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Ако искаш да си легнеш с мен..., сготви ми!
Храната и сексът са двете неща, които носят най-върховно удоволствие, особено ако ги комбинираме...
"Нали знаеш, да възбудиш някого и да го накараш да се влюби са две различни неща. Да възбудиш някого, ами... трудно е, но не е невъзможно. Естествено, морските храни имат качества на афродизиак. Стридите също - както и охлюви в зехтин с чесън. Може би и малко млад артишок с джоджен, който се разкъсва с пръсти и се топи в меко, разтопено масло. Вино, то е ясно. А за финал взрив от сладост, нещо леко, но изящно, което да те изпълни с енергия и щастие, но това е само едната страна на въпроса. Ако искаш някой да се влюби в теб, трябва да му сготвиш нещо съвсем различно, нещо съвсем просто, но прочувствено. Нещо, което показва, че разбираш самата му душа."
Едно неустоимо литературно блюдо, приготвено с любов по италианска рецепта:
Вземете една съвременна романтична история, прибавете хумор и забъркайте докато сместа придобие абсолютна непредвидимост. Гарнирайте с пикантни сцени и завършете с ренесансова украса. Всичко това се поднася напълно в традицията на Сирано дьо Бержерак и се консумира спокойно, без никаква опасност за вашата фигура!
Този път наистина ще ви се иска да изядете книгата с кориците!
"Нали знаеш, да възбудиш някого и да го накараш да се влюби са две различни неща. Да възбудиш някого, ами... трудно е, но не е невъзможно. Естествено, морските храни имат качества на афродизиак. Стридите също - както и охлюви в зехтин с чесън. Може би и малко млад артишок с джоджен, който се разкъсва с пръсти и се топи в меко, разтопено масло. Вино, то е ясно. А за финал взрив от сладост, нещо леко, но изящно, което да те изпълни с енергия и щастие, но това е само едната страна на въпроса. Ако искаш някой да се влюби в теб, трябва да му сготвиш нещо съвсем различно, нещо съвсем просто, но прочувствено. Нещо, което показва, че разбираш самата му душа."
Едно неустоимо литературно блюдо, приготвено с любов по италианска рецепта:
Вземете една съвременна романтична история, прибавете хумор и забъркайте докато сместа придобие абсолютна непредвидимост. Гарнирайте с пикантни сцени и завършете с ренесансова украса. Всичко това се поднася напълно в традицията на Сирано дьо Бержерак и се консумира спокойно, без никаква опасност за вашата фигура!
Този път наистина ще ви се иска да изядете книгата с кориците!
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Anthony Capella
20 books203 followersAnthony Capella was born in Uganda, Africa in 1962. He was educated at St Peter’s College, Oxford, where he graduated with a First in English Literature. The Food of Love, his first novel, was a Richard and Judy Summer Read in the UK. It has been translated into nineteen languages and has been optioned for the screen by Warner. His second novel, The Wedding Officer, was an international bestseller and is being made into a film by New Line. His third novel The Various Flavours of Coffee will be released in the second half of 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 447 reviews
October 1, 2014
Why is Italian food so incredibly erotic? Oh, come on, of course it is! Just think of, to take the first example that pops into my head, the Bella Notte scene from Lady and the Tramp:
Or how about the Ninja Turtles?
Would they be the sex gods they are if they didn't have Italian names and eat pizza? And if you still aren't convinced, there's that famous quote from Sophia Loren, which is now even available on a T-shirt.
Try replacing "spaghetti" with, say, "hamburger". Doesn't work, does it?
Anthony Capella's brilliant idea in this novel is to retell the Cyrano story with Italian food replacing poetry. The Roxanne figure is a cute American twenty-something on vacation in Italy (sort of a Vicky No-Cristina Roma deal). Cyrano is a gifted but rather large-nosed Italian chef, and Christian is a hunky waiter at his restaurant.
So Christian meets Roxanne when she's out shopping for pasta, is immediately smitten, and somehow convinces her that he's a master chef himself. He invites her home for "a real Italian dinner", but then has the problem of creating it, given that he can't cook to save his life. He talks his colleague into helping him out, and tells Roxanne that he's the waiter. After which things proceed roughly as in the original, though Capella has made quite a few changes in the plot.
The real charm of the book, though, is in the food and the sex. Every meal is described in loving detail, as is the glorious Italian-food-themed sex it inspires. You don't believe that sex can be Italian-food-themed? Read the book and then tell me if you still think that. Honestly, if this doesn't have you scurrying either to your kitchen or your bedroom, or preferably both, there's something wrong with you. And if you can't immediately come up with any Italian recipes, check out my food page. Buon Appetito!
Or how about the Ninja Turtles?
Would they be the sex gods they are if they didn't have Italian names and eat pizza? And if you still aren't convinced, there's that famous quote from Sophia Loren, which is now even available on a T-shirt.
Try replacing "spaghetti" with, say, "hamburger". Doesn't work, does it?
Anthony Capella's brilliant idea in this novel is to retell the Cyrano story with Italian food replacing poetry. The Roxanne figure is a cute American twenty-something on vacation in Italy (sort of a Vicky No-Cristina Roma deal). Cyrano is a gifted but rather large-nosed Italian chef, and Christian is a hunky waiter at his restaurant.
So Christian meets Roxanne when she's out shopping for pasta, is immediately smitten, and somehow convinces her that he's a master chef himself. He invites her home for "a real Italian dinner", but then has the problem of creating it, given that he can't cook to save his life. He talks his colleague into helping him out, and tells Roxanne that he's the waiter. After which things proceed roughly as in the original, though Capella has made quite a few changes in the plot.
The real charm of the book, though, is in the food and the sex. Every meal is described in loving detail, as is the glorious Italian-food-themed sex it inspires. You don't believe that sex can be Italian-food-themed? Read the book and then tell me if you still think that. Honestly, if this doesn't have you scurrying either to your kitchen or your bedroom, or preferably both, there's something wrong with you. And if you can't immediately come up with any Italian recipes, check out my food page. Buon Appetito!
August 19, 2022
ой щас наверное сексизм скажу, но кажется, мужчинам нельзя давать писать секс-сцены. особенный кринж я словила на эпизоде, когда герои приходят в гости к родителям подруги героини, за столом собираются героиня с любовником, подруга с бойфрендом и родители подруги, папа и мама. все обедают, а потом, под влиянием еды их бросает в эротическую дрожь, они расходятся по спальням (среди бела дня, да) и начинают синхронно трахаться. причем героиня утаскивает из холодильника оставшееся мороженное, и скачет на любовнике, поедая его ложкой из коробки
April 15, 2018
Laura is an American art student keen to study Italian culture and art but who despairing of Italian men is advised to look for a chef. Tommaso, a waiter in a 3* restaurant overhears this and poses as a chef but is forced to use his friend Bruno (an up and coming chef in the restaurant and his best friend) to cook for him. This leads to increasingly farcical situations particularly as Bruno has already spotted Laura and is more in love with her than Tommaso and when Laura’s friends father sets Tommaso up as a chef in a restaurant whose food (cooked of course by Bruno) becomes famous for its seductive properties.
A surprisingly readable and Italiophilic gastro-romance, well written despite the clichés such as the Italian vernacular. The book as would be expected contains detailed descriptions of food, which is explicitly linked to sexual seduction. The characters although often clichéd also contain some original and amusing touches – such as the moody 3-star chef who meets his come-uppance when he expels some friends of the mafia and who the main characters tempt out of his kitchen by announcing a customer has ordered steak and tomato ketchup and a coffee bar owner who cannibalises his small van for parts he can use to enhance his coffee machine.
A surprisingly readable and Italiophilic gastro-romance, well written despite the clichés such as the Italian vernacular. The book as would be expected contains detailed descriptions of food, which is explicitly linked to sexual seduction. The characters although often clichéd also contain some original and amusing touches – such as the moody 3-star chef who meets his come-uppance when he expels some friends of the mafia and who the main characters tempt out of his kitchen by announcing a customer has ordered steak and tomato ketchup and a coffee bar owner who cannibalises his small van for parts he can use to enhance his coffee machine.
September 18, 2022
I've been in the mood for sappy romances lately, so this worked for my current state of mind. I have read this author's books before, and as with his other books I love how he intertwines food with the story #taurus
An American girl goes to Rome to study art history and decides that she wants to date a chef, because they will be good with their hands and will be as intricate in the bedroom as in the kitchen. Overhearing this, a waiter decides to lie and tell her he's a chef just to get her into bed. He has to get his best friend, who is actually a chef, to do the actual cooking, and then he passes it off as his own.
Of course the American girl is blown away. The problem is that the actual chef starts to develop feelings for her, but has to continue to help his friend to seduce her.
Of course, the above sounds predictable. And it is. But what I loved was the descriptions of all the Italian food throughout. Really wish I could go on a gatronomic tour of Italy right about now.
An American girl goes to Rome to study art history and decides that she wants to date a chef, because they will be good with their hands and will be as intricate in the bedroom as in the kitchen. Overhearing this, a waiter decides to lie and tell her he's a chef just to get her into bed. He has to get his best friend, who is actually a chef, to do the actual cooking, and then he passes it off as his own.
Of course the American girl is blown away. The problem is that the actual chef starts to develop feelings for her, but has to continue to help his friend to seduce her.
Of course, the above sounds predictable. And it is. But what I loved was the descriptions of all the Italian food throughout. Really wish I could go on a gatronomic tour of Italy right about now.
February 4, 2021
3.5⭐
Лаура е американска студентка, която отива в Италия ��аради любовта си към изкуството, красотата и храната там. Красавецът Томазо е сервитьор, чието хоби е да сваля чуждестранни туристки. Лаура обаче решава, че ще стане гадже само с италианец, който може да готви. За да я спечели, Томазо включва в действие най-добрия си приятел Бруно, за когото храната е най-свещеното нещо. Той трябва тайно да готви за Лаура, но нещата се объркват, когато се оказва влюбен в нея.
Макар и доста клиширана, историята е забавна, лекичка и приятна и те кара да слюноотделяш много! Направо ми се прииска да сложа престилката и да забъркам едно забайоне. 😂😋 Храната реално е четвъртият главен герой и накрая дори има няколко рецепти. Аз имам едно наум, че са малко поамериканчени, но въпреки това идеята е симпатична. Капела пише увлекателно, така че слагам в списъка за четене и другите му романи.
Лаура е американска студентка, която отива в Италия ��аради любовта си към изкуството, красотата и храната там. Красавецът Томазо е сервитьор, чието хоби е да сваля чуждестранни туристки. Лаура обаче решава, че ще стане гадже само с италианец, който може да готви. За да я спечели, Томазо включва в действие най-добрия си приятел Бруно, за когото храната е най-свещеното нещо. Той трябва тайно да готви за Лаура, но нещата се объркват, когато се оказва влюбен в нея.
Макар и доста клиширана, историята е забавна, лекичка и приятна и те кара да слюноотделяш много! Направо ми се прииска да сложа престилката и да забъркам едно забайоне. 😂😋 Храната реално е четвъртият главен герой и накрая дори има няколко рецепти. Аз имам едно наум, че са малко поамериканчени, но въпреки това идеята е симпатична. Капела пише увлекателно, така че слагам в списъка за четене и другите му романи.
March 15, 2009
I liked the Wedding Officer a lot. This was no where near as good as the Wedding Officer. It had potential, and then it got all weird. The characters were pretty shallow, his female protagonist made me roll my eyes a lot, and the sex scenes were actually kind of gross (pretending the woman is a pig on a spit roasting in olive oil and rosemary?) Plus, the author lost track of characters and plots that he introduced and resolved them in an unsatisfactorily way. I did like Bruno a lot, but even he became kind of whiny. It was a good vacation read, but I was disappointed.
July 19, 2010
An enchanting re-telling of the Cyrano de Bergerac story, set in modern-day Rome. Laura is an American art student come to the Eternal City for her studies - but she falls in love with Rome, and even more with the handsome chef Tommaso who woos her with one gourmet meal after another. Laura doesn't know that Tommaso is a waiter, and the food is being cooked by his shy and chubby friend Bruno who is eating his own heart out for Laura. Hilarity and much great cooking ensues. Bruno and his near-magical skills in the kitchen are endearing, and a host of funny minor characters are scattered throughout like fine spices: an Italian girl who gets through sex by thinking about shoes, a barista with a literally lethal espresso machine, a pretentious art professor on a low-carb diet (in Italy!) Rome comes to life in these pages - the energy, the enthusiasm, the art and the violence. One warning: do not read this book while hungry; Bruno's lusciously-described Italian dishes will have you salivating onto the pages.
April 13, 2018
Pure escapism. Loved it ☺️
July 18, 2016
4 stars
Sejarah gw dapat buku ini...lumayan berbelit.
Awalnya gw suka banget baca buku The Wedding Officer karya Anthony Capella dan dibuat ngences parah sama makanan Italia (yang di buku itu, khusus hanya membahas kuliner Napoli). Gw pun hunting buku Capella kemana - mana dan agak susah karena buku Capella yang pertama kali diterjemahin, Food of Love itu terbitnya 2008! Gw aja dapat buku Wedding Officer dari Mba Threez, hasil weeding programnya (terus sekarang buku itu kena aer, dan rusak! :( ). Gw beruntung dapat The Various Flavor of Coffee dari hasil lelang BBI dan Empress of Ice Cream dari Dojo. Nah, masalahnya, Food of Love ini gimana?
Terkisahlah (bahasa gw apaan sih :P), adanya sebuat diskusi di WA group Spank Club, grup hore - hore yang dulu digagas gara - gara kejadian madam Singapoh (aka penulis buku biru yang drama abeeees). Ternyata, si leader Spank Club, Aki Hippo, aka Pole Dancing Expert aka Chuck Norris Enthusiast punya bukunya. Gw ya...dengan malu - malu minta pinjam. Eh malah mau dikasih sama Aki! Tapi cara mintanya ga banget dan memalukan!!! Itu engga perlu diceritain, tapi buku ini didapat dengan mempertaruhkan harga diri di WA X)).
Baiklah, apa bukunya sebanding dengan pertaruhan harga diri gw?
Iya dong :D
Sinopsisnya emang simple, dan ceritanya sebenarnya jauh lebih simpel jika dibandingkan Wedding Officer yang selain tentang kuliner juga tentang WW II di Italia. Ini novel debut Capella, tapi dari sini aja gw udah tahu, he knows what he wrote! Ga mungkin engga ngencesss baca buku ini. Apalagi pas masih puasa, beneran ngiler. Capella begitu lihai menuliskan berbagai macam kuliner Italia, dalam hal ini masakan kota Roma. Tapi tidak hanya masakannya saja, ambience Italia juga ditangkap dengan sangat oke oleh Capella. Baca ini, gw jadi ingat sama teman kantor gw yang lagi S2 di Italia. Doski Muslim sih, dan pasti berat ya menghindari godaan makanan disana (kalau godaan cewe, gw yakin doski bisa tahan :D). Seandainya wine atau babi itu ga haram, gw asli pengen nyicip. Apa daya cuma bisa bayangin :P. Lucunya, masakan Italia somehow sama kayak Indonesia! Mereka juga masak jeroan, buntut sapi, apapun yang aneh - aneh, yang orang (dalam hal ini American) bakalan jijik makannya. Ada bagian dimana Capella mendeskripsikan makanan yang terbuat dari burung hidup, make me feel ...grossss when read it!!!
Eniwei, The Food of Love ini..erotis. Pake banget. Siapa bilang novel erotis harus eksplisit banget penggambaran sexnya? Mungkin di edisi terjemahan, konten erotisnya sudah di-tone down, tapi tetep kerasa erotismenya. Ada dua adegan yang menurut gw paling erotis di buku ini. Pertama, saat Laura makan tarfuto alias gelato yang dibikin Bruno. Oke gelato biasa mungkin ga akan seerotis ini. The problem is, tarfuto bikinan Bruno mengandung beberapa bahan kayak kakao dan cabe yang dipercaya adalah afrosidiak alami. Bisa bayangin dong gimana reaksinya :D. Yang kedua, saat Bruno pergi ke Le Marche buat nyembuhin patah hatinya. Adegan dia sama Benedetta, cewe yang ditemu di Le Marche, saat berburu truffle, bikin gw jedag jedug ga karuan. Dibandingkan dengan Wedding Officer, konten erotisnya emang luar biasa XD. Tapi....juga bikin jengkel, karena gw pembaca romance sejati, baca adegan Laura sama Tomasso itu bikin keki :(.
Di buku ini...gw kasian sama Bruno. Ini cowo beneran baeeeek. Bagi Bruno, masakannya itu segalanya. Tapi saat ketemu Laura, dia beneran falling in love so hard! Dan gw kesel sama Tomasso. Karena bisa - bisanya boong ngaku Chef ke Laura, padahal doski cuma pelayan. Kasian Bruno yang kerja keras buat nyatain perasaan ke Laura lewat masakannya, tapi hati Laura cuma terpaku sama Tomasso. Apa engga happy end? Tenang, semua bahagia kok di akhir. Cuma gw kurangin bintangnya, karena menurut gw adegan Laura sama Bruno kurang banyak :D.
Apa yang mau disampaikan buku ini selain masakan Romanya yang dideskripsikan dengan sangat kaya dan menjamin kamu ngences, plus suasana Italia yang sangat otentik? Pertama, dalam suatu hubungan itu, jangan boong! Tomasso bohong ke Laura kalau dia seorang chef. Bruno bohong kalau dia cuma tukang cuci padahal semua masakan Tomasso adalah masakannya. Akhirnya semuanya jadi kacau. Kedua, memang benar untuk cinta, action sometimes talk louder than words. Tapi, percuma juga jika tidak diungkapkan. Bruno berpikir dengan masakannya, Laura akan mengerti perasaannya. Pada akhirnya, masakannya ya cuma masakan saja. Bruno harus berusaha untuk pede supaya perasaannya pada Laura bersambut.
Gw suka sama karakterisasi di Food of Love. Gw suka Bruno, si underdog and I have a weakness for underdog character. Walau jengkel sama Tomasso, gw ga bisa untuk ga simpati sama Tomasso, karena doski sebenernya teman yang baik buat Bruno. Sayangnya, Laura malah terkesan biasa aja. Mungkin karena gw bandinginnya sama Livia Pertini di Wedding Officer, Laura terkesan flat. Bagi gw, Laura mau jadi American, British, Spaniard, ya sama saja. Nothing special, tho. Di sisi lain, gw suka sama Benedetta. Dia ngingetin gw sama Livia, dan mungkin memang karakteristik cewe Italia seperti itu. Berapi - api. Orang - orang lain di Templi, tempat Tomasso dan Bruno kerja juga cukup menarik.
Duh, yang jelas novel - novel Capella itu recommended! (padahal gw baca juga baru dua :D). Eniwei, buku ini udah lama dan agak susah nyarinya, jadi kalau kamu nemu satu, wow beruntung deh! Oh ya, mungkin bagi kamu yang engga biasa baca kisah dengan tone erotis, mungkin akan agak gimana gitu. Tapi kalau biasa baca Eka Kurniawan, kali bisa baca ini (ih, gw bandinginnya kok aneh, secara ga pernah baca buku Eka, hehehe). Yang pasti, mesti baca! Dan siapa tahu abis baca buku ini jadi pengen ke resto Italia terdekat :D
Sejarah gw dapat buku ini...lumayan berbelit.
Awalnya gw suka banget baca buku The Wedding Officer karya Anthony Capella dan dibuat ngences parah sama makanan Italia (yang di buku itu, khusus hanya membahas kuliner Napoli). Gw pun hunting buku Capella kemana - mana dan agak susah karena buku Capella yang pertama kali diterjemahin, Food of Love itu terbitnya 2008! Gw aja dapat buku Wedding Officer dari Mba Threez, hasil weeding programnya (terus sekarang buku itu kena aer, dan rusak! :( ). Gw beruntung dapat The Various Flavor of Coffee dari hasil lelang BBI dan Empress of Ice Cream dari Dojo. Nah, masalahnya, Food of Love ini gimana?
Terkisahlah (bahasa gw apaan sih :P), adanya sebuat diskusi di WA group Spank Club, grup hore - hore yang dulu digagas gara - gara kejadian madam Singapoh (aka penulis buku biru yang drama abeeees). Ternyata, si leader Spank Club, Aki Hippo, aka Pole Dancing Expert aka Chuck Norris Enthusiast punya bukunya. Gw ya...dengan malu - malu minta pinjam. Eh malah mau dikasih sama Aki! Tapi cara mintanya ga banget dan memalukan!!! Itu engga perlu diceritain, tapi buku ini didapat dengan mempertaruhkan harga diri di WA X)).
Baiklah, apa bukunya sebanding dengan pertaruhan harga diri gw?
Iya dong :D
Sinopsisnya emang simple, dan ceritanya sebenarnya jauh lebih simpel jika dibandingkan Wedding Officer yang selain tentang kuliner juga tentang WW II di Italia. Ini novel debut Capella, tapi dari sini aja gw udah tahu, he knows what he wrote! Ga mungkin engga ngencesss baca buku ini. Apalagi pas masih puasa, beneran ngiler. Capella begitu lihai menuliskan berbagai macam kuliner Italia, dalam hal ini masakan kota Roma. Tapi tidak hanya masakannya saja, ambience Italia juga ditangkap dengan sangat oke oleh Capella. Baca ini, gw jadi ingat sama teman kantor gw yang lagi S2 di Italia. Doski Muslim sih, dan pasti berat ya menghindari godaan makanan disana (kalau godaan cewe, gw yakin doski bisa tahan :D). Seandainya wine atau babi itu ga haram, gw asli pengen nyicip. Apa daya cuma bisa bayangin :P. Lucunya, masakan Italia somehow sama kayak Indonesia! Mereka juga masak jeroan, buntut sapi, apapun yang aneh - aneh, yang orang (dalam hal ini American) bakalan jijik makannya. Ada bagian dimana Capella mendeskripsikan makanan yang terbuat dari burung hidup, make me feel ...grossss when read it!!!
Eniwei, The Food of Love ini..erotis. Pake banget. Siapa bilang novel erotis harus eksplisit banget penggambaran sexnya? Mungkin di edisi terjemahan, konten erotisnya sudah di-tone down, tapi tetep kerasa erotismenya. Ada dua adegan yang menurut gw paling erotis di buku ini. Pertama, saat Laura makan tarfuto alias gelato yang dibikin Bruno. Oke gelato biasa mungkin ga akan seerotis ini. The problem is, tarfuto bikinan Bruno mengandung beberapa bahan kayak kakao dan cabe yang dipercaya adalah afrosidiak alami. Bisa bayangin dong gimana reaksinya :D. Yang kedua, saat Bruno pergi ke Le Marche buat nyembuhin patah hatinya. Adegan dia sama Benedetta, cewe yang ditemu di Le Marche, saat berburu truffle, bikin gw jedag jedug ga karuan. Dibandingkan dengan Wedding Officer, konten erotisnya emang luar biasa XD. Tapi....juga bikin jengkel, karena gw pembaca romance sejati, baca adegan Laura sama Tomasso itu bikin keki :(.
Di buku ini...gw kasian sama Bruno. Ini cowo beneran baeeeek. Bagi Bruno, masakannya itu segalanya. Tapi saat ketemu Laura, dia beneran falling in love so hard! Dan gw kesel sama Tomasso. Karena bisa - bisanya boong ngaku Chef ke Laura, padahal doski cuma pelayan. Kasian Bruno yang kerja keras buat nyatain perasaan ke Laura lewat masakannya, tapi hati Laura cuma terpaku sama Tomasso. Apa engga happy end? Tenang, semua bahagia kok di akhir. Cuma gw kurangin bintangnya, karena menurut gw adegan Laura sama Bruno kurang banyak :D.
Apa yang mau disampaikan buku ini selain masakan Romanya yang dideskripsikan dengan sangat kaya dan menjamin kamu ngences, plus suasana Italia yang sangat otentik? Pertama, dalam suatu hubungan itu, jangan boong! Tomasso bohong ke Laura kalau dia seorang chef. Bruno bohong kalau dia cuma tukang cuci padahal semua masakan Tomasso adalah masakannya. Akhirnya semuanya jadi kacau. Kedua, memang benar untuk cinta, action sometimes talk louder than words. Tapi, percuma juga jika tidak diungkapkan. Bruno berpikir dengan masakannya, Laura akan mengerti perasaannya. Pada akhirnya, masakannya ya cuma masakan saja. Bruno harus berusaha untuk pede supaya perasaannya pada Laura bersambut.
Gw suka sama karakterisasi di Food of Love. Gw suka Bruno, si underdog and I have a weakness for underdog character. Walau jengkel sama Tomasso, gw ga bisa untuk ga simpati sama Tomasso, karena doski sebenernya teman yang baik buat Bruno. Sayangnya, Laura malah terkesan biasa aja. Mungkin karena gw bandinginnya sama Livia Pertini di Wedding Officer, Laura terkesan flat. Bagi gw, Laura mau jadi American, British, Spaniard, ya sama saja. Nothing special, tho. Di sisi lain, gw suka sama Benedetta. Dia ngingetin gw sama Livia, dan mungkin memang karakteristik cewe Italia seperti itu. Berapi - api. Orang - orang lain di Templi, tempat Tomasso dan Bruno kerja juga cukup menarik.
Duh, yang jelas novel - novel Capella itu recommended! (padahal gw baca juga baru dua :D). Eniwei, buku ini udah lama dan agak susah nyarinya, jadi kalau kamu nemu satu, wow beruntung deh! Oh ya, mungkin bagi kamu yang engga biasa baca kisah dengan tone erotis, mungkin akan agak gimana gitu. Tapi kalau biasa baca Eka Kurniawan, kali bisa baca ini (ih, gw bandinginnya kok aneh, secara ga pernah baca buku Eka, hehehe). Yang pasti, mesti baca! Dan siapa tahu abis baca buku ini jadi pengen ke resto Italia terdekat :D
September 29, 2012
A friend recommended this book to me. I am now worried about her. She thinks *this* is a good book?! The premise is young American woman meets hunky Italian near Rome. I guess you might enjoy this book if you are an Italophile. But the prose style is repetitive, the plot contrived, and the characters are shallow. I didn't even make it to the sex scenes. You are better off reading Eat, Pray, Love or Under the Tuscan Sun.
March 4, 2020
Книга за чревоугодници. Извън прекрасните рецепти е доста предвидима, скучна и елементарна. Едната звезда е само заради храната...
August 22, 2021
Full 2 stars. And I'm being generous. At the very least, it was entertaining and easy/light reading.
I wasn't overly fond of the relationship depictions and found myself beyond annoyed and frustrated with literally every character.
I also felt that the emphasis placed on the food and cooking and preperation and whatnot might have been meant as a metaphor for relationships and sex but ended up being more of a filler and distracted from the fact that the story wasn't all that imaginative or original.
I wasn't overly fond of the relationship depictions and found myself beyond annoyed and frustrated with literally every character.
I also felt that the emphasis placed on the food and cooking and preperation and whatnot might have been meant as a metaphor for relationships and sex but ended up being more of a filler and distracted from the fact that the story wasn't all that imaginative or original.
October 23, 2020
That was a cute little cooking romance. Definitely only for people who enjoy lots of recipes and general info about Italian food. Descriptions are sometimes quite lengthy and you'll be ordering some Italian food at least once while reading this.
July 1, 2017
A perfect cheesy read when on holiday in Italy.
December 9, 2020
I read this a long long time ago. I even have the paperback somewhere in the house. Food, passion and romance, what not to love??
April 16, 2024
I still remember how I got this book. It happened many years back. I was at the bookshop during the weekend and I saw this book. It looked very interesting but I put it back. But after going back home, I couldn't stop thinking about it. So the next time I was at the bookshop I looked for it but unfortunately it was not there. I was very disappointed but I decided not to give up. I started doing a search of the whole bookshop and finally found the book in a different place. The bookshop folks had done some reorganization and the book had been moved to a different place. This time I picked it up like I had found a lost treasure. But after that the book has been lying on my shelf gathering dust. I finally got to read it now.
The story happens in Rome. Tomasso is a waiter at a famous restaurant. He falls in love with Laura, a visiting student. But Laura will go out only with a man who cooks. So Tomasso takes the help of his friend Bruno, who is a brilliant chef. But Bruno himself falls in love with Laura. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.
The story seems to be clearly inspired by the French classic 'Cyrano de Bergerac'. To remove any doubt, Bruno even talks about his big nose at one point in the story.
I loved some parts of the story. The parts about food were good. The book is a beautiful love letter to Italian food. I also loved some of the main characters in the story. Bruno is a beautiful character who loves food. Bruno's boss, the head chef Alain Dufrais is very interesting too. Gennaro the barista is a cool guy too. Marie the waitress is a fascinating character too. But my favourite of the women characters was Benedetta who appears in the last third of the book. She is like Bruno, but better. Benedetta's mom Gusto is also a beautiful character. I didn't like the two main characters Tomasso and Laura much. Tomasso seemed mostly like a useless person, and I didn't understand what Bruno saw in Laura, she was just another flaky tourist. Benedetta on the other hand – she was really one of the strongest characters in the story.
I liked some parts of the book, but overall it was underwhelming. I think I should have read the book as soon as I'd got it. I'd have liked it more. Unfortunately I've read it a long time later after the initial spark had died and so it was disappointing. The romance defied all logic. At one point I wanted to scream at Bruno – I wanted to tell him to nurture what he had at hand, to love the person who loved him and cared for him instead of chasing a fantasy. But unfortunately, Bruno wasn't listening.
I also have a feeling that romantic novels written by women writers are much better. I loved Mary Stewart's 'Madam, Will You Talk?' which I read last year. I also loved Katie Fforde's 'Love Letters' and Sophie Kinsella's 'The Undomestic Goddess'. I can't help thinking that if Joanne Harris or Sophie Kinsella had taken this plot and run with it, the book that came out would have been much better.
One of the things I loved about the book is the Italian swear words and the Italian proverbs. Many characters keep swearing at each other and it is always colourful and the author presents both the Italian version and the English translation for our enjoyment. I loved those parts.
I'm done with Anthony Capella, I think. But I'm hoping to read other romantic novels and novels centred on food.
Sharing one of my favourite passages from the book.
Laura : "I guess it's hard work, following a recipe."
Bruno : "Sometimes, yes, but there's much more to being a chef than just assembling ingredients."
Laura : "Really? Like what?"
Bruno : "It's like the difference between a pianist and a composer. The pianist is creative, certainly, but he is only the mouthpiece of the person who dreamed the tunes into life. To be a cook, it's enough to be a pianist – a performer of other people's ideas. But to be a chef you have to be a composer as well. For example, the recipes you are going to eat tonight are all traditional dishes from old Rome – but if all we do is simply recreate the past, without trying to add to it, it stops being a living tradition and becomes history, something dead. Those dishes were refined over centuries, but only through people trying different things, different combinations, rejecting what didn't work and passing on what did. So we owe it to the chefs of the past to continue doing as they did and experiment, even when we are dealing with the most hallowed traditions."
Have you read 'The Food of Love'? What do you think about it? Which is your favourite novel which celebrates food?
The story happens in Rome. Tomasso is a waiter at a famous restaurant. He falls in love with Laura, a visiting student. But Laura will go out only with a man who cooks. So Tomasso takes the help of his friend Bruno, who is a brilliant chef. But Bruno himself falls in love with Laura. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.
The story seems to be clearly inspired by the French classic 'Cyrano de Bergerac'. To remove any doubt, Bruno even talks about his big nose at one point in the story.
I loved some parts of the story. The parts about food were good. The book is a beautiful love letter to Italian food. I also loved some of the main characters in the story. Bruno is a beautiful character who loves food. Bruno's boss, the head chef Alain Dufrais is very interesting too. Gennaro the barista is a cool guy too. Marie the waitress is a fascinating character too. But my favourite of the women characters was Benedetta who appears in the last third of the book. She is like Bruno, but better. Benedetta's mom Gusto is also a beautiful character. I didn't like the two main characters Tomasso and Laura much. Tomasso seemed mostly like a useless person, and I didn't understand what Bruno saw in Laura, she was just another flaky tourist. Benedetta on the other hand – she was really one of the strongest characters in the story.
I liked some parts of the book, but overall it was underwhelming. I think I should have read the book as soon as I'd got it. I'd have liked it more. Unfortunately I've read it a long time later after the initial spark had died and so it was disappointing. The romance defied all logic. At one point I wanted to scream at Bruno – I wanted to tell him to nurture what he had at hand, to love the person who loved him and cared for him instead of chasing a fantasy. But unfortunately, Bruno wasn't listening.
I also have a feeling that romantic novels written by women writers are much better. I loved Mary Stewart's 'Madam, Will You Talk?' which I read last year. I also loved Katie Fforde's 'Love Letters' and Sophie Kinsella's 'The Undomestic Goddess'. I can't help thinking that if Joanne Harris or Sophie Kinsella had taken this plot and run with it, the book that came out would have been much better.
One of the things I loved about the book is the Italian swear words and the Italian proverbs. Many characters keep swearing at each other and it is always colourful and the author presents both the Italian version and the English translation for our enjoyment. I loved those parts.
I'm done with Anthony Capella, I think. But I'm hoping to read other romantic novels and novels centred on food.
Sharing one of my favourite passages from the book.
Laura : "I guess it's hard work, following a recipe."
Bruno : "Sometimes, yes, but there's much more to being a chef than just assembling ingredients."
Laura : "Really? Like what?"
Bruno : "It's like the difference between a pianist and a composer. The pianist is creative, certainly, but he is only the mouthpiece of the person who dreamed the tunes into life. To be a cook, it's enough to be a pianist – a performer of other people's ideas. But to be a chef you have to be a composer as well. For example, the recipes you are going to eat tonight are all traditional dishes from old Rome – but if all we do is simply recreate the past, without trying to add to it, it stops being a living tradition and becomes history, something dead. Those dishes were refined over centuries, but only through people trying different things, different combinations, rejecting what didn't work and passing on what did. So we owe it to the chefs of the past to continue doing as they did and experiment, even when we are dealing with the most hallowed traditions."
Have you read 'The Food of Love'? What do you think about it? Which is your favourite novel which celebrates food?
April 2, 2024
positives: rome, rude italian idioms, niche (or traditional but unknown to me) italian food recommendations and recipes and highlighting the inefficiency and superfluousness of italian bureaucracy
lows: the female protagonists rather annoying character and her american love interest in general.
lows: the female protagonists rather annoying character and her american love interest in general.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2009
So...I was going to give this one 2 stars ("okay") largely because I bothered to finish it. But then the last 30-45 minutes happened.
I mostly didn't like the reader, as he was a little too...deliberate...in his pronunciation and pacing. Definitely too many pauses breaking up sentences.
Interesting writing device, using primarily present tense for Laura and past tense for the others.
Way, way, way too much detail about cooking--although this probably wouldn't have been so bad in print form, I still would've been skimming in annoyance. I'll admit, though, that a proper foodie (I just love to eat, don't really care about the cooking process) might be thrilled. I found the detail tedious, distracting, and often pompous/snotty.
Besides the technical/execution problems, I'm not really even sure about the plot. Good job, Laura, for being a little freaky in bed. That's nice to see in a relatively mainstream story. But I don't know that I buy the chemistry and characters, and I wanted to kill Tomasso at several points, and perhaps Bruno as well.
Those awful, awful emails at the end, filled with stupid recipes and horrid "dialogue" (is that the right word even?) and idiotic characters acting fools (FedEx? Job applications?).....I wish I could take that time back, but I just kept hoping it would end soon/differently/something. You know? Well, hopefully you don't know. Spare yourself, and if you must give this one a try, at least do it in print form so you can skim as needed.
I mostly didn't like the reader, as he was a little too...deliberate...in his pronunciation and pacing. Definitely too many pauses breaking up sentences.
Interesting writing device, using primarily present tense for Laura and past tense for the others.
Way, way, way too much detail about cooking--although this probably wouldn't have been so bad in print form, I still would've been skimming in annoyance. I'll admit, though, that a proper foodie (I just love to eat, don't really care about the cooking process) might be thrilled. I found the detail tedious, distracting, and often pompous/snotty.
Besides the technical/execution problems, I'm not really even sure about the plot. Good job, Laura, for being a little freaky in bed. That's nice to see in a relatively mainstream story. But I don't know that I buy the chemistry and characters, and I wanted to kill Tomasso at several points, and perhaps Bruno as well.
Those awful, awful emails at the end, filled with stupid recipes and horrid "dialogue" (is that the right word even?) and idiotic characters acting fools (FedEx? Job applications?).....I wish I could take that time back, but I just kept hoping it would end soon/differently/something. You know? Well, hopefully you don't know. Spare yourself, and if you must give this one a try, at least do it in print form so you can skim as needed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2014
This book is set in Italy and is a fictional story of food and romance.
I didn't like it that much; I could feel myself getting judgmental as American girl goes to Italy to study and ends up spending all her time having sex and eating.
Essentially the story runs like this; Tommaso sees an American girl he thinks is cute. Laura, said cute girl, wants to go out with a chef on the recommendation of one of her friends. Tommaso lies, yes I am a chef, here is a baby hare, you cook it so and so, here is my number, call me if you have trouble. Course she calls and then Tommaso, who is actually a waiter, gets his friend Bruno, who is a chef, to do all the cooking of seduction and Tommaso pretends he has done the cooking. Bruno is in love with Laura and cooks to let her know how he feels about her even if she thinks it is Tommaso who is cooking these amazing meals for her and Tommaso who sleeps with her. Pffft, my eyes are rolling and I'm muttering to myself.
Now, Benedetta and Bruno, that was an idea I could get behind. Tommaso and his restaurant, actually, I liked the way that worked out. Whatever, on Bruno and Laura. The recipes in the emails in the back of the book are interesting. I want to try some of them, modified of course, we are American. So, can I get steak with catsup?
I didn't like it that much; I could feel myself getting judgmental as American girl goes to Italy to study and ends up spending all her time having sex and eating.
Essentially the story runs like this; Tommaso sees an American girl he thinks is cute. Laura, said cute girl, wants to go out with a chef on the recommendation of one of her friends. Tommaso lies, yes I am a chef, here is a baby hare, you cook it so and so, here is my number, call me if you have trouble. Course she calls and then Tommaso, who is actually a waiter, gets his friend Bruno, who is a chef, to do all the cooking of seduction and Tommaso pretends he has done the cooking. Bruno is in love with Laura and cooks to let her know how he feels about her even if she thinks it is Tommaso who is cooking these amazing meals for her and Tommaso who sleeps with her. Pffft, my eyes are rolling and I'm muttering to myself.
Now, Benedetta and Bruno, that was an idea I could get behind. Tommaso and his restaurant, actually, I liked the way that worked out. Whatever, on Bruno and Laura. The recipes in the emails in the back of the book are interesting. I want to try some of them, modified of course, we are American. So, can I get steak with catsup?
March 18, 2016
Its a good read. I loved the character Bruno and his passion for food. The book made me laugh, and want to taste the amazing produce and food of Italy. Am I the only one who liked the very descriptive Italian curses? I thought they were hillarious! I found the characters, Tommaso and Laura to be very cliched. But overall I enjoyed the book.
With the free recipes mentioned in the book, what's not to love? :)
With the free recipes mentioned in the book, what's not to love? :)
March 15, 2009
A deliciously, delightfully sumptuous read, about food, Italy and love. Great escapism, this book swept me away for a while, carrying me on the back of a Vespa through the streets of Rome. What a lovely book!
May 4, 2009
I wish I could give this one a 3.5. The plot is formulaic and the characters are pretty much one-dimensional. But, its all worth it for the author's intricate discussions of the food and culture of Rome.
December 19, 2016
Capella is a funny and entertaining writer, and somehow he got me to enjoy this silly book. There are problems: the characters are annoying and the plot is forced. I would have preferred a different ending. But it was still enjoyable.
March 27, 2020
entertaining stuff. Great characters. Great descriptions of cooking, Italy and the taste of food which is no mean feat! I got quite invested in the characters and their lives. Ultimately unfulfilling as he chose the wrong woman in my view!!
September 25, 2008
fabuylous book, made me want to live in Italy!
March 30, 2014
Ugh! Can I give it zero stars?!
January 2, 2019
This is a story, I didn’t like the ending; the characterization leaves something to be desired, and the writing didn’t make me think. It left me with a vague sense of indigestion
April 2, 2023
Hmm.
I picked this up in my local library because I was looking for a novel set in contemporary Rome that wasn't a murder mystery, and this was all they had.
I started this with low expectations that it was just a chick-lit romcom, and was pleasantly surprised, although the ludicrous final scenes in Rome supported my earlier assumptions.
It's a pleasant enough story. I was even happy to find that as soon as the threat of a heavy Mafia story line started to loom, the book switched venues and avoided it. The scenes in Le Marche were some of the best, I felt.
But. All the characters except the true protagonist are cardboard cutouts - stereotypes with no complexity. The story line shows promise but does deteriorate into a clichéd romcom. And the appeal of the young American woman through the story is entirely beyond me - she seems to bring nothing to any relationship other than a willingness for sex. The Italian woman in Le Marche is much more interesting!
I picked this up in my local library because I was looking for a novel set in contemporary Rome that wasn't a murder mystery, and this was all they had.
I started this with low expectations that it was just a chick-lit romcom, and was pleasantly surprised, although the ludicrous final scenes in Rome supported my earlier assumptions.
It's a pleasant enough story. I was even happy to find that as soon as the threat of a heavy Mafia story line started to loom, the book switched venues and avoided it. The scenes in Le Marche were some of the best, I felt.
But. All the characters except the true protagonist are cardboard cutouts - stereotypes with no complexity. The story line shows promise but does deteriorate into a clichéd romcom. And the appeal of the young American woman through the story is entirely beyond me - she seems to bring nothing to any relationship other than a willingness for sex. The Italian woman in Le Marche is much more interesting!
July 24, 2019
Много цветна, наситена с емоции и детайли любовна история. Авторът пресъздава действията и места, на които се намират героите, сякаш си там или си преживявал моментите.
Не ми хареса, че в превода са използвани множество чужди думи, които са оставени просто така и за читател, незапознат със съответния език си остава загадка. Краят беше монотонен с множество рецепти една след друга, но все пак четивото си заслужава.☘
"Трябва наистина да познаваш човека, миналото му детството му, дали е груб или фин, сух или мазен. Трябва да си го вкусил, да знаеш собствената му плът сладка ли е или пикантна, солена ли е или безвкусна. С две думи трябва да го обичаш и дори тогава може да не го познаваш толкова добре, че да сготвиш нещо, което да му грабне сърцето"
Не ми хареса, че в превода са използвани множество чужди думи, които са оставени просто така и за читател, незапознат със съответния език си остава загадка. Краят беше монотонен с множество рецепти една след друга, но все пак четивото си заслужава.☘
"Трябва наистина да познаваш човека, миналото му детството му, дали е груб или фин, сух или мазен. Трябва да си го вкусил, да знаеш собствената му плът сладка ли е или пикантна, солена ли е или безвкусна. С две думи трябва да го обичаш и дори тогава може да не го познаваш толкова добре, че да сготвиш нещо, което да му грабне сърцето"
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