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A review by kelly_e
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Title: From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home
Author: Tembi Locke
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 5.0
Pub Date: April 30, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Sincere • Luminous • Rich
📖 S Y N O P S I S
It was love at first sight for Tembi and Saro when they first met on a street in Florence. Undeterred by the lack of support from Saro's traditional Sicilian family, they decide to marry and build a beautiful life in LA with their adopted daughter, Zoela. Reconciliation with Saro's family comes when he is faced with a cancer diagnosis. Tembi Locke's memoir tells the story of three summers spent in Sicily with her daughter, as she attempts to put together a life without her husband in the Sicilian countryside, while reflecting on their beautiful romance.
💭 T H O U G H T S
From Scratch is a book filled with love and loss, of acceptance and belonging, of family and food, and of hope and healing,. The writing was simply beautiful and compelling, with the author's narration transported me to Sicily. The lush descriptions of the Sicilian countryside, and the scrumptious food added a whole extra dimension to this memoir. What I loved most about this book was the power of food, and of forgiveness. Each and every person in this book was endeared to me, especially Tembi, as I could relate to her experience of partner loss. Her daughter Zoela also provided an innocent look into grief in childhood. I laughed, I cried, and I held out hope for reconciliation. From Scratch is a portrait of how family and community bond together to support one another through the darkest moments, and I absolutely loved it!
I highly recommend the immersive and transportive experience of reading both the physical and audio books simultaneously. To me this was the perfect memoir, packed with food, emotion, and the universal experience of grief. And I cannot wait to test out some of the recipes included!
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• book lovers
• memoir readers
• anyone who has lost a partner
• foodies
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"And there somewhere between the fallen Icarus and Hera, I started to feel a duality that was becoming familiar in my grief. Part of me was exalted by getting to experience this place again many years later another part of me suddenly wanted to plunge myself into the sea. Grief did that still and often: it left me to wrestle with two contradictory feelings at once. In that moment, I felt a little like another character from mythology, Sisyphus, forever pushing his boulder uphill. My boulder was loss. And life after loss could be a repetitive loop of heavy lifting, pushing, and struggling to move to higher ground even while enjoying a view of the sea."
"I was beginning to understand that the last marriage with Saro would ultimately be our longest. He was no more gone from my life than the moon is gone from the sky in daylight. He was everywhere, yet unseen. Learning to exist in that kind of love would take time. Time is maybe the most critical aspect of loss."
"My heart will never forget while I carry this life forward."
Author: Tembi Locke
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 5.0
Pub Date: April 30, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Sincere • Luminous • Rich
📖 S Y N O P S I S
It was love at first sight for Tembi and Saro when they first met on a street in Florence. Undeterred by the lack of support from Saro's traditional Sicilian family, they decide to marry and build a beautiful life in LA with their adopted daughter, Zoela. Reconciliation with Saro's family comes when he is faced with a cancer diagnosis. Tembi Locke's memoir tells the story of three summers spent in Sicily with her daughter, as she attempts to put together a life without her husband in the Sicilian countryside, while reflecting on their beautiful romance.
💭 T H O U G H T S
From Scratch is a book filled with love and loss, of acceptance and belonging, of family and food, and of hope and healing,. The writing was simply beautiful and compelling, with the author's narration transported me to Sicily. The lush descriptions of the Sicilian countryside, and the scrumptious food added a whole extra dimension to this memoir. What I loved most about this book was the power of food, and of forgiveness. Each and every person in this book was endeared to me, especially Tembi, as I could relate to her experience of partner loss. Her daughter Zoela also provided an innocent look into grief in childhood. I laughed, I cried, and I held out hope for reconciliation. From Scratch is a portrait of how family and community bond together to support one another through the darkest moments, and I absolutely loved it!
I highly recommend the immersive and transportive experience of reading both the physical and audio books simultaneously. To me this was the perfect memoir, packed with food, emotion, and the universal experience of grief. And I cannot wait to test out some of the recipes included!
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• book lovers
• memoir readers
• anyone who has lost a partner
• foodies
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"And there somewhere between the fallen Icarus and Hera, I started to feel a duality that was becoming familiar in my grief. Part of me was exalted by getting to experience this place again many years later another part of me suddenly wanted to plunge myself into the sea. Grief did that still and often: it left me to wrestle with two contradictory feelings at once. In that moment, I felt a little like another character from mythology, Sisyphus, forever pushing his boulder uphill. My boulder was loss. And life after loss could be a repetitive loop of heavy lifting, pushing, and struggling to move to higher ground even while enjoying a view of the sea."
"I was beginning to understand that the last marriage with Saro would ultimately be our longest. He was no more gone from my life than the moon is gone from the sky in daylight. He was everywhere, yet unseen. Learning to exist in that kind of love would take time. Time is maybe the most critical aspect of loss."
"My heart will never forget while I carry this life forward."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Infertility
Minor: Racism
death of partner, adoption