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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was amusing and held my interest, but nothing spectacular. I was slightly disappointed as I expected something more. It was very British in its humor but not in a monty python british humor way.
Strange. Hysterical. Zany and over-the-top. I enjoyed this quite a lot.
Not being much for reading the sort of thing this mocks I found it only mildly amusing.
January book club selection. Inspired silliness in this farce centered around a British writer who rents a home in Tuscany and his subsequent encounters with an unexpected neighbor. A plot unfolds, and supporting characters are introduced, but none of it really matters.
Gerald's musings are the heart of the book, which satirizes expat culture through his outlandishly pretentious worldview. Some sections land better than others, but it contains some of the funniest passages about food, cooking, and the act of eating I have ever read.
Like Gerald's recipes, the humor may be an acquired taste. Potential readers may wish to first sample from any of the book's "Gerald" sections before proceeding. Reading this reminded me of another polarizing book, Confederacy of Dunces. In both, much of the humor comes from the perpetual indignation of the main character at slights (both real and perceived) and their ongoing disappointment in the rest of society. And also fart jokes.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for literally making me LOL. Recommended for: food and travel bloggers, people who find food and travel blogs obnoxious.
Gerald's musings are the heart of the book, which satirizes expat culture through his outlandishly pretentious worldview. Some sections land better than others, but it contains some of the funniest passages about food, cooking, and the act of eating I have ever read.
Like Gerald's recipes, the humor may be an acquired taste. Potential readers may wish to first sample from any of the book's "Gerald" sections before proceeding. Reading this reminded me of another polarizing book, Confederacy of Dunces. In both, much of the humor comes from the perpetual indignation of the main character at slights (both real and perceived) and their ongoing disappointment in the rest of society. And also fart jokes.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for literally making me LOL. Recommended for: food and travel bloggers, people who find food and travel blogs obnoxious.
I have never really been one for cookery/travel books but this was wonderful, had me in stitches at times and I really enjoyed Hamilton-Paterson's style of writing. Samper was one of those characters you could easily grow to hate but there was something strangely likeable about him and I am not sure really what it was. In many ways he reminds me a great deal of Radio 4's Ed Reardon, a rather bitter and relatively witty ghost writer who isn't keen on the people he has to write for/about and wants nothing more than to be published on his own merit.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Had a lot of fun reading it, it was hilarious. A classic unreliable narrators story ahaha
I couldn't get into this book. The brand of humour didn't hook me, and I wasn't interested in either of the characters. Abandoned this book about 80 pages in. I read it for longer than i would have otherwise because of the quirky recipes. I kept WANTING to like it, but eventually got bored and gave up.
Mildly amusing skewering of the Englishmen in Italy foodie stories that did have some funny lines but in the end did not really amount to a whole lot.
I must be the wrong audience for this allegedly hilarious tale of two warring expats in Italy. I even tried Fernet Branca recently, and though I usually love bitterness, I found it truly revolting. I've read about half the book but from this point on you can all enjoy it without me.