Less a banquet of the senses than a junk-food gorge.
Debut fiction (subtitled “a novel of rapture”) about a lonely, middle-aged librarian who experiences a sexual reawakening intimately linked to her sensual kitchen skills.
British author Prior’s affection for Italy, especially its food, is clearly genuine, but her patronizing portrait of the Sicilian peasantry and Mafia verges on caricature. Here, Rosa Fiore narrates the story of her life in mid-century Sicily, emphasizing “the virility of our men and the fecundity of our women.” Early on, Rosa’s father “disappears,” apparently taken by members of the Mafia although no reason is given. Soon enough, then, the girl’s mother is holding “rehearsals” to find a suitor adequate to her sexual passion. Later, adolescent Rosa’s first lover is murdered by his Mafioso father, a matter of family honor since the boy slept with her while betrothed to another. Grief-stricken, Rosa cooks her way through her family’s farm produce and animals, then moves to Palermo and becomes a librarian. Twenty-five years later, her one remaining pleasure is cooking, and Rosa shows no false modesty regarding her prowess in the kitchen, sharing snatches of meal preparation (no actual recipes, only the dishes’ italicized titles) with her readers. One day a mysterious stranger with thinning hair, a small mustache, and bad teeth arrives at the library to do culinary research. Identified only as l’Inglese (the Englishman), he recognizes the beauty others have missed in Rosa’s heft and ample bosom, not to mention her complicated recipes. The two embark on an affair of torrid lovemaking and even more passionate food preparation. But Rosa’s new happiness ends abruptly when l’Inglese vanishes. She sorrowfully returns to the family farm to cook. After her brother Luigi claims he has had l’Inglese “removed,” Rosa is understandably upset: “So my brother had killed my lover. What a way to start the day.” Happily, though, a rosy—if inexplicable—ending lies in store for plucky Rosa.
Less a banquet of the senses than a junk-food gorge.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-019538-X
Page Count: 288
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2000
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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