A statewide ban on pit bulls has been bandied about, so both sides of the debate gathered at the State House to present their positions. And supporters of pit bulls outnumbered the opponents.

Testimonials from experts also bolstered the pit-bull supporters' view. The director of the animal behavior clinic at Tufts said he was against the ban and that owners should take tests and that the state should go after illegal breeding operations. And why should a responsible pit-bull owner be punished for the actions of others?

In a statement prepared for the debate yesterday, Joyce Linehan of Dorchester described her decision to adopt a pit bull. She was reluctant at first but became "smitten" with a pit bull. She also notes that she wouldn't adopt another because, like a realistic dog owner, "I know the limits of my time and resources, and one dog is the right thing for me."

Linehan is one of many responsible owners of good pit bulls. Trainer Kenny Lamberti, who has trained dogs in Boston for six years, says that training a pit bull is a lot like training any other dog. You have to be willing to take the time to do it.

Lamberti encourages people to rescue pit bulls. Many pit bulls who have been abused can be retrained, he says, but not all of them are lucky. He says, "You can't always fix them," but he tells the story of his own 4-year-old pit bull, Diamond, whom he rescued at 1 year old. His experience says, "You absolutely can reacclimate them."

Giving support to those who say the owner is responsible for the dog's behavior, Lamberti says that training a pit bull requires work and advance planning. Owners must know what kind of dogs they want. For example, a "couch potato should get a middle-aged pit bull" because the younger ones get frisky.

He also advises that owners should spay and neuter the pit bulls and start training the pit bull early and "use positive training principles." You don't hit the dog – and Lamberti's overall suggestion seems to be that you will get what you give when it comes to a pit bull.

The more we hear from both sides of the debate, the more complex the issue becomes. The pit bull debate is a version of the classic "nature vs. nurture" argument – and not everyone will agree that a pit bull can be nurtured into a loving dog. But we feel safe in saying that a ban isn't going to change all the stupid or irresponsible pit-bull owners overnight. If they don't have a pit, they'll just get another burly dog, and the attacks will keep happening.

Image of a pit bull courtesy of Joyce Linehan.

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing!

Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried a juice cleanse diet. They chatted with Steve Guttenberg. They lamented the crowded L train. They wondered if old, gritty New York was better than safer, shiny New York. And they cooed over baby falcons born on the Throgs Neck Bridge.

Londonist took a tour of their city's great landmarks this week. They visited Trafalgar Square, which, for two days only, was carpeted in grass. On to Greenwich, where a mysterious fire caused severe damage to the Cutty Sark ship, while another vintage vessel sailed along the Thames. Finally, from rags to riches when a hobo who has lived on Hampstead Heath for nearly twenty years was granted ownership of the land.

Three things on Chicagoist really had people talking this week, and it's about time they had a long, restful weekend. This week, the Feds subpoenaed their governor's campaign fund records, there was a big debate about whether the Macy's/Marshall Field's boycott is working, and the CTA threatened to raise fares and cut services... again.

Torontoist celebrated their holidays last weekend (crazy Canadians!) in style: with front porch fireworks. This week, however, perhaps because of the grumpiness of returning back to work, Torontoist was pretty indignant: they got pissed off about Audi vandalizing their public space, some douchebag blaming gun crime in the city on women, and some other douchebag who literally had beef with the mayor. Their commenters endlessly debated potential reform to Ontario politics and the collapse of some gorgeous historical buildings.

Bostonist has been absolutely hopping with breaking news. First, the circuits of the subway system crackled, nearly squashing a commuter between two doors and trapping a group of riders on a train. Then, the city streets got hot when a gang member shot a police officer. In the political realm, the battle over gay marriage heated up – thanks to an impending gay divorce. And, in sports, Bostonist's hopes were dashed when the unlucky Celtics discovered they won't be getting a hot draft pick. So much for wearing green all the time!

Austinist had a chat with Chalk director Mike Akel, who's probably glad that school's out. Another local institution, the Bass Concert Hall, also started its break to begin extensive remodeling work. The Austinist and KEXP-sponsored weekly music residency continued to be a big success. Elsewhere in Texas, a student protest didn't go as planned.

Seattlest got a little excited about the NBA bingo game this week as the top two picks went to the Pacific Northwest. Goats came down from the hills to graze on pets and Seattleite babies. A small group of bikes braved an elevated highway at night and the world as we knew it ended.

Sampaist didn't have a long day weekend, except for the students who are still occupying the São Paulo University dean's office. While the cops weren't getting them out, Sampaist was having drinks at the opening of Brazil's biggest bookstore and fighting for cheaper tickets to see the Blue Man Group.

A Reggae/Jazz festival, an event dedicated to the history of restaurant cafeterias, and a ton of other great festivals are making up this holiday weekend for LAist. For Angelenos leaving town, choices of wine country or crazy times in SFist territory were only the beginning of the list. Travel is good, but moving is too—so why not use abandoned grocery carts to hall your stuff around? A new local magazine is hitting LA with rumored problems (not that the eponymous city mag doesn't have their own), and never moving in were the short-lived Doc Martens ads featuring dead punkers that offended many (and it's hard to offend in a town where the County Coroner has a gift shop). And of course, whether it be movie premieres of Knocked Up, a CalArts graduation or a Chicken Car, the LAist blogarazzi was out in full swing.

On Phillyist, they were talking to their former news anchors, girls were rocking for girls to rock, bees were swarming, Katie was visiting, and they were trying to find out where to grill on the holiday, while not forgetting the real meaning of it all.

Want to know what's going on in the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week's favorites on Houstonist, Shanghaiist, and DCist.

Top image of baby Falcons by by MTA Bridges and Tunnels Maintainer Danny Castoria. Photo of Segway mom via this LJ user, via this Seattlest post.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Update: Reader Ron points to Davis Square Live Journal, which has numerous harrowing reports from local residents following the crash.

Somerville News and WBZ are reporting that the man who died was in the taxi. His name was Paul Farris. He was only 23 and a recent graduate of Tufts.

--The action isn't stopping in Somerville. After a bank robbery in which an employee was tied up and left in the basement, a wild early-morning police chase in the town left one person dead. A state trooper was chasing an SUV through a residential neighborhood, and the SUV crashed into a taxi cab, but there is still no information about who died.

--Early this morning in Dorchester, a man got shot because he, according to the BPD report, confronted three men standing by his house smoking pot. We thought pot was supposed to mellow you out. The victim will be okay, but the shooter and his cohorts are still on the loose.

--And the good news. Officer Stephen Romano, who was shot by Castlegate gang member Antonio Franklin, has left the hospital and is resting at home.

All charges alleged until proven under law. Image of police-chase video game from Amazon.

The Comfort of Strangers screens at the Harvard Film Archive on Tuesday, May 29, at 9:00 pm and on Wednesday, May 30, at 7:00 pm. The festival ends on May 30, but several other Pinter movies are still showing between now and then. Check their calendar. Note: The Harvard Film Archive will be closed for construction in June.

We were so preoccupied with the Brattle Grindhouse that we almost missed the Harvard Film Archive's Pinterfest, which dovetails so nicely with the ART's production of "No Man's Land," running through June 10 at the Loeb Drama Center.

The Pinterfest screened movies for which Harold Pinter wrote the script, and the festival winds down tomorrow night with The Comfort of Strangers, which is based on Ian McEwan's novel. We're recommending this one not just because we think the Pinter-McEwan pairing is brilliant but because The Comfort of Strangers lets Christopher Walken run amok. A tourist couple (Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson) is befriended by a very strange Christopher Walken in Venice. They think Walken is scary, but they are drawn to him until they are literally trapped in his world. Throw in Helen Mirren as Walken's wife/disciple and some talk of mascara and a mustache, and things are bound not to end well.

Image of Walken at his crazy, creepy best from haroldpinter.org.

Former (we say that with relief!) Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney has been making quite a few enemies this week. Let's find out who is on his sh*t list now:

--The entire state of Massachusetts. Romney's latest commercial never utters the word "Massachusetts," but it isn't exactly flattering to the people who elected him. The commercial claims, "In the toughest place, Mitt Romney's done the toughest things."

Oh, yeah? If his argument is that he made Massachusetts straighten up and fly right (pardon the puns), he didn’t exactly get results. As soon as he was on his way out the door, we rejected his successor and elected a liberal. So, if he wants to say that he did such a great job over here, just point at Deval as Exhibit A of why that's not the case.

And isn't it funny that Romney calls Massachusetts "tough" while at the same time portraying the state as a crew of traditional bleeding-heart liberals? Does that make us granola-lovers who can beat your ass? What's that all about?

--John McCain. McCain thinks Romney can stuff it because Romney used to have a much softer stance on immigration. McCain said, "Maybe I should wait a couple weeks and see if it changes. And maybe his solution will be to get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his yard." McCain has also decided to make a fundraising stop in Boston, perhaps to court local conservatives who feel miffed by their previous darling.

--Gay people. Whether or not gay people are on Mitt's Sh*t List depends on his mood and the day of the week. Since he's running as a hard-right Repub, they're definitely on it, but he's trying to soften it up, saying that he's not anti-gay. He's just anti-gay marriage. So, does that make him a closet anti-gay?

We've now entered the portion of the 2007 Red Sox season where, frankly, it's not that big a deal if the starters struggle. How long this portion will last, we don't know, but we saw the Sox' offense rescue a queasy Daisuke on Friday, and they bailed out a shaky Wakefield Saturday to club the Rangers 7-4.

Wake struggled in the fifth, giving up a two-run double to Gerald Laird as the lowlight of a three-run inning that made the score 4-2 Texas. But the Red Sox bats (and eyes) made up for it in a hurry, punishing Texas starter Vicente Padilla and woebegone reliever Joaquin Benoit for five runs in the sixth. Manny kicked off the festivities with an RBI triple (he was a home run away from hitting for the cycle), then a parade of singles and walks ensued, and the Sox never looked back. Donnelly and Papelbon did the door-shutting honors.

Julian Tavarez looks for the sweep this afternoon against Kameron Loe and his inviting 6.38 ERA. Then it's home to face Cleveland, and if you don't think that most of this space tomorrow will be devoted to cherishing and praising the Indians' new right fielder, you're wrong.

The health news for the Sox today is encouraging; Daisuke's illness on Friday is being chalked up to dehydration, and they fully expect him to be ready to take the mound Wednesday. So don't blame the red-hot Texas-style chili for sidlining him. Better news is that Josh Beckett comfortably threw a simulated game yesterday (why don't they sell simulated tickets for those?) and is ready to rejoin the rotation on Tuesday.

Even with this good news, though, Sox fans can't get complacent. We can't forget that the second-place team in their division, and their closest pursuer, is about to get a lift from the return of its pitching ace. That's right; Toronto's Roy Halladay looks to come back this week and give the Jays a lift. What, did you think we were talking about somebody else?

The Utah Jazz showed signs of life yesterday, and then some, flattening the hated San Antonio Spurs 109-83. Utah outscored the Spurs 66-36 in the second half, and budding superstar Deron Williams led the way with 31 points. The Pistons and Cavs play tonight in Cleveland; 66-36 wouldn't be a shocking final score for this one.

The Stanley Cup finals start tomorrow night; the NHL finally used Expedia to find a flight plan from Ottawa to Anaheim that didn't involve a five-hour layover in Moose Jaw or two separate stopovers in Calgary. (We checked; the cheapest commercial flight available is $433 one way, and it's a 12-hour odyssey with stops in Atlanta and Phoenix.)

--The last thing we need, especially with a presidential election coming up, is for someone to add fuel to the flag-burning debate. On Thursday, someone in Natick destroyed a solar-powered trash container by stuffing it with American flags and setting them on fire. The person who did it must be trying to offend as many people as possible - the left by wrecking an environmental device, and the right by burning flags.

We are all for free speech and expression, but it's incredibly obnoxious to burn a flag before Memorial Day. And the Globe noted that vets had spent a lot of time decorating Natick war memorials with the same flags set on fire. It's free speech if you burn your own flag, but it's destruction of property when you burn someone else's.

WCVB said the trash container was $500,000, but the Globe put it at $5,000. We assume the lower number is correct, but we've got to ask - why does a trash container, even if it is solar-powered - cost $5,000? Just curious.

--Yesterday afternoon, a woman was lighting a candle at a parent's grave in Forest Hills Cemetery. She returned to her car and was carjacked. She didn't get hurt, and police later spotted the car in West Roxbury and arrested the attacker.

--In a less violent car-related incident, the BPD stopped a stolen vehicle in Roxbury. The driver explained that the car belonged to his "Uncle Chris" but that he didn't know the last name of the mysterious "Uncle Chris." Uncle Chris' nephew was quickly arrested for driving a hot car.

--In Somerville crime unrelated to the Good Time Emporium, a bank robbery went down at the East Cambridge Savings Bank, and a woman was found tied up in the basement of the bank. The Somerville News reports that the robbers took $200,000.

--Elsewhere in the world, a Boston man was killed in a bar brawl - not in town but in Rio de Janeiro, which has the reputation of being very good and very bad when it comes to tourists. Josmer Ernest Martins got into a fight with a police officer, who shot and killed him. The officer has been charged with homicide.

All charges alleged until proven under law. Widely circulated image of Kid Rock in an American Flag poncho from a while back, not because he did anything wrong but because it looks dumb.

We're starting to think gangster-turned-fugitive Whitey Bulger is kind of like the Neti, or UFOs, or Bat Boy. He shows up when the moon aligns with Saturn or when movies about him hit the big screen. He's turned up again, this time in Italy.

Someone photographed an old guy and his girlfriend, and computer software indicated that the girlfriend may have been Bulger's girlfriend. That was enough to get the Bulger Task Force to fly to Italy to investigate. As for the photo, the FBI is saying that it came from the DEA, according to WPRI, which was first with the story.

Then again, it might be some drunken tourist who somehow mixed up an old guy with Whitey Bulger. It could happen.

Howie Carr, Herald columnist, WRKO blabber, Bulger-Watcher, and a Bostonian We Love to Hate (#3), is skeptical that it's really Whitey. But the sighting set him off on a game of "Where's Whitey?" For the record, Carr is betting on Cuba and Australia as hot Whitey spots.

Image of Whitey with a Photoshopped caterpillar mustache from the FBI.

Via Universal Hub - Earlier this week, the Herald wrote what they probably intended to be a thoughtful editorial on the stem cell debate. But all that changed once they kicked off the piece with the following sentence:

There is a story going around town - one now verging on urban myth - that somewhere in the basement of a Thai restaurant in Allston is a refrigerator that is home to a number of newly created stem cell lines.

What is perhaps the world's most awkward transition follows:

Perhaps it doesn’t matter whether there’s any truth to the story, because like most myths it tells a larger truth - in this case one about the absurd lengths to which scientists must go to comply with the federal red tape around the issue of stem cell research.

Oh, who cares about the finer points of the debate? All we care about are the stem cells chilling in a Thai restaurant fridge. It's not something that's going to happen every day. Have you heard about this urban myth? We e-mailed the Herald for names, and we waited a few days, hoping we'd find out which Thai Restaurant offers a side of stem cells. They have not yet responded. We're waiting!

Image of tasty Thai food from Flickr user Charles Haynes.

--The metaphorical rain drops may keep on fallin' on the Yankees' heads, but it seems rain clouds really do follow the Red Sox around. Friday night's game in Texas was delayed about two hours because the skies just flat-out refused to clear.

The good news? Things eventually got underway and the Sox won, 10-6. The bad? The game didn't end until 1:30 a.m. EST, and those who didn't stay tuned probably turned their televisions off once Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka fell back into his fourth-inning ways, allowing the five runs Texas needed to creep ahead of the then-leading Boston team. How? A triple-double-homer combo followed by a single-homer follow-up.

Something happened to our Dice-K (five runs, seven hits, three walks, six strikeouts) last night, for sure - he was spotted dry-heaving on the concourse and left the park as soon as he could post-game. But the team continued with their 2007 ways, bouncing back to win the game. Kevin Youklis extended his 17-game (career best) hitting streak with two hits Friday, and David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez each recorded two hits as well.

-- Just because we're enjoying it as long as we possibly can, here's the take from Darth - er, George Steinbrenner on where people stand in the Yankees organization: Torre is safe for the time being, Jason Giambi is a moron (OK, so maybe we embellish a wee bit) and GM Brian Cashman is "on a big hook."

As George puts it on young Cashman, "He wanted sole authority. He got it. Now he's got to deliver." Bostonist's interpretation: "If I don't get my newest ring, I will break that man. I will wreck him. I will use that man to pick my teeth."

-- In other Yankee moves, Clemens is moving on up to Triple-A ball on Monday. It doesn't look like we'll be seeing him at Fenway, so Sox fans can channel their energy and save it all for Barry Bonds' upcoming trip east.

Image of a happy, healthy Dice-K from flickr user Golden~Eye~

--In Everett, 26-year-old Stacy Russo robbed an apartment – and she took her baby along for the ride.

She used her own daughter's baby carriage has a handy place to stash her ill-gotten gains. But the baby was in the carriage at the time and probably didn't appreciate having to share her space with a bunch of extra stuff. Russo then took her baby for a wild ride to a Dunkin' Donuts, where police caught her.

DSS has custody of the baby now. The victim, an elderly woman, said she hopes the mother gets some help. She could use it.

--After the wave of gang arrests, it feels good to get back to basic, old-school robbery. We got a tip about some thieves with very simple needs – rum and lotto. In Somerville, two guys busted through Downtown Liquors and swiped 38 scratch tickets and two bottles of rum Monday night.

Our tipster wondered if the burglars had Curt Schilling in mind when they struck Downtown Liquors. But the number wasn't especially lucky for them because they got caught. One of them apparently broke through the store glass with his bare hands because he left his blood all over the place.

--A dog attack happened in Falmouth yesterday. Wait before you start blaming the pit bulls – the dogs in question were Rottweilers. They somehow escaped from their yard, which happened to be next door to an elementary school playground. (Are owners allowed to keep Rottweilers next door to an elementary school?)

The Rottweilers were in a foul mood and bit three third-graders and a teacher's aide. No one knows yet how the dogs got out.

--Unfortunately, the gunplay hasn't stopped. Last night, someone fired shots at a passing car in Dorchester. Police rounded him up because the victims saw him aim, fire, and walk back into an apartment. Apparently the suspect became agitated because the car passed his home a few too many times for his liking.

Image of "Baby on Board" sign from Baby Proofing Plus.

This year will be the first ever wine event at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. A Spring Serata (serata is Italian for "evening" but sounds way fancier in Italian than English) will take place on June 7th at the ISGM. They're setting up tasting stations all over the museum for the grassy, floral, and mineral wines – don't ask us what that means, ask them:

A Spring Serata also puts a unique, creative twist on the art of wine tasting, pairing wines with specific sites in the museum’s exterior and interior gardens and galleries. Sommeliers from Best Cellars will pour a trio of “grassy” wines in the verdant exterior Monk’s Garden; a sampling of “mineral” wines in the stone and tiled Spanish Cloister; and luscious “floral” wines alongside the museum’s blossoming interior courtyard, reminiscent of a Venetian palazzo. All evening, wine experts will be on hand to provide helpful tips on creative pairings for seasoned oenophiles and wine newcomers alike.

The evening, ahem, serata events will run you $75 a ticket, $65 for members. Bostonist got an inside tip that a preview of the event will happen tomorrow afternoon – Saturday, May 26. We'll call it a Spring Pomeriggio (but since we don't know Italian we hope google didn't lie to us and that word does in fact mean afternoon). The free preview runs from 2 - 5pm at Best Cellars Boston-area locations (745 Boylston Street, Back Bay; 1327 Beacon Street, Coolidge Corner). Sommeliers will show off some spring wines (and if you're lucky the grassy ones too). Both events will be a great way to drink in some culture. If you're in it for the Serata, what can be fancier than sipping wine in an art museum? The big event on June 7th runs from 6 – 8 pm, ticket prices include gallery admission, wine, hors d'oeuvres, and live music. Proceeds go directly back into making the Gardner a fine museum.

Image from the ISGM of the fabu courtyard. (Where you'll find the "floral" wines)

Sure, it's Memorial Day weekend, and it's 90 degrees out. But it's not too early to start thinking about this fall, specifically Patriots football. A limited number of single-game and standing-room tickets are on sale today. There aren't going to be many out there, so act quickly. Which games might you actually have a chance at getting to go to?

Preseason (2) vs. Tennessee, NY Giants. Preseason football, combining the high prices and long parking-lot waits of the regular season with the name recognition of a Minnesota-Purdue Big 10 matchup. Probably your best bet at getting into the stadium.

Regular Season: You know the Jets game and the Chargers game will be the big tickets this year. So don't count on that. There's also Romeo Crennel's return to Foxboro as coach of the Browns; it might be a little touching, but the big draw will be Brady Quinn. Pencil this in as a "maybe".

The NFC opponents this year are Washington and Philadelphia. The Redskins have that "natural rival" thing going (at least according to baseball standards), since they were the Boston Redskins back in the FDR Administation. So you'll have to scramble for tickets to that, before they're all bought up by misty-eyed nonogenarians.

The three games in December feature the Jets, who we've covered, along with Pittsburgh and Miami. The Steelers have lost a little of their cachet since Bill Cowher and his iron jaw left town. But it's always fun when the NFL sends the Dolphins up to Foxboro in December to freeze their pampered little Florida fannies off for an afternoon. And maybe we'll get another Dan Shaughnessy recap of the Snowplow Game, a holiday tradition right up there with "Deck the Halls". Those tickets might go quick, too, since people have short memories and may not remember how cold winter can be.

So that leaves Buffalo on September 23rd. Or, if you're just looking to get into Gillette, don't forget the Revolution this Saturday. It'll be cheaper, you may be out of the parking lot before 2AM, and you get a free Ireland-Bolivia game too.

Get 'em in. American Idol is over for this season, but the Popsearch is just beginning. The Boston Pops PopSearch2007 has extended the deadline until midnight tonight. In case you forgot to mail your entry into the talent competition, or you just now realize that you really want your moment in the spotlight, you've got about eleven hours to get it in. As we've mentioned before the ages old organization of the Boston Pops has been doing some hip things in the last few years to pull in some of the younger audiences. Popsearch is bringing in talent in all forms. We can only imagine that the Berklee kids just strolled down Mass Ave for the open auditions in person last weekend, some have been sending in their tapes directly to the Pops, but the winners in our hearts are the 200+ entrants that have submitted their two minute video online through YouTube.

The Globe's Edgers has found some of the "early round" gems and mocked them publicly on Exhibitionist – learn from their mistakes when submitting your entry. Keith Lockhart, who's rookie trading card would be fetching big bucks if they made trading cards for conductors, will be among the group of judges narrowing down the submissions to the sweet sixteen. They'll be announced on May 29 (that's Tuesday) and invited to perform at Symphony Hall on June 4. Six semi-finalists will be selected at the concert and return to the Symphony Hall stage June 12, three finalists will be chosen from online, audience, and "judges" who we assume don't include Paula, Randy, or Simon. The champ will be decided after the June 28th Pops "Oscar and Tony" performance. We can only assume this is when the fighting breaks out – it's when things got rowdy during opening night. The winner will take home the $5,000, have a spot on stage with the Boston Pops for the 4th of July concert and tour with the Pops all summer. So, like we said, eleven hours until the extended deadline is upon you. Tick, tock…

Image of Symphony Hall from Matt Doyle
Notice the R2D2 usps mailbox out front - while we don't recommend submitting entries by mail at this point (time is of the essence), we'll take this opportunity to give a shout out to Star Wars' 30th anniversary.

The whole purpose of a country club is to keep the have-nots out and remind them exactly why they're not invited. This attitude inspires both curiosity and hatred, and the have-nots ask themselves, "What's in the country club that's so great, anyway?"

Not much, answers local author JoeAnn Hart, whose novel, Addled breaks into the country-club life and finds that what's going on in the back rooms and kitchens is far more exciting than the repetitive, sterile traditions being carried out in the main rooms.

At Eden Rock Country Club, nestled near Boston, members try their best to keep nature under complete control. They rage when geese appear on the golf course, and a club-within-a-club tries to manage the proper breeding of its members. Meanwhile, a somewhat efficient staff caters to their every whim.

The plot kicks off when a club member breaks the boundary between nature and hyper-civilization when he accidentally kills a goose with a bad shot. As the novel progresses, the line between club members and their servants is slowly erased as members of the two groups establish alliances.

And that's good news for the book because, as is typical in class-conflict fiction, the servants are far more interesting than the masters. The kitchen staff, particularly head chef Vita, comes alive, and Hart's writing grows stronger when she writes about food. Some of the food passages will make you feel like you've finished a gourmet meal.

In one scene, Vita tastes a goose prepared by a waitress' mother, and she becomes obsessed with recreating the flavor: "Vita snatched [the goose leg] from her and gave the flesh a professional squeeze. It was firm and not at all slick. The skin was an excellent bronze color and not too puckered from being refrigerated. She held it under her nose like a fine brandy, and oh, the smell! Woodsy and dark, with unidentifiable herbal undertones. She took a small bite, moving the piece around her tongue so she would not miss a single sensation."

More of the review after the jump! Image of book cover from Amazon.

Continue reading "Bostonist Book Review: Addled, by JoeAnn Hart"