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Recipe For Life by Nicky Pellegrino (Jonathan Ball Publishers)
They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but to be honest, that is what first drew me to this book. I wasn't disappointed. It has a gorgeous cover and the story it contains is just as beautiful.
The book follows the lives of two women, Alice and Babetta. The chapters alternate between their two lives and their independent struggles, ways of coping, moments of joy and finding a reason to change.
Alice (a real down-to-earth kind of girl) is in London and has just experienced a very traumatic event and, in addition, has been dumped by her boyfriend, Charlie. She moves in with her best friend Leila and is desperate to find work. She ends up taking a job as a waitress and meets a chef named Guyon who soon becomes a really good friend. When he changes restaurants, she moves with him and quickly discovers that she would rather be cooking the food than serving it. And so begins her culinary obsession.
Not only do you become intoxicated by her love of food, but you start sharing the same passion. I haven't heard an author describe food so deliciously since "Eat, Pray, Love." You can literally taste every piece of decadent pasta and I am sure I put on weight while reading this book.
Inevitably, as all good food books should, most of the novel takes place in Italy. It starts with the reader following Babetta's story, an elderly worker at Villa Rosa, a beautiful estate overlooking the ocean. She also has man troubles of course - in her case with a husband that appears to be going insane.
The two stories eventually link through a series of events and Alice travels to Italy to learn how to cook. Not only does she do so through family restaurants , but also through her relationship with Babetta. Even although they don't share the same language, they communicate through their love of food and cooking.
Of course, what trip to Italy would be complete without a hunky Italian man thrown in the mix?
This is definitely a book that I was unable to put down and I enjoyed every moment. The story is beautiful, the writing is rich and the characters are so easy to relate to; especially as they are each going through a difficult time in their lives. You really do learn the recipe for life, love, consequences and destiny. And then there's the food...ah...the food.
I need to go make some pasta.
Want a copy of this delicious sounding book? Click here.
Have you read Recipe for Life yet? Or any books similar to it? Share your thoughts and recommendations in the comment box below.
You can also read more of Michelle's reviews on her blog over here.
Sign up for women24's book club newsletter and stand a chance to win our top ten books from Kalahari.net as well as a case of wine from Perdeberg.
They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but to be honest, that is what first drew me to this book. I wasn't disappointed. It has a gorgeous cover and the story it contains is just as beautiful.
The book follows the lives of two women, Alice and Babetta. The chapters alternate between their two lives and their independent struggles, ways of coping, moments of joy and finding a reason to change.
Alice (a real down-to-earth kind of girl) is in London and has just experienced a very traumatic event and, in addition, has been dumped by her boyfriend, Charlie. She moves in with her best friend Leila and is desperate to find work. She ends up taking a job as a waitress and meets a chef named Guyon who soon becomes a really good friend. When he changes restaurants, she moves with him and quickly discovers that she would rather be cooking the food than serving it. And so begins her culinary obsession.
Not only do you become intoxicated by her love of food, but you start sharing the same passion. I haven't heard an author describe food so deliciously since "Eat, Pray, Love." You can literally taste every piece of decadent pasta and I am sure I put on weight while reading this book.
Inevitably, as all good food books should, most of the novel takes place in Italy. It starts with the reader following Babetta's story, an elderly worker at Villa Rosa, a beautiful estate overlooking the ocean. She also has man troubles of course - in her case with a husband that appears to be going insane.
The two stories eventually link through a series of events and Alice travels to Italy to learn how to cook. Not only does she do so through family restaurants , but also through her relationship with Babetta. Even although they don't share the same language, they communicate through their love of food and cooking.
Of course, what trip to Italy would be complete without a hunky Italian man thrown in the mix?
This is definitely a book that I was unable to put down and I enjoyed every moment. The story is beautiful, the writing is rich and the characters are so easy to relate to; especially as they are each going through a difficult time in their lives. You really do learn the recipe for life, love, consequences and destiny. And then there's the food...ah...the food.
I need to go make some pasta.
Want a copy of this delicious sounding book? Click here.
Have you read Recipe for Life yet? Or any books similar to it? Share your thoughts and recommendations in the comment box below.
You can also read more of Michelle's reviews on her blog over here.
Sign up for women24's book club newsletter and stand a chance to win our top ten books from Kalahari.net as well as a case of wine from Perdeberg.
