Scan barcode
kharris523's review
5.0
Tembi lost her husband to cancer. She talks about how she and her young daughter had to deal with that loss and making the connections with her Sicilian family. Her husband, Saro, was from Sicily and a fantastic chef. She tells about the trips to Sicily after his death and how she connected with Nonna, Saro's mother, as they shared their loss.
I recommend this book, especially if you have lost someone close to you.
I recommend this book, especially if you have lost someone close to you.
yukonalaska's review
kelly_inthe419's review against another edition
4.0
In Sicily, every story begins with a marriage or a death. In my case, it’s both.
Tembi first met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. As their relationship flourished, there was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. Despite setbacks, they marry and move to LA and adopt a baby girl. Then came the dreadful moments of Saro's cancer diagnosis, treatment, remission, and eventual relapse.
From Scratch focuses more on the aftermath of losing a loved one as Tembi learns to navigate life and family with a young daughter and without her beloved Saro. This is a powerful and heartrending story of love and grief, the family you're born into and the family you find. The story focuses less on Saro's illness and more on how Tembi learns to navigate her new life without him.
The summers in Sicily were poignant and beautiful. I loved the food and culture descriptions of Sicily as an almost isolated part of Italy, with its own unique heritage. The relationship that grew between Tembi and Saro's mother was heartwarming and so realistic.
I purposely read this while in Italy, though I wasn't in Sicily. But now I want to go there too! Next up is the TV adaptation of Tembi's story to see how they compare.
Tembi first met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. As their relationship flourished, there was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. Despite setbacks, they marry and move to LA and adopt a baby girl. Then came the dreadful moments of Saro's cancer diagnosis, treatment, remission, and eventual relapse.
From Scratch focuses more on the aftermath of losing a loved one as Tembi learns to navigate life and family with a young daughter and without her beloved Saro. This is a powerful and heartrending story of love and grief, the family you're born into and the family you find. The story focuses less on Saro's illness and more on how Tembi learns to navigate her new life without him.
The summers in Sicily were poignant and beautiful. I loved the food and culture descriptions of Sicily as an almost isolated part of Italy, with its own unique heritage. The relationship that grew between Tembi and Saro's mother was heartwarming and so realistic.
I purposely read this while in Italy, though I wasn't in Sicily. But now I want to go there too! Next up is the TV adaptation of Tembi's story to see how they compare.
jflynn0902's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
bookishobsessedmama's review against another edition
5.0
* I do not believe I should be rating Memoirs less than 5 stars. This is her story, her life and who am I to judge it in that way.
This is an absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking story. I decided to add this to my TBR because I absolutely adore the Netflix show. Tembe’s writing brings you through her journey of love and grief and finding herself as a widow. Watching her fall in love with Saro is absolutely beautiful and then it’s absolutely heartbreaking to find his ending.
I really enjoyed that she wrote it in a way that you learn the majority of their love story through flashbacks of grief which is absolutely so realistic. They hit you out of nowhere and they’re so realistic.
This memoir actually made me love the show even more too because they truly did such an outstanding job at following their story so closely. Yes, there was differences, but for the most part it was real, raw and accurate.
I truly loved this. I cried with her, laughed with her, fell in love with her and grieved with her. Beautifully written.
This is an absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking story. I decided to add this to my TBR because I absolutely adore the Netflix show. Tembe’s writing brings you through her journey of love and grief and finding herself as a widow. Watching her fall in love with Saro is absolutely beautiful and then it’s absolutely heartbreaking to find his ending.
I really enjoyed that she wrote it in a way that you learn the majority of their love story through flashbacks of grief which is absolutely so realistic. They hit you out of nowhere and they’re so realistic.
This memoir actually made me love the show even more too because they truly did such an outstanding job at following their story so closely. Yes, there was differences, but for the most part it was real, raw and accurate.
I truly loved this. I cried with her, laughed with her, fell in love with her and grieved with her. Beautifully written.