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Разбито сърце и спагети
„Разбито сърце и спагети“ е изключително смешна история за любовните неуспехи на Джулия Мeлучи, както и за апетитните рецепти, които използва, за да съблазнява мъжете и да се утешава след като връзката приключи.
Джулия готви на всевъзможни типове мъже - от любящ алкохолик до типичен нюйоркчанин, който се страхува от сериозно обвързване, застаряващ антиконформист и цели двама писатели. Всяка от любовните връзки й носи радости, сълзи и купичка спагети за капак!
Историите й за живота в Ню Йорк са преплетени със стари семейни италиански рецепти, храна за разбити сърца - идеалното ястие, с което да спечелиш сърцето на изплъзващия се любим и ужасната „пиянска супа“, която в 4 часа сутринта й приготвя мъж, който очевидно не е „Голямата любов“.
Неустоима и изостряща апетита „Разбити сърца и спагети“ е история за любов, страст и най-вече... спагети.
„Тази книга е като „Сексът и градът“ за ценители на вкусната храна!“
Марио Батали, готвач и писател
„Джулия Мелучи е написала прекрасна, забавна и затрогваща книга. Като „Яж, моли се и обичай“ е, само че с рецепти.“
А. Дж. Джейкъбс, автор на бестселъра „Годината, в която живях според Библията“
Джулия готви на всевъзможни типове мъже - от любящ алкохолик до типичен нюйоркчанин, който се страхува от сериозно обвързване, застаряващ антиконформист и цели двама писатели. Всяка от любовните връзки й носи радости, сълзи и купичка спагети за капак!
Историите й за живота в Ню Йорк са преплетени със стари семейни италиански рецепти, храна за разбити сърца - идеалното ястие, с което да спечелиш сърцето на изплъзващия се любим и ужасната „пиянска супа“, която в 4 часа сутринта й приготвя мъж, който очевидно не е „Голямата любов“.
Неустоима и изостряща апетита „Разбити сърца и спагети“ е история за любов, страст и най-вече... спагети.
„Тази книга е като „Сексът и градът“ за ценители на вкусната храна!“
Марио Батали, готвач и писател
„Джулия Мелучи е написала прекрасна, забавна и затрогваща книга. Като „Яж, моли се и обичай“ е, само че с рецепти.“
А. Дж. Джейкъбс, автор на бестселъра „Годината, в която живях според Библията“
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 451 reviews
December 27, 2009
God this book.
I really wanted it to be enjoyable -- memoir plus recipes -- right up my alley, right? And although there were funny parts, most of the book was a slog reading about this woman who is so desperate to be loved that she totally morphs herself into a different person with every relationship. I guess after a while the low self-esteem schtick just got kind of old.
Melucci is obviously accomplished in her career and seems to be an interesting and self aware person, but she paints herself as a totally unlovable loser sometimes and then seems so desperate to hang on to the guy of the moment because she is not sure someone will ever love her again. It just felt so frustrating after a while. I wanted to shake her and tell her to be nicer to herself.
As for the structure of the book I felt like the recipes always seemed to be an afterthought. She would write for 3 or 4 pages about very emotional events and then the last sentence would say "...and then I made proscuitto wrapped cod" and the recipe would follow. It just felt forced. Some of the events were 20 years ago, I'm sure that's not the EXACT recipe you made...who remembers that? Also the recipes seemed to be a bit repetitive -- always pasta with canned tomatoes, basil, garlic, red wine, or some other simple variation...I mean I love all that stuff too, but in a 300 page book you would expect a little variety. I didn't find a single recipe that made me want to immediately write it down which was kind of a bummer.
All in all it was an easy read, and it wasn't awful, I just thought it could have been so much better. And with the author's background in publishing I'm suprised it wasn't. After reading Molly Wizenburg's A Homemade Life, which in my opinion is a food memoir that just knocks it out of the park, the bar is set high and unfortunately this book didn't measure up as I had hoped.
I really wanted it to be enjoyable -- memoir plus recipes -- right up my alley, right? And although there were funny parts, most of the book was a slog reading about this woman who is so desperate to be loved that she totally morphs herself into a different person with every relationship. I guess after a while the low self-esteem schtick just got kind of old.
Melucci is obviously accomplished in her career and seems to be an interesting and self aware person, but she paints herself as a totally unlovable loser sometimes and then seems so desperate to hang on to the guy of the moment because she is not sure someone will ever love her again. It just felt so frustrating after a while. I wanted to shake her and tell her to be nicer to herself.
As for the structure of the book I felt like the recipes always seemed to be an afterthought. She would write for 3 or 4 pages about very emotional events and then the last sentence would say "...and then I made proscuitto wrapped cod" and the recipe would follow. It just felt forced. Some of the events were 20 years ago, I'm sure that's not the EXACT recipe you made...who remembers that? Also the recipes seemed to be a bit repetitive -- always pasta with canned tomatoes, basil, garlic, red wine, or some other simple variation...I mean I love all that stuff too, but in a 300 page book you would expect a little variety. I didn't find a single recipe that made me want to immediately write it down which was kind of a bummer.
All in all it was an easy read, and it wasn't awful, I just thought it could have been so much better. And with the author's background in publishing I'm suprised it wasn't. After reading Molly Wizenburg's A Homemade Life, which in my opinion is a food memoir that just knocks it out of the park, the bar is set high and unfortunately this book didn't measure up as I had hoped.
February 19, 2009
This book can be summed up in two words: "pretentious" and "pasta." I mean, really! Who can remember what dish you whipped up after a date with some guy 10 or 20 years ago? I can't even remember their names, much less what I fed them. Well, actually, since I don't cook, I CAN remember what I fed them (nothing), but I don't understand how someone else can remember actually cooking something for a man that long ago. However, I loved the recipe of how to make pasta while trying to download a Led Zepplin song. Very clever.
July 2, 2010
If I had stopped reading the book after the first 60 pages, I would have liked it a lot more. The portrait of pr flack as a young woman seemed authentic and touching. But Melucci doesn't age emotionally as she ages chronologically, or at least that's how she presents herself. While she castigates men for being hipsters or poseurs or freeloaders, the evidence she presents about them is astonishingly superficial: one doesn't pay for her at dinner, another uses the word "fresh," doesn't like her music and whose son plays in an alternative country band and doesn't know who Steven Malkmus is. A boyfriend's friend is too fat and too old to fit a definition of hipster. Being a grown up means owning an apartment in Park Slope, buying multiple pairs of Gucci shoes, and knowing where to eat. She returns to mass because she finds a church where the priests are cute, the choir is world class, and she can confess to a priest over drinks.
I don't think that marriage and children are the only road to wisdom. I know women who aren't involved in long term relationships and who have grown up, but Melucci's self-portrait backed me into a reactionary corner. I found myself saying to her, "If you actually had to live with someone in a committed way and raise children, you might actually learn something about yourself." Despite Melucci's occasional self-deprecating comments about her insecurity, she comes across as a martyr. Yuck.
I don't think that marriage and children are the only road to wisdom. I know women who aren't involved in long term relationships and who have grown up, but Melucci's self-portrait backed me into a reactionary corner. I found myself saying to her, "If you actually had to live with someone in a committed way and raise children, you might actually learn something about yourself." Despite Melucci's occasional self-deprecating comments about her insecurity, she comes across as a martyr. Yuck.
July 26, 2009
I don't really get this book. There was nothing terribly wrong with it but it certainly didn't seem publish worthy. The story of a forty-something year old woman reflecting on her few, again not terribly exciting but not entirely snoozeville relationships.
Mostly I was just thinking, "how/why did this get published". I mean we all have silly stories of awkward dating experiences and misguided attempts at relationships. Just last night I was made to sit for a few hours with a friend, her husband and (as previously stated in another conversations), a guy that was apparently being groomed to be my future beau. My friends un-tactfully marketed me to him with such subtle conversation starters as, "so what are you reading right now Marie....Marie's a big reader....how many books would you say you read each year Marie..." or "you were just at Live Wire Marie? Do you go to Live Wire a lot? Is that something you like to do?" etc. etc. etc. Apparently what I lacked in cleavage I was to make up for with some sort sexy nerd mystique they were (falsely) creating.
And far be it from me to hold back the tale of my hyper collegue introducing me to the friend that he had been talking up for weeks by thrusting his Vannah White-esque arms at this gentleman's torso and declaring, "Marie this is Brett! Brett's a great guy!!!!" then turning the same Vannah arms in my direction and repeating the same enthusiastic declaration with my name inserted, "Brett, this Marie. Marie's a great gal!!!!!!!!!!!" before opening his arms wide enough to include both of us in his air hug of admiration and say with deep convection, "you guys are both great. great people" at which point we were left standing there assumedly to dazzle each other with our "greatness". Instead we had a brief conversation about a book he'd published and I'd read (which if i'm not mistaken was the sole cause of colleagues suspicion that we'd hit it off fabulously) and then I politely made up an excuse as to why I had to exit and chalked this up to one more of the many "you would love my brother/co-worker/husband's friend" ordeal I've experienced since my divorce.
Additionaly, after being married to a UFO believing, surfing, metal band appreciator for 12 years, dating a hot headed chef for nearly one, and being vigilantly pursued by a controversy laden pastor I feel that I too could fill a book with disastorous tale after disastorous tale. But I wont, I'll keep it to a few paragraphs here on good reads and drunken tale to amuse also drunken friends on an ocassion or two, which in my humble opinion, is probably what Guiulia Melucci should have done.
But what REALLY started getting on my nerves was her absolutely pathetic need to cook/nurture/placate every guy that came into her life while seemingly ignoring all other aspects of her being. I realize the book was a narrow topic but honestly it just felt sad and ridiculous after a certain point.
All that being said, if I get caught in a conversation with her at Wordstock this fall
http://www.wordstockfestival.com/#/pa...
I will most likely tell her how enjoyable it was to partake in her dating tales and how refreshing it was that she was so honest and focused on an area of life that woman frequently try and conceal with a toughness that would preclude them from feeling needy even for one moment. And that I loooooved how she peppered the story with recipes as she referred to them, allowing to us to feel like a good friend gossiping over coffee.
but really, meh.
Mostly I was just thinking, "how/why did this get published". I mean we all have silly stories of awkward dating experiences and misguided attempts at relationships. Just last night I was made to sit for a few hours with a friend, her husband and (as previously stated in another conversations), a guy that was apparently being groomed to be my future beau. My friends un-tactfully marketed me to him with such subtle conversation starters as, "so what are you reading right now Marie....Marie's a big reader....how many books would you say you read each year Marie..." or "you were just at Live Wire Marie? Do you go to Live Wire a lot? Is that something you like to do?" etc. etc. etc. Apparently what I lacked in cleavage I was to make up for with some sort sexy nerd mystique they were (falsely) creating.
And far be it from me to hold back the tale of my hyper collegue introducing me to the friend that he had been talking up for weeks by thrusting his Vannah White-esque arms at this gentleman's torso and declaring, "Marie this is Brett! Brett's a great guy!!!!" then turning the same Vannah arms in my direction and repeating the same enthusiastic declaration with my name inserted, "Brett, this Marie. Marie's a great gal!!!!!!!!!!!" before opening his arms wide enough to include both of us in his air hug of admiration and say with deep convection, "you guys are both great. great people" at which point we were left standing there assumedly to dazzle each other with our "greatness". Instead we had a brief conversation about a book he'd published and I'd read (which if i'm not mistaken was the sole cause of colleagues suspicion that we'd hit it off fabulously) and then I politely made up an excuse as to why I had to exit and chalked this up to one more of the many "you would love my brother/co-worker/husband's friend" ordeal I've experienced since my divorce.
Additionaly, after being married to a UFO believing, surfing, metal band appreciator for 12 years, dating a hot headed chef for nearly one, and being vigilantly pursued by a controversy laden pastor I feel that I too could fill a book with disastorous tale after disastorous tale. But I wont, I'll keep it to a few paragraphs here on good reads and drunken tale to amuse also drunken friends on an ocassion or two, which in my humble opinion, is probably what Guiulia Melucci should have done.
But what REALLY started getting on my nerves was her absolutely pathetic need to cook/nurture/placate every guy that came into her life while seemingly ignoring all other aspects of her being. I realize the book was a narrow topic but honestly it just felt sad and ridiculous after a certain point.
All that being said, if I get caught in a conversation with her at Wordstock this fall
http://www.wordstockfestival.com/#/pa...
I will most likely tell her how enjoyable it was to partake in her dating tales and how refreshing it was that she was so honest and focused on an area of life that woman frequently try and conceal with a toughness that would preclude them from feeling needy even for one moment. And that I loooooved how she peppered the story with recipes as she referred to them, allowing to us to feel like a good friend gossiping over coffee.
but really, meh.
April 11, 2011
I thought the concept of this book sounded interesting, but I found myself hating the main character (which is awful because I think this is a memoir). The premise is that she talks about her relationships and the she cooks as she works through the relationships. The recipes are included (not all that interesting sounding) but the very worst part is how awful her relationships are. All of the men she writes about don't love her - and yet she keeps throwing herself at them over and over again. She seemed to have zero respect for herself and I just can't get behind a woman with such low self esteem. I kept reading the book only in hopes of finding out she learned to value herself and then found a man who valued her too. I was disappointed.
July 29, 2009
I absolutely loved Giulia Melucci's memoir, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti. Maybe it is because I am 100% Italian, maybe it is because I have also had one too many bad dates, or maybe it is because I too love cooking and food; but I found Melucci's memoir much more enjoyable than many other reviewers.
Melucci's writing is an honest form of prose that truly spoke to me. Though I have, indeed, found the type of reciprocal love that Melucci searches for throughout her memoir, reading her stories brought me back to a time and place in my life that was equally painstaking and pleasurable. The fact that this lovely lady shares her wonderful recipes is sincerely the icing on the cake of a great read. Her writing style is very fun and fast. In fact, I sometimes forgot that I was reading a memoir because Melucci's life story reads like a really great piece of chick-lit.
In short,I recommend Giulia Melucci's memoir to any woman who has had an imperfect relationship, any man who wants to understand what women really want, any lover of food (especially all things Italian), and anyone looking for a simple, yet enjoyable read. This book would also be great for a book club because members could fix some of Melucci's recipes for the actual meeting.I know that I personally would not want to miss that discussion!
Melucci's writing is an honest form of prose that truly spoke to me. Though I have, indeed, found the type of reciprocal love that Melucci searches for throughout her memoir, reading her stories brought me back to a time and place in my life that was equally painstaking and pleasurable. The fact that this lovely lady shares her wonderful recipes is sincerely the icing on the cake of a great read. Her writing style is very fun and fast. In fact, I sometimes forgot that I was reading a memoir because Melucci's life story reads like a really great piece of chick-lit.
In short,I recommend Giulia Melucci's memoir to any woman who has had an imperfect relationship, any man who wants to understand what women really want, any lover of food (especially all things Italian), and anyone looking for a simple, yet enjoyable read. This book would also be great for a book club because members could fix some of Melucci's recipes for the actual meeting.I know that I personally would not want to miss that discussion!
March 27, 2009
I have toi start by saying that I was prepared to fully enjoy this book. I love spaghetti, and with a title like I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, this was on my must-read list. It turned out to be a fun, quick read. Guilia has had a series of disappointing relationships, all men I would consider losers, but manages to make it funny.
I love the way she places the recipes inside the narrative, at the point she served them to her love at the time or to her lonely self. And some of the recipes sound delicious, and fairly easy, which sounds perfect to me. I'm going to definitely try the "First Date Butterflies" and the healthy penne. Some of the recipes have hilarious titles, like "Spaghetti and Meatballs for Cooking Sluts and Those Who Love Them" that give you a taste of Giulia's sense of humour.
After a while, Giulia's constant talk about wanting to get married and the fact that she always seems more invested in the relationships than the men started to get a little stale for me. I wanted to yell at her to get a grip, but then she pops up with the recipe for "Bucatini Amatriciana with MP3 File-Sharing Technology" and I have to laugh and forgive her.
I love the way she places the recipes inside the narrative, at the point she served them to her love at the time or to her lonely self. And some of the recipes sound delicious, and fairly easy, which sounds perfect to me. I'm going to definitely try the "First Date Butterflies" and the healthy penne. Some of the recipes have hilarious titles, like "Spaghetti and Meatballs for Cooking Sluts and Those Who Love Them" that give you a taste of Giulia's sense of humour.
After a while, Giulia's constant talk about wanting to get married and the fact that she always seems more invested in the relationships than the men started to get a little stale for me. I wanted to yell at her to get a grip, but then she pops up with the recipe for "Bucatini Amatriciana with MP3 File-Sharing Technology" and I have to laugh and forgive her.
August 6, 2017
To be honest, I'm not sure why I keep going back to this book. I must have re-read it at least four times by now, and after viewing a bunch of the critical reviews, I concede they have a point. Melucci does suffer from a lack of self-respect, and she does keep making the same mistakes over and over again. It's painful to watch (read).
And yet, there's something comforting about her search for love in all the wrong places, the reminders that a broken heart may hurt like hell but it doesn't kill us, that what makes us who we are remains, waiting for the person who will return our love and be truly worthy. I hope she's found that by now. It's nice to think that a woman can get by just fine on her own, but people are social creatures. The search for love is a natural, if at times devastating, impulse.
Since a can of tomatoes, a can of oil-drenched tuna, and hot pepper flakes don't appeal to me, I haven't tried any of the recipes, but they're comforting to read too.
Comfort food for the brain, if a tad depressing.
And yet, there's something comforting about her search for love in all the wrong places, the reminders that a broken heart may hurt like hell but it doesn't kill us, that what makes us who we are remains, waiting for the person who will return our love and be truly worthy. I hope she's found that by now. It's nice to think that a woman can get by just fine on her own, but people are social creatures. The search for love is a natural, if at times devastating, impulse.
Since a can of tomatoes, a can of oil-drenched tuna, and hot pepper flakes don't appeal to me, I haven't tried any of the recipes, but they're comforting to read too.
Comfort food for the brain, if a tad depressing.
May 6, 2009
This book proves just how awesome my boyfriend is.
Unfortunately, the author constantly wonders why men don't fall in love with her and leave her. Why she's a 40 year old unmarried, unsuccessful in love person. The answer: because you date losers who will always be losers. Even when it's obvious they're never going to love you or marry you, you still try to change them, or change your perception of your bad relationship.
A very frustrating read! The stories were not funny, or even sad. The other thing that irked me about this book is that it tried to do too much. A few recipes mixed in would have been fine, but having a recipe every fourth page was not so fun. Especially since the names of the recipes were so awful.
Do not read.
Unfortunately, the author constantly wonders why men don't fall in love with her and leave her. Why she's a 40 year old unmarried, unsuccessful in love person. The answer: because you date losers who will always be losers. Even when it's obvious they're never going to love you or marry you, you still try to change them, or change your perception of your bad relationship.
A very frustrating read! The stories were not funny, or even sad. The other thing that irked me about this book is that it tried to do too much. A few recipes mixed in would have been fine, but having a recipe every fourth page was not so fun. Especially since the names of the recipes were so awful.
Do not read.
August 18, 2012
I can't believe I made it through this ridiculous book. I listened to it as a book on tape and it made me very frequently want to find a cliff to drive off. This woman is RIDICULOUS. She has an amazing career and family, but her only quest in life is to find a husband. The book chronicles her relationships throughout the years, and how they fail, and how it is all her fault, and how she is worthless without a man, and how her life is a failure because she just can't find a man to marry her. UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH. The only reason I stuck with it was thinking I might learn some amazing recipes, but even those were quite basic.
December 24, 2012
So I pick this book up thinking it will be a fun chick lit intertwined with some great recipes. I love cooking and it was the main reason why I grabbed it off the library's shelf. How could I go wrong?
Silly me.
To sum up the book, imagine the friend who won't shut up about her current guy obsession going on and on and on...a few recipes, then on to the next "boy toy" obsession. I already have to deal with this in real life. I don't want to read about it. Multiple times throughout the book, I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish it. Somehow I managed to power through it, hoping at some point it would get better.
Don't kid yourself like I did.
Silly me.
To sum up the book, imagine the friend who won't shut up about her current guy obsession going on and on and on...a few recipes, then on to the next "boy toy" obsession. I already have to deal with this in real life. I don't want to read about it. Multiple times throughout the book, I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish it. Somehow I managed to power through it, hoping at some point it would get better.
Don't kid yourself like I did.
May 23, 2011
At one point in this book, the author reports that she is afraid that she going to be come one of those women who dates anyone just so she doesn't have to be alone. I say, the author shouldn't worry about becoming one of those women as it is clear from the first page that she is already one of those women. This is by turns funny and well-written, and I felt like it had a lot of promise at the beginning, but by the end I was cringing. They should republish this book under a new title: "shady guys I slept with because I have no self-esteem, now with recipes."
April 27, 2021
a interesting book to read
May 2, 2020
Hilarious, easy to read and relatable!
November 22, 2020
I picked this up in the cookbook section at my library. I loved this book. I loved her. Even with an amazing family, stable career, and living on her own, her love life is a mucky mess. I loved her honesty about her neediness. I loved her insecurities. And honestly, I felt the best part was she was still single at the end.
And boy oh boy did it make me hungry!!! I’m going to have to try some of these recipes. I have many food memories throughout my life. For the people who didn’t love this food, I think you need to be a foodie to really enjoy and love it
And boy oh boy did it make me hungry!!! I’m going to have to try some of these recipes. I have many food memories throughout my life. For the people who didn’t love this food, I think you need to be a foodie to really enjoy and love it
August 30, 2021
Read a recipe book instead.
June 5, 2009
Typically when I read a book, I dog-ear pages with great sentences or ideas I like. With Giulia Melucci's unfortunately-titled food memoir "I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti," these notations were never about a turn of phrase -- they were about a turn of the proverbial spatula. There are at least a dozen recipes in this book that I plan to test.
This easy-reader -- six hours, cover to cover -- is about Melucci's relationship history, and what she was whipping up for the series of gents who have come and gone. Mostly pasta, sometimes fish. A bit of meatloaf. Blueberry muffins, Yorkshire Pudding and Risotto. Fresh vegetables, red pepper flakes, slivers of fresh Parmesan cheese. With an Italian background, Melucci's knows her way around red sauces and mozzarella. She also adapts recipes from Epicurious, Bon Appetit, and friends, and comes up with cute autobiographical names for her meals: No Nookie Gnocchi, Ineffectual Eggplant Parmigiana ( which didn't save her relationship with Marcus), Fuck-You Cakes, Real Estate Roast Chicken (celebrating the purchase of a condo) and Welcome Back to the Big Apple Apple Muffins, when her Scottish boyfriend returns from Europe.
Melucci is a bit of a serial monogamist -- I wish I could say cereal monogamist, but unfortunately she only talks about something Raisin Bran-esque once -- and in her memoir she starts with Kit, her first boyfriend and a regular old woo machine, then there is the skittish Ethan, a relationship that ends with a marriage ultimatum. Mitch is a Red Hook hipster who introduces her to the Strokes, Marcus is an AARP member who shuttles Melucci around town on a Vespa, and breaks up with her via caustic email. It ends with Lachlan, a sleepy Scottish writer whose book she gets published. (Which leads her to writing her own book).
I spent a lot of time thinking about why I didn't hate this book at all, which probably isn't a good sign. But here is my justification:
1) Melucci is pretty likable. She's not whining about why she doesn't have a husband or bragging about her footwear. She talks about food a lot, and never mentions her weight -- beyond being chubby as a child, and brief mentions of working out. Although the story opens with a flood of names, which made me think she was going to be an annoying name-dropper. And I couldn't be sure which names I was supposed to remember. She settled down on this within the first few chapters.
2) The chick lit memoir is a much better concept than straight up chick lit. Why? Good question. I think it is because it is a normal person's relationship history, rather than a hyper-normal person's relationship history, loosely based on the author's relationship, but starring more expensive haircuts and sexy invites to exclusive parties. Melucci's story is the kind of thing you would get if you met at a dinner party, hit it off, and spent time out on the back porch smoking cigarettes and getting to know each other. It is also the stuff of countless blogs, and so it is fun to read.
3) The food aspect. Although, Melucci isn't a chef and she's never worked in a restaurant at all, as far as I can tell. She's a normal person, a hobbyist, who is interested in food and passing along recipes. And I love reading recipes.
NOTE: I've already tried her Risotto with Intricately Layered Hearts, which is a mix of arborio rice, Taleggio cheese and artichoke hearts. It was pretty intense. Next up: Summerhouse Tuna Salad, which is just tuna mixed with onions, tomatoes, capers and parsley.
This easy-reader -- six hours, cover to cover -- is about Melucci's relationship history, and what she was whipping up for the series of gents who have come and gone. Mostly pasta, sometimes fish. A bit of meatloaf. Blueberry muffins, Yorkshire Pudding and Risotto. Fresh vegetables, red pepper flakes, slivers of fresh Parmesan cheese. With an Italian background, Melucci's knows her way around red sauces and mozzarella. She also adapts recipes from Epicurious, Bon Appetit, and friends, and comes up with cute autobiographical names for her meals: No Nookie Gnocchi, Ineffectual Eggplant Parmigiana ( which didn't save her relationship with Marcus), Fuck-You Cakes, Real Estate Roast Chicken (celebrating the purchase of a condo) and Welcome Back to the Big Apple Apple Muffins, when her Scottish boyfriend returns from Europe.
Melucci is a bit of a serial monogamist -- I wish I could say cereal monogamist, but unfortunately she only talks about something Raisin Bran-esque once -- and in her memoir she starts with Kit, her first boyfriend and a regular old woo machine, then there is the skittish Ethan, a relationship that ends with a marriage ultimatum. Mitch is a Red Hook hipster who introduces her to the Strokes, Marcus is an AARP member who shuttles Melucci around town on a Vespa, and breaks up with her via caustic email. It ends with Lachlan, a sleepy Scottish writer whose book she gets published. (Which leads her to writing her own book).
I spent a lot of time thinking about why I didn't hate this book at all, which probably isn't a good sign. But here is my justification:
1) Melucci is pretty likable. She's not whining about why she doesn't have a husband or bragging about her footwear. She talks about food a lot, and never mentions her weight -- beyond being chubby as a child, and brief mentions of working out. Although the story opens with a flood of names, which made me think she was going to be an annoying name-dropper. And I couldn't be sure which names I was supposed to remember. She settled down on this within the first few chapters.
2) The chick lit memoir is a much better concept than straight up chick lit. Why? Good question. I think it is because it is a normal person's relationship history, rather than a hyper-normal person's relationship history, loosely based on the author's relationship, but starring more expensive haircuts and sexy invites to exclusive parties. Melucci's story is the kind of thing you would get if you met at a dinner party, hit it off, and spent time out on the back porch smoking cigarettes and getting to know each other. It is also the stuff of countless blogs, and so it is fun to read.
3) The food aspect. Although, Melucci isn't a chef and she's never worked in a restaurant at all, as far as I can tell. She's a normal person, a hobbyist, who is interested in food and passing along recipes. And I love reading recipes.
NOTE: I've already tried her Risotto with Intricately Layered Hearts, which is a mix of arborio rice, Taleggio cheese and artichoke hearts. It was pretty intense. Next up: Summerhouse Tuna Salad, which is just tuna mixed with onions, tomatoes, capers and parsley.
August 7, 2009
Do Not Read This Book On An Empty Stomach! Now that I have that warning out of the way I will proceed with my review of I Loved I Lost Made Spaghetti: I loved it! On one level Melucci’s tome is an insightful memoir of her romantic entanglements. On another level it is a philosophy of cooking book. In short, it is what you would have if you combined Carrie Bradshaw with Carmela Soprano.
Melucci is a successful, Brooklyn, singleton who is looking for her other half. In wooing her suitors Melucci is a devotee of the “way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” school. Thus, whenever she meets her next potential Mr. Right she serves up exquisite meals such as: Risotto with Intricately Layered Hearts; Salmon with Lemon-Tarragon Butter; Linguine with Friendly Little Fish, Orzo Salad with Feta, and French Lentil Stew.
Unfortunately, for Melucci, her 5 star efforts in the kitchen are enjoyed by: 1) an alcoholic; 2) a commitmentphobe; 3) an aging hipster; 4) a geriatric lunatic; and 5) a user. Melucci, however, does not lay all of the blame at her boyfriends’ feet. Rather she admits that “I had a remarkable ability for turning any picture into the picture I wanted to see: me with a husband. My imagination had the flexibility of a thirteen year-old Chinese gymnast.” She also confesses that “maybe I’m not as ready as I think I am.”
Still I couldn’t help but think when reading about her actions, such as, dropping everything to rendezvous with a new suitor that she might have won him if she hadn’t repeatedly violated The Rules. If you are not familiar with this dating bible it preaches that women must “play hard to get” to bag her man. Ironically, Melucci states that she did have a coaching session from one of The Rules authors, but failed to adhere to the advice. Yes, this philosophy is dated, and sexist, but personally I believe it works. Tellingly, Melucci notes that several of her boyfriends later married other women.
I Loved, I Lost, is also a terrific cookbook. Melucci’s philosophy of cooking is surprisingly straightforward and attainable: “the only true essentials . . . are fine ingredients and a sense of how to use them.” Hence, the recipes are simple and sound tasty. I have even made a few (Linguine with Friendly with Fishes and a Baby Arugula with Avocado Salad). She also adds thoughtful flourishes to her meals like serving hot meals in warm bowls. This is a nice touch and one that I rarely think to do. Lastly, I especially love her commitment to making enjoyable meals even if she’s “only” cooking for one. As she muses, “though I much prefer cooking for two to cooking for one, if one is all I have, I cook for her.” Buon Appetito!
Melucci is a successful, Brooklyn, singleton who is looking for her other half. In wooing her suitors Melucci is a devotee of the “way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” school. Thus, whenever she meets her next potential Mr. Right she serves up exquisite meals such as: Risotto with Intricately Layered Hearts; Salmon with Lemon-Tarragon Butter; Linguine with Friendly Little Fish, Orzo Salad with Feta, and French Lentil Stew.
Unfortunately, for Melucci, her 5 star efforts in the kitchen are enjoyed by: 1) an alcoholic; 2) a commitmentphobe; 3) an aging hipster; 4) a geriatric lunatic; and 5) a user. Melucci, however, does not lay all of the blame at her boyfriends’ feet. Rather she admits that “I had a remarkable ability for turning any picture into the picture I wanted to see: me with a husband. My imagination had the flexibility of a thirteen year-old Chinese gymnast.” She also confesses that “maybe I’m not as ready as I think I am.”
Still I couldn’t help but think when reading about her actions, such as, dropping everything to rendezvous with a new suitor that she might have won him if she hadn’t repeatedly violated The Rules. If you are not familiar with this dating bible it preaches that women must “play hard to get” to bag her man. Ironically, Melucci states that she did have a coaching session from one of The Rules authors, but failed to adhere to the advice. Yes, this philosophy is dated, and sexist, but personally I believe it works. Tellingly, Melucci notes that several of her boyfriends later married other women.
I Loved, I Lost, is also a terrific cookbook. Melucci’s philosophy of cooking is surprisingly straightforward and attainable: “the only true essentials . . . are fine ingredients and a sense of how to use them.” Hence, the recipes are simple and sound tasty. I have even made a few (Linguine with Friendly with Fishes and a Baby Arugula with Avocado Salad). She also adds thoughtful flourishes to her meals like serving hot meals in warm bowls. This is a nice touch and one that I rarely think to do. Lastly, I especially love her commitment to making enjoyable meals even if she’s “only” cooking for one. As she muses, “though I much prefer cooking for two to cooking for one, if one is all I have, I cook for her.” Buon Appetito!
July 6, 2009
Here's an interesting experience of reading a memoir. On one hand, I enjoyed reading this book. Melucci is a good and entertaining writer and nicely merged experience and food--one of my favorite combos. I zoomed through it and most of the time, quite enjoyed it.
On the other hand--Melucci is a romantic disaster. I started to feel like she was my boy-crazy friend and I just couldn't bear to read about one more boyfriend nightmare that anyone could have predicted. It is remarkable how self-aware she seems to be, and yet how she made the same mistakes again and again. Even though the book concludes with her still single and seemingly inclined to stay that way for a while, I didn't feel confident in her emotional growth. Somehow I suspect that when another man comes her way, she'll be making spaghetti again. And even though I enjoyed reading about it, somehow it made me feel compromised, like I was going to be dragged into more romantic drama yet again.
Maybe I need to stop reading memoirs.
On the other hand--Melucci is a romantic disaster. I started to feel like she was my boy-crazy friend and I just couldn't bear to read about one more boyfriend nightmare that anyone could have predicted. It is remarkable how self-aware she seems to be, and yet how she made the same mistakes again and again. Even though the book concludes with her still single and seemingly inclined to stay that way for a while, I didn't feel confident in her emotional growth. Somehow I suspect that when another man comes her way, she'll be making spaghetti again. And even though I enjoyed reading about it, somehow it made me feel compromised, like I was going to be dragged into more romantic drama yet again.
Maybe I need to stop reading memoirs.
June 5, 2015
As Mario Batali described this book, "It's a foodie's dream version of Sex and the City." which I think is completely true, to an extent. A memoir by Giulia Melucci, the book is all about Giulia and her love life and how she not only had relationships with men, but cooking for those men. She focuses on four major relationships and intertwines recipes she cooked, which I thoroughly enjoyed. After finishing the book, I made one of the recipes.
The author made more than spaghetti but many recipes were Italian she is Italian. I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti is a fluff book but an enjoyable piece of non-fiction chick lit. The author demonstrates how food is not only part of a single person's life, but how important food is to relationships and life in general. There are certain recipes and dishes that remind us all of someone we love, whether it's romantic or family love.
The author made more than spaghetti but many recipes were Italian she is Italian. I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti is a fluff book but an enjoyable piece of non-fiction chick lit. The author demonstrates how food is not only part of a single person's life, but how important food is to relationships and life in general. There are certain recipes and dishes that remind us all of someone we love, whether it's romantic or family love.
May 5, 2009
I just finished reading "I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti" by Giulia Melucci. This memoir takes you through the author's failed relationships. We've all had them. We've all felt at one point in our life that we are unloveable. I found myself feeling like Giulia's friend as she told me all about her life. I found myself telling her, "you're too good for him". All the things we try to tell our friends and just end up making them angry at us.
With each of Giulia's relationships, they start out great but soon wane. She enjoys cooking and has shared several tasty sounding receipes in her book.
I would recommend this book to every female who has ever felt insecure, which is each and every one of us.
My only complaint with this book is that it made me extremely hungry!
With each of Giulia's relationships, they start out great but soon wane. She enjoys cooking and has shared several tasty sounding receipes in her book.
I would recommend this book to every female who has ever felt insecure, which is each and every one of us.
My only complaint with this book is that it made me extremely hungry!
December 28, 2022
honestly, i enjoyed this book. i needed a fun and easy read after trudging through more serious and sad books. yeah okay the main character is a little self-deprecating and dates pretty terrible men, but that’s the joy because it’s a little relatable! i did end up feeling a little bad for her because of how desperate she was to be loved and get married, but the book literally claims to be about bad boyfriends. i couldn’t put it down and really enjoyed the recipes, as i love italian food. it was definitely enjoyable and silly while also striking a chord with me in my current state. i would totally recommend this to friends :)
August 2, 2009
Absolutely terrible. In the end I couldn't decide whether I was more disappointed in the author or in myself for bothering to finish. The memoir is a series of failed romances, and if the author learned anything about herself or the human condition from these relationships (which would be a good reason to write a book like this) then she keeps that information to herself. The recipes are very run of the mill.
July 24, 2010
A fun read and some delicious-sounding recipes. Like many reviewers, I found the author's constant desire to please the men she was with grating, especially given how they all treated her. The 2010 edition has an extra chapter though and she addresses that idea there, which I definitely liked. I can't wait to try some of the recipes!
April 23, 2013
I have no perspective on this review. I think my mouth dropped three time on the subway reading this book. So much of the authors up bring mirrored mine . It was amazingly reassuring to read that someone felt similar to myself when it came to being a italian catholic "good " daughter. What ever that means! But I really enjoyed this book and got some new recipes out of it too!
February 16, 2009
I really like Giulia but I was frustrated by her frustrating dating life. The book is mildly entertaining book but it is loaded with some great recipes. Some of the recipes are out of my league but there are some I'm definitely going to try.
December 23, 2013
She had me at "I can count the number of times I've skipped a meal on my breasts" Some parts were funny, it was bare and honest and the recipes are great. At points, it can get a bit monotonous, but it's a good rainy day read.
February 14, 2016
Hi, I'm an old maid who hates being single so I'll put up with anyone's bullshit.
That's it. That's this book in a nutshell.
On the plus side, the recipes seem pretty decent, if you can look past their silly names.
That's it. That's this book in a nutshell.
On the plus side, the recipes seem pretty decent, if you can look past their silly names.
August 25, 2017
I started this book and then put it aside to read another that had to be returned to the library before returning to this one. Ironically both of the books I read were about single women - one a psychological thriller and this one and all I can say is that I am so glad I am not a single woman looking for that perfect relationship! This book was a quick read and definitely one that could be put down and picked up again. Some of the recipes intrigued me and I might like to try them and if I got to a recipe that didn't interest me (I'm a vegetarian so there were a number of these..), I skimmed over it, making the book even more of a quick read. Some of the reviews really skewered Giulia and while her desperation to be married was obvious, I didn't think the characterizations of her in the reviews were entirely justified. In the end, she turns her disastrous love life into a published book! And for those who say it is not possible to remember what you cooked 20 years ago, I disagree! I certainly don't remember everything I cooked or ate on certain dates but some things are still clear as day. And if not, who cares? Melucci may or may not have a photographic memory but she has paired recipes with relationships and a little creative license is certainly allowed- I'm sure the men won't remember!
February 1, 2018
I liked it a lot! And I am not a chick lit person. I can't remember what lead me to this book, but I had written it as a recommendation note from somewhere and grabbed it. The first half of the book is more about food than the relationships, and the second half is more about the relationships than the food. What really tickled me was that 1. most of the dating took place in the late 80s/early 90s and 2. I read a lot of Sassy magazine and their (amazing) book reviews (and bought all those books) so 3. I was able to easily identify 2 of the authors dated based on how she describe their books and other traits :) So that was such a treat. I click with her writing style; she is direct. I enjoyed this book because she is comfortable with her own neuroses, and that doesn't turn me off. I like that she falls in love with people in a complete opposite way than I do, and it fascinated me to hear about the scenarios she'd build in her mind about futures together. She should get business cards with just her name, number, and email on it, and she would do less pro-bono work that way. <--but without that, there would be fewer stories to tell.
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