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jlsjourneys's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely stunning little collection of essays on Marseille; even in translation, Izzo’s turns of phrase are gorgeous. Absolutely recommend this as your companion to a sunny terrace in the city!
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
These are beautiful shorts, tales of love, food and connections. His love for the city Marseille is written so beautifully I felt like I was there enjoying it with him. His love of food, had me drooling. Why wasn’t there any recipes? I wish travel guides were written so emotionally.
I’ve never read his work before but enjoyed his background stories on his noir writings.
This is not something I normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with Jean-Claude Izzo
I’ve never read his work before but enjoyed his background stories on his noir writings.
This is not something I normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with Jean-Claude Izzo
vivianportom's review against another edition
2.25
Didn’t strike me as all that interesting as I thought it would.
janaaier's review against another edition
3.0
Quick, interesting, and I am very intrigued to read the works of Jean-Claude Izzo following this glimpse into his writing style and subject matter.
annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Garlic, Mint, & Sweet Basil is a collection of short sensual epicurean essays about food, culture, and experience by Jean-Claude Izzo. Originally published in 2003, this reformat and re-release by Europa Compass is due out in late July 2020. It's a quick read at 128 pages and is available in ebook format (earlier editions available in other formats).
This was a sweet and nostalgic collection of short writings about the author's love affair with the Mediterranean area and more specifically the Riviera. The author was something of a renaissance man, poet, playwright, and novelist, but these essays are more personal and felt more open and conversational. Despite being listed in the cooking, food, & wine categories, there are no recipes contained herein. This is a nice boutique collection of short musings.
This would be the perfect gift for oneself or others, especially given that travel is seriously restricted and/or simply impossible during the current pandemic situation and likely to remain so for some time. I got such a summery holiday feeling reading this short book.
Four stars. Lovely work.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Garlic, Mint, & Sweet Basil is a collection of short sensual epicurean essays about food, culture, and experience by Jean-Claude Izzo. Originally published in 2003, this reformat and re-release by Europa Compass is due out in late July 2020. It's a quick read at 128 pages and is available in ebook format (earlier editions available in other formats).
This was a sweet and nostalgic collection of short writings about the author's love affair with the Mediterranean area and more specifically the Riviera. The author was something of a renaissance man, poet, playwright, and novelist, but these essays are more personal and felt more open and conversational. Despite being listed in the cooking, food, & wine categories, there are no recipes contained herein. This is a nice boutique collection of short musings.
This would be the perfect gift for oneself or others, especially given that travel is seriously restricted and/or simply impossible during the current pandemic situation and likely to remain so for some time. I got such a summery holiday feeling reading this short book.
Four stars. Lovely work.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
tommooney's review
4.0
GARLIC, MINT AND SWEET BASIL by the great Jean-Claude Izzo. This is a delightful collection of essays by the godfather of Mediterranean noir. Izzo, one of my favourite writers, muses here on his beloved homeland of Marseilles, his lust for good food and his thoughts on noir and other writing. It is very romantic and nostalgic but also contains some timely thoughts on what it is to be French, European and a citizen of the world. I loved this beautiful little book but then I would enjoy anything this guy wrote - perhaps it's one only for his fans.
agotakristof's review
3.0
If you haven't read Izzo before, this will serve as an intro to his style of writing and also his more famous noir series. There is a small story at the end where we get a glimpse of the hero of his trilogy - it even has a list of that character's favorite food, music and books. These are mostly light, sometimes super light essays.