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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
A beautiful love story! I admire all of Tembi’s honesty, vulnerability, fears, and sharing the challenges of two cultures. It was wonderful hearing about Sicily and all of the wonderful food. I REALLY appreciate the recipes in the back of the book. I plan on trying some of the recipes. I love cooking, and I felt like I learned some tips about Italian cooking, my favorite! It would be great to have a follow up story to see if her daughter continues to visit every year or end up there for her college or young adult years. Some of the raw emotions really made me cry and sad, Tembi can verbalize all the complexities of grief. I will look into her blog as a resource.
One thing I was wondering the whole time I read the book- is the cover photo their wedding picture?
One thing I was wondering the whole time I read the book- is the cover photo their wedding picture?
emotional
sad
fast-paced
I give this 3.5 stars (but rounded up to 4 since Goodreads doesn't allow half stars)
What I liked about this book: Locke's descriptions of her time in Sicily (after her husband's death) were especially poignant. We would see her and Zoela taking part in some activity (I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the cheese-making and tomato-sauce making), and suddenly, grief or memories of Saro would appear, and we would hear Locke describing her emotions when that happened. What was particularly interesting was how that changed between each summer. Whereas the first summer was (obviously), the most emotionally intensive, by the second and third summers, we see Locke learning how to not constantly look at the past, and instead start moving towards the present. The way the summers were written felt much more stream of consciousness - which meant that we were also able to much more clearly see her growth between the summers.
What I didn't like about this book: The stories of "after" were beautiful and evocative; the stories of "before" (and I'm not talking about when Saro was ill, but before that - stories of how they met, their wedding, etc), felt bland in comparison - I found myself wanting to read those as fast as possible to get to the "after" parts. What I enjoyed about the "after" was Locke's ability to describe her emotions and thought processes - the "before" felt much more like a recounting of the facts, stripped of most emotions.
Overall, this was a worthwhile read - Locke did a great job of sucking me into the "after" part of the story.
Would I read it again? Yes, but only for the recipes at the end.
What I liked about this book: Locke's descriptions of her time in Sicily (after her husband's death) were especially poignant. We would see her and Zoela taking part in some activity (I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the cheese-making and tomato-sauce making), and suddenly, grief or memories of Saro would appear, and we would hear Locke describing her emotions when that happened. What was particularly interesting was how that changed between each summer. Whereas the first summer was (obviously), the most emotionally intensive, by the second and third summers, we see Locke learning how to not constantly look at the past, and instead start moving towards the present. The way the summers were written felt much more stream of consciousness - which meant that we were also able to much more clearly see her growth between the summers.
What I didn't like about this book: The stories of "after" were beautiful and evocative; the stories of "before" (and I'm not talking about when Saro was ill, but before that - stories of how they met, their wedding, etc), felt bland in comparison - I found myself wanting to read those as fast as possible to get to the "after" parts. What I enjoyed about the "after" was Locke's ability to describe her emotions and thought processes - the "before" felt much more like a recounting of the facts, stripped of most emotions.
Overall, this was a worthwhile read - Locke did a great job of sucking me into the "after" part of the story.
Would I read it again? Yes, but only for the recipes at the end.
A brave book about grief and love. A beautiful tale of building and cherishing cross-cultural ties that make life rich and whole.
Follow me on Instagram @bookmarkedbya / instagram.com/bookmarkedbya and see my full review at my blog: https://bookmarkedbya.wordpress.com/
A heartbreaking memoir about incredible love, tremendous loss, and leaning on the comforts of family and food to survive.
While studying abroad in Italy, Tembi meets Saro. Their relationship flourishes quickly and their epic love affair begins in the streets of Florence. In LA, they make a life together. It’s clouded by the knowledge that Saro’s parents don’t support his marriage to Tembi - a Black American. Saro’s rare cancer diagnosis is the beginning of their end. When he dies, Tembi must learn how to survive - for herself and for her daughter. The unexpected comforts of Saro’s Sicilian hometown, his mother, and her authentic cooking help net navigate grief and the vast possibilities of life after Saro.
This book is amazing - so heartbreaking and wonderfully written. The structure is uniquely dynamic, and Locke’s life stories are exceptionally interesting. Books that make me cry are my favorite, and this one made me weep. In particular, Locke’s descriptions of Saro’s final days left me breathless. A very compelling theme, belonging, is prevalent throughout the novel. Neither Tembi or her daughter are white or Sicilian, so they stick out like a sore thumb on their visits. Do they belong in Sicily or this family when Saro is no longer around to bridge the gap? Locke also plays with the connection between food, comfort, and growth quite a lot - it welcomes guests, cures sadness, and nourishes the body like nothing else can. Deeply symbolic and equally mouth-watering, I love this aspect of the book. From Scratch is such a special memoir. Beautifully written and exceptionally heartbreaking, I think it will touch your heart as it has mine.
A heartbreaking memoir about incredible love, tremendous loss, and leaning on the comforts of family and food to survive.
While studying abroad in Italy, Tembi meets Saro. Their relationship flourishes quickly and their epic love affair begins in the streets of Florence. In LA, they make a life together. It’s clouded by the knowledge that Saro’s parents don’t support his marriage to Tembi - a Black American. Saro’s rare cancer diagnosis is the beginning of their end. When he dies, Tembi must learn how to survive - for herself and for her daughter. The unexpected comforts of Saro’s Sicilian hometown, his mother, and her authentic cooking help net navigate grief and the vast possibilities of life after Saro.
This book is amazing - so heartbreaking and wonderfully written. The structure is uniquely dynamic, and Locke’s life stories are exceptionally interesting. Books that make me cry are my favorite, and this one made me weep. In particular, Locke’s descriptions of Saro’s final days left me breathless. A very compelling theme, belonging, is prevalent throughout the novel. Neither Tembi or her daughter are white or Sicilian, so they stick out like a sore thumb on their visits. Do they belong in Sicily or this family when Saro is no longer around to bridge the gap? Locke also plays with the connection between food, comfort, and growth quite a lot - it welcomes guests, cures sadness, and nourishes the body like nothing else can. Deeply symbolic and equally mouth-watering, I love this aspect of the book. From Scratch is such a special memoir. Beautifully written and exceptionally heartbreaking, I think it will touch your heart as it has mine.
3.75 stars. Heartfelt, beautiful writing, and a sincere account of dealing with loss.
Hella corny. Listened on audiobook-v v cheesy. Analogies to food were beautiful but otherwise would not recommend
After listening to Brene Brown's interview of these sisters, I had to reach this book. It is not a quick or easy read, but well worth the journey.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
DNF- Goodreads crashed on my other review which I’m taking as a sign that I was going too hard.. anyway TLDR:
• Too much description not enough depth into other characters
• Repetitive story points/ irrelevant call backs
• Intercultural issues ≠ Interracial issues
• Not at a season in my life where this is an appealing narrative
So sorry to all my pals who wanted me to enjoy this. I really tried. I swear.
• Too much description not enough depth into other characters
• Repetitive story points/ irrelevant call backs
• Intercultural issues ≠ Interracial issues
• Not at a season in my life where this is an appealing narrative
So sorry to all my pals who wanted me to enjoy this. I really tried. I swear.