Customer Reviews

An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

`embarassment of mangoes' is much less a sailing book than a `wife's view' of a two-year vacation through the carribean. like plenty of sailing couples, ann vanderhoof does not really have the bug, and instead follows gamely along with partner on a toronto-carribean loop. she was the founder of `cottages', a modern magazine incarnation of the `house and garden' ilk, and the book is reads like a 200 page version of one of those chatty recipe article from `cruising world' or `coastal living': `we pulled into unknown Bay x after a horrid/delightful/tumultuous passage, and the next morning while drinking/walking/looking for parts, we fortuitously ran into authentic local fisherman/housewife/fellow sailing couple/non-profit organizer, who fed us amazing/delicious/tasty local x, and here is the recipe.' the peril of a dragging anchor is in this book is equal parts damage to the boat and the threat of upsetting the dinner guests; ms. vanderhoof's sense of adventure is heightened by the profound psychological growth of giving up her toronto hairdresser for two years. and on and on. for a girly-girl sailing adventure, there is precious little about their relationship, hubbie steve instead plays a background role as a sort of invisible lovable oaf. Ann is certainly a capable writer and the book flows along on an even if somewhat predictable and superficial keel, like a seamless dinner conversation with someone intent on subtly pushing their vacuous politically correct message points: we were authentic - we developed real friendships with the locals! we do care about the environment - we felt bad about tossing that old fishing net garbage back into the sea! it did seem like a shame to develop the old man's veggie patch into a resort! we did meet all the icons of the carribean: herb the weatherman & the minister of rum. we gave alms to the poor islanders! we went back to visit! we were sad when it was over, really! So if you're a serious armchair sailor, this book may not be so compelling, the author's progress over two years from ICW to `not being scared of an overnight passage' is child's play. For very light vacation reading of the carribean, or if you're a domestic, tag-along spouse, perhaps sitting on a cruiseboat wondering what life on a sailboat is like, `EoM' may be just the ticket. It is certainly pleasant, light reading -- and the recipes at the end of each chapter do look fantastic.

It's a good read for these winter days, a nice, long, leisurely tour of the Caribbean islands over a couple of years, taken by sailboat. The food and drink recipes at the end of most chapters make it easy to travel along with the crew of the Receta-Ann and her husband Steve-by preparing for yourself the same cuisine they enjoyed. And, it's heartwarming to see them get along for the entire two years-there's no crisis, no threats of divorce, just a happy couple taking a long break and learning to see some of the nicer things in life.

What a great book! Ann Vanderhoof gives a rich portrayal of the Caribbean that most of us never see, but surely want to.

An Embarrassment of Mangoes is infused with warmth, color, and flavor. As if the vivid descriptions of local markets (you can smell the fruit), ancient rum distilleries, and exploration via the local buses aren't enough, the variety of characters she meets bring the islands to life.

Best, Vanderhoof and her husband are easy to identify with. They took their midlife break on a sailboat. She relates challenges and experiences with a humor that non-sailors will enjoy, and a level of detail that I'm sure sailors will appreciate. But her trip is no near-death escapade. These are real people on an achievable adventure, doing something all of us could do. Vanderhoof steers us off the beaten path to sample real life, deftly capturing the local food, music, language and, most of all, the Caribbean spirit.

"Ann of a Thousand Deadlines" (as she calls her former self) never admits bravery, but her will to leave a good job and the comfort of everyday life for two years shows real courage. The book and its premise are compelling. The recipes at the end of each chapter are a bonus (my wife has already baked the Spicy Island Gingerbread).

I want to go. Now that I have read An Embarrassment of Mangoes, I feel I have gone.

As the review on the book cover says, "what travel writing is all about." Give this one an unarguable five stars.

Thank you Ann Vanderhoof for taking me out of my winter slump with
"An Embarrassment of Mangoes". Ann and her partner Steve made a life decision to kiss their clock-driven lives in Toronto good-bye so they sailed south for two years on their 42 foot boat, Receta. The good news for us is that "An Embarrassment of Mangoes" makes it possible for us to share in their journey: the sun, the food, the humor, the food, the water, the food, the good times, the food (complete with recipes). The scary parts happen when the weather steps in. "An Embarrassment of Mangoes" exudes the warmth of the Caribbean. We meet extraordinary people: the Minister of Rum, Dingis and her family and Mr. Butters in his garden of Eden. All of this is why you'll cry your eyes out at the end of the book as Ann and Steve head back north, leaving behind their new friends and a part of their hearts. And a part of mine.

I don't write a lot of reviews, but thought this book deserved more attention. Since reading it, after American Airlines thought enough of it to include excerpts in their magazine, I was intrigued by the stories of the islands, the people, the culture, the food and sailing the Caribbean (good weather and bad). First off, I love to travel to off-the-beaten path countries and I love to cook (and eat!) different cuisines. This book is perfect if you have these interests. It doesn't hurt that the author is a travel writer, but this is much more than a travelogue or cookbook. I don't like fiction so much, thus this is perfect non-fiction. Ann could not have possibly made up more interesting stories about the people and conducting life on the islands and the boat. I now have a yearning to visit Grenada, Trinidad and some of the other colorful islands. The author must have been concerned she was going to make Grenada more popular, but it probably was well on its way before her book. Good luck Ann! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Your storytelling and descriptive style paints a warm picture of wonderful people and places.

First, this is not Mr. Junger's, "Perfect Storm" the epic of battling one of the worst storms in history or even similar to the "Dove" in which Robin L Graham sails singlehanded around the world. This is simply a book recounting the events of a couple who have done what many of us dream about...leaving the fast paced world behind for awhile and adapting to the world they enter.

I appreciate that it was Ann that wrote it as she shows her fears of overnight passages and weather reports. She not only talks about great food but gives so many receipes that it will take us all awhile to try them.

Overall, I appreciate this book mostly because Ann and her husband Steve didn't try to change those they came in contact with to what they were used to but rather adapted or more likely adopted the lifestyle of those around them. So many times when people travel to get away they bring everything with them they are trying to rid themselves of. Ann and Steve tried the local food, socialized with the local people and were ultimately courteous and thoughtful.

Thank you!

Having just returned from the Caribbean, this book was like a return visit. Sitting up here in upstate New York, where snow is measured in feet rather than inches, I savoured every page of this book. Ms. Vanderhood has an uncanny ability to make you feel like you are there among those wonderful island people. She really brought them and all of quirky differences between islands to life. Sometimes I actually felt I was right there on the sailboat with them and could feel the waves rocking us back and forth. For anyone who loves the Caribbean, or for that matter, anyone whose ever wanted to chuck it all and sail away --this book is for you!

I definitely enjoyed Vanderhoof's narrative voice. And what a delightful surprise to find recipes scattered throughout. I must say that reading this book made me very hungry (even if it's not making me want to sail around the world...I'm all for world travel, but I'm not very comfortable on sailboats)

This was such a wonderful adventure. Vanderhoof's writing is pleasant, evocative, unexpected, comforting...it was just the right feel for this story. And, seriously, these people did this trip up right. Woot!! Let's here it for having REAL vacation experiences and meeting real people...not hiding in a steralized resort in some disneyfied island. It was great getting to take this trip (without having to take this trip). I've photocopied almost every recipe from the book (Except the conch recipes...I don't feel familiar enough with this seafood in order to attempt cooking it). I made the chicken with fresh cheese and avacado last night and it was DIVINE. Yum. We're making the Coo-coo polenta dish tonight and plan to try the Bahamian Mac & Cheese next week. Also, the rum punch recipe will make an appearance at saturday's party.

Not only is this a great read, but it's full of great food too.

This is a book in which I got so caught up, I had to make an effort to not pick it up to read when I was supposed to be doing something else. Another bonus, in my opinion, is that there are recipes at the end of each chapter.

With a title like "An Embarrassment of Mangoes", the book, by Ann
Vanderhoof was enough to catch my attention since mangoes are my most favorite fruit of all. Even though the story was not particularly about mangoes, but about the sailing adventures of a couple of forty-something publishing professionals from Toronto who had decided to temporarily leave their deadline-dominated lives and follow a plan spanning several years and sail off into the sunset for a couple of years.

Their adventures in a sailing boat they called "Receta" which is Spanish for recipe, took them all the way down to the Lower Antilles. The recipes throughout are the result of Ann's love of cooking and her natural curiosity about the sometimes strange and exotic foods she encountered on the way.

Though this particular book is more of a travel journal rather than fiction, there are many other authors who combine novels and recipes......a delightful combination and one that is irresistible to me.

For the stressed out and winter-weary comes this transporting memoir that will appeal directly to escapist fantasies about leaving the work world behind and taking up residence in the nearest tropical locale. In AN EMBARRASSMENT OF MANGOES, the author and her husband do just that, and this enchanting, sun-drenched book intimately chronicles their life-changing two-year odyssey around the Caribbean aboard their sailboat Receta.

Prior to the trip, Ann and Steve Vanderhoof were driven, forty-something professionals whose lives were dominated by demanding careers and a seemingly endless string of deadlines. This, coupled with their increasing weariness of harsh Toronto winters, made them long for a different way of life --- one that was far removed from overstuffed day timers and driveways that needed shoveling. Their escape fantasy began to form into a full-fledged action plan of penny pinching and preparation that eventually enabled them to live out their dream.

After setting sail, the cruising life quickly seduces them as they discover the pleasures of living one day at a time and basking in simple delights such as fiery sunsets, freshly caught seafood and ice cold Presidente beers. But life onboard the boat isn't always smooth sailing as new challenges quickly take the place of old workaday worries: Tropical storms, perilous ocean crossings, the frequent threat of hurricanes and the daily struggle of living in tiny quarters with another human being for months on end are just a few of the trip's hazards. Nonetheless, the trade-off in exchange for a whole new way of life proves to be more than worth it.

During their two-year voyage of discovery, the Vanderhoofs cover 7,000 nautical miles and explore forty-seven Caribbean islands, stretching from the Bahamas to as far south as Grenada. More than just tourists, they immerse themselves in the hypnotic rhythms of Caribbean life and culture, befriending the locals and soaking up the distinct music, flavors and essence of each port of call.

Vanderhoof's particular passion for cooking infuses the text with a cacophony of delicious tastes and smells from the savory island dishes that she and her husband encounter, many of which she recreates in the ship's tiny galley using a variety of indigenous local ingredients discovered along the way. Peppered throughout the book are the results of her culinary explorations in the form of authentic, mouth-watering recipes for local specialties such as Bahamian cracked conch and West Indian rum punch. In addition to the gastronomic pleasures offered up, the profusion of sights, sounds and colors that leap from the page provide a veritable feast for the senses as well.

Indeed, the book's biggest strength lies in Vanderhoof's extraordinary powers of description and her ability to make us feel as though we, too, are there. Under the spell of her ripe, evocative prose we can easily call to mind the heady perfume of mangoes in a marketplace, the sweet taste of fresh coconut milk on a hot day, and the dazzling colors of a Caribbean sunset streaked against a turquoise horizon. Interwoven with the sensuous depictions of lush scenery are the author's richly textured portraits of the colorful island inhabitants and fascinating snippets of local lore. Each of the islands has a distinct and varied personality, which Vanderhoof captures with beautiful lucidity.

She uses this same keen blend of awareness and insight to chronicle the transformations that she and her husband undergo during the journey. As they overcome challenges, gain new skills and face their fears, their nervousness gives way to confidence and they grow in ways that they never could have imagined back home. In fully giving themselves over to a new way of life, their voyage becomes as much one of personal discovery as one of cultural and culinary adventure. This winning combination is what makes this island-by-island, meal-by-meal guide to the Caribbean so delicious to savor.

--- Reviewed by Joni Rendon