The Book of the month for November was Taste by Stanley Tucci. The Big Review is below.
***Big Reviews are written from the point of view that you have read the book. If this is not yet you, bookmark the page and come back once you have***
Taste – the blurb
From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate and charming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen.
Before Stanley Tucci became a household name with The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, and the perfect Negroni, he grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around the table. He shared the magic of those meals with us in The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table, and now he takes us beyond the recipes and into the stories behind them.
Taste is a reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about growing up in Westchester, New York, preparing for and filming the foodie films Big Night and Julie & Julia, falling in love over dinner, and teaming up with his wife to create conversation-starting meals for their children. Each morsel of this gastronomic journey through good times and bad, five-star meals and burnt dishes, is as heartfelt and delicious as the last.
Written with Stanley’s signature wry humor and nostalgia, Taste is a heartwarming read that will be irresistible for anyone who knows the power of a home-cooked meal.
How do I love thee, let me count the ways
Loved it, loved it, loved it.
OK so that probably doesn’t suffice as a book review so in an effort to be more eloquent I will expand. The book is a memoir interspaced with recipes. Some as simple as a martini (in a month where Brooklyn Beckham was mocked for providing a recipe for G&T that could be dangerous). Some so difficult they could WRECK your Christmas. Is it mad to say I am now considering making the timpano? It’s funny, there is shameless namedropping and I now want to watch Julie and Julia and Big Night so you could also say it’s also a good sales pitch.
I think I actually knew somewhere in the back of my head that Tucci had suffered from cancer. What I didn’t know was the extent he suffered – not being able to eat or drink for an extended period of time. For a foodie this must have been the worst form of torture. To come out from it and then go on to be able to participate in something like Searching for Italy must have been joyous. Do watch it if you haven’t already. And make sure you read Taste. It’s wonderful.
Get Involved
If you would like to get involved with the Book Of The Month choices try answering the Book Club questions published every month. Just search in the footnotes section for the ‘Get Involved’ articles. A new book is chosen every month so keep your eyes peeled for the Lowdown on December’s book of the month soon.
