I liked this book for its bravery, bluntness and dashing good looks (cover design and paper stock selection). It's a memoir about the education of a 'reluctant chef'. I could not ignore how the description of uncountable bloody hours at that service job reminded me of my own difficult hours spent on film sets between the years 2001-2009.
In between stories of heartbreak, dysfunction and Italian cookery there is pure gold for the reader. It's a relief to know she writes so well, and that her topics could be anything inside or outside the kitchen and I would read about them. You almost want to get stuck waiting for the bus on a clean, red wooden bench thirty minutes before dusk, spring construction and public transit detours be damned, just so you can finish the pages.
I didn't mind that she leaped over there, or left out that, the thread was strong enough to hold me tight. When you are getting to know someone it may take years to understand how to read between the lines. Her story quickly became a friend.
Other book jackets that caught my eye while browsing during lunch...
Salad for Dinner - Complete Meals for All Seasons by Jeanne Kelley. Not to be confused with...
