Reviews with content warning for Death - From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home

A beautiful memoir about food and loss, bisected by the love story and then loss of Tembe's Italian husband. Tembe's husband was a chef, and they bonded at first because of their love of food. Her relationship to her husband and later her daughter is grounded by her introduction to Italy. She confronts racism and rejection by her husband's family at first, but strives to understand and become a member of the family in part for the sake of her husband and her daughter. Tembe also addresses infertility and adoption, and later grief. Her husband dies of cancer, and a significant portion of this book is about grief and trying to find meaning and the motivation to carry on in the wake of such a devastating loss. It is a beautiful, tender, and intimate narrative.

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angelaf's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed From Scratch! Because of the subject matter, it could have been a depressing downer. However, author Tembi Locke strikes a wonderful balance between acknowledging the grief of her husband's death and the challenges it brings while at the same time maintaining a hopeful tone. Plus, the descriptions of the Italian food and scenery make you want to book a trip to Italy pronto.

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