Customer Reviews

The Hand That Rocks the Ladle

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In Hernia, Pennsylvania Magdalena Yoder owns and manages the famous Penn Dutch Inn. Though in the center of Amish-Mennonite country, Magdalena has catered to many of our nation's rich and famous. Rather well off due to her successful business, Magdalena is very devoted to her relative Freni and the woman's spouse Mose. The couple is excited that their daughter-in-law Barbara is pregnant with triplets.

However, in the delivery room something unusual happens that changes Freni's elation to worry. Barbara gives birth to twin boys as witnessed by the delivery room doctor, the nurse, and Freni's son. The doctor insists the physician who claimed that Barbara was carrying triplets was simply wrong. Freni believes a third child was born and is now missing. She pleads with Magdalena, who has solved a mystery or two, to investigate. Neither one is aware that danger awaits the amateur detective.

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE LADLE, the eighth installment in the Magdalena Yoder culinary regional mysteries, retains the freshness and humor of the previous seven novels. Tamar Myers continues her mastery by painting an insightful look at the Amish and Mennonite cultures. In a religious way, the very human Magdalena remains as obnoxious, proud, and delightful as she has always been. The entertaining story line is engaging, but it is the captivating characters that serve up this scrumptious, low caloric but very delicious treat.

Harriet Klausner

This time our favorite sleuth, Magdalena, is snooping in a different kind of mystery. Was there a third baby? If so, where did it go? What's going on over at the gorgeous doctor's house? And who is that mysterious celebrity hiding out in Room 6? Myers's writing is so effortlessly funny, I found myself laughing out loud more than once. I must say, in the genre of comic mysteries, Magdalena takes the cake! (And the pie -- Freni's Butterscotch Chiffon Pie, recipe on page 37.) The Pennsylvania-Dutch references give it a real sense of place. I believe the Penn-Dutch series began with "Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth," but you don't have to read the previous books to enjoy this one.

Magdalena Yoder is the proprietress of the Penn-Dutch Inn in Hernia,Pennsylvania. Her cook Freni's daughter in law going to have triplets any day now. To everyone's surprise there are twin boys born, with no sign of a third baby. Freni ask Magdalena to find out what happened to the third baby. When one of the characters is murdered, Magdalena asks too many questions and almost becomes a victim herself.

I like all the books in the Penn- Dutch series and this is one of the better ones. The humor is outstanding and there is so much of it, that I almost feel like I should go back and reread the book because I know I missed some of the jokes!

Another thing I liked is that Magdalena's sister, Susannah, became more of a character and less of a cliché in this book. There were some nice moments between the two of them, where, they actually bonded. There is also a hilarious scene in a diner involving Susannah's dog, Snookums, that is laugh out loud funny.

There is also a lot of information on the Amish and how they live in this book, more so then in the earlier books in the series. That was a nice addition and I hope she keeps it up in later books.

If you enjoyed the other books in this series, you will love this one.

Tamar Myers, The Hand That Rocks the Ladle (Signet, 2000)

I'll get this out of the way first and foremost: I like the Den of Antiquity novels better than I like the Pennsylvania Dutch novels. But it's hard to turn down any book that has recipes as a part of its plotline, isn't it?

Myers brings back indefatigable Mennonite heroine Magdalena Yoder, owner of the Penn Dutch Inn and the most unreliable narrator outside the autobiographies of some of those she reports have stayed at her inn. In this episode of her escapades, her cook, Freni, has a daughter who's pregnant with triplets, a husband who's feeling sympathy pains, and a cadre of evil doctors straight out of a Robin Cook medical thriller. When Freni's daughter gives birth to twins, everyone is quick to blame it on her old doctor, who has something of a fondness for the bottle, and probably miscounted the heartbeats. Right? But Freni knows different, and she ropes Magdalena into finding baby number three, despite Amanda having an innful of very odd guests, no cook, and a mysterious stranger she is convinced is Michael Jackson.

The main problem I have with the Penn Dutch mysteries is that the narrative tone just gets under my skin for some reason. The Den of Antiquity books are narrated pretty much like any other novel, but Myers has infested Magdalena Yoder with a voice that stops just this side of annoying; imagine Frances MacDormand's character in Fargo, but with a rural Pennsylvania accent, and I think you'll understand what I'm getting at. It's n full steam here, and undercuts the otherwise fun book (and wonderful recipes for things like Toad Stroganoff. I kid you not). The other problem with it is that one of the main clues to what's going on comes in the first couple of chapters, and might as well have "I'M A CLUE" stamped on it in big red letters, so when you get to the big twist ending, you've seen it coming for the last two hundred pages. Those problems aside, the book is well-plotted and well-paced, and the nutzoid quality of the characters makes it as interesting a read as any of the other Penn Dutch books; still, if you're a Myers newbie, you might want to head for the Den of Antiquity mysteries first. ** ½

Magdalena Yoder is the proprietess of the PennDutch Inn. Her cook Freni is about to become a grandmother 3 times over, as prenatal tests show that her daughter-in-law will give birth to triplets. Imagine everyone's surprise when there are twin boys born, with no sign of a third baby. Freni feels cheated and asks Magdalena to find out what happened to the third baby. Her investigation seems fruitless at first, but eventually the clues begin to add up. One of the characters is murdered and Magdalena gets closer to the murderer. In fact, she gets a little too close and almost becomes a victim herself. If you enjoyed the other books in this series, you will like this one too.

Mm, mm, good! "The Hand that Rocks the Ladle" had me hooked from the first page, when an old man claims to be pregnant. A book like this, I thought, has to be different. I was not disappointed. Ms. Myers writes a most entertaining novel with lots of humor, charming characters, a good mystery and to top it all off includes recipes served at the main character's B & B. I was only saddened when the book was over. This was my first in the series. I immediately ordered all of her others.

Having read this series from the beginning, I constantly look forward to new installments from the "lives and times of Magdalena Yoder" and this book did not disappoint. While "Mags" tries to solve the mystery of the missing baby, she ends up in some hysterical situations--this book had me laughing out loud. If you are looking for some lighthearted, entertaining reading, then I recommend you buy this book--the chuckles you get from it will be good for what ever ails you.

Ms. Myers desparately needs a new editor and some new jokes. I have read all of the books in the Penn Dutch series and with few differences they are all alike. There are many synonyms for "wailed" that Ms. Myers could use that would make the book more interesting and less repetitious(I would be glad to provide a list of at least 50 options), and the jokes (which are the some in each book) are getting tired and old. Believe me, I fully understand the "eating a sandwhich alone and having the whole family for company" joke by this time. My suggestion is to read the first book in the series and forget the rest.

I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'VE ENJOYED A BOOK SO MUCH! THE CHARACTERS WERE SO INTERESTING. I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND AMISH AND MENNONITES TO BE FACINATING. AND MAGDALENA YODER WAS HILARIOUS. I FOUND MYSELF LAUGHING OUT LOUD! THIS BOOK WAS BOTH FUN AND EASY TO READ. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

This book has some definite possibilities, and the idea behind the story is a good one (baby nappers in Hernia, and it's up to Magdalena to uncover the ring.) But, the books are so repetitive, and overusage of certain words take away from the story, and this repetiveness certainly takes away from the humour that is supposed to be behind each scene. Still some of the characterizations are good, but my favourite character, Frenie, doesn't appear that much in this one. In spite of these shortcomings the reader gets a real sense of the Pennsylvania-Dutch country and the lifestyles of the Amish and Mennonites.