fluff book. Didn't like the double entendres and innuendos...seemed out of place in a book about the Amish
