Scan barcode
A review by sandiet
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke
4.0
Wordsmith...a skilled user of words.
Tembi Locke is a wordsmith. A debut novel, her memoir, her story about meeting the love of her life Saro in Florence while attending school is in my opinion a beautifully written book. This book is about love, loving someone and standing up for that someone even when families don't approve (Tembi is an African American, her husband was from Sicily), caring for someone who is terminally ill, dealing with their death and trying to find yourself on the other side of the grief. Their story even though it's tragic is also heartwarming. It takes Saro's illness to bring the family back together and the curative natures of food and family are inspiring.
It's hard to imagine calling a book dealing with the death of a loved one uplifting but that's how I felt reading this memoir. My bookclub friends know how I just love memoirs...NOT, but for some reason I felt compelled to read it after seeing it as Reese Witherspoon's bookclub pick. Saro was a chef and there are some interesting recipes at the back of the book, so I'll be trying my hand with a recipe or two.
I highly recommend this book and I do hope that Ms. Locke writes another book because memoir or not I found this book engaging.
Tembi Locke is a wordsmith. A debut novel, her memoir, her story about meeting the love of her life Saro in Florence while attending school is in my opinion a beautifully written book. This book is about love, loving someone and standing up for that someone even when families don't approve (Tembi is an African American, her husband was from Sicily), caring for someone who is terminally ill, dealing with their death and trying to find yourself on the other side of the grief. Their story even though it's tragic is also heartwarming. It takes Saro's illness to bring the family back together and the curative natures of food and family are inspiring.
It's hard to imagine calling a book dealing with the death of a loved one uplifting but that's how I felt reading this memoir. My bookclub friends know how I just love memoirs...NOT, but for some reason I felt compelled to read it after seeing it as Reese Witherspoon's bookclub pick. Saro was a chef and there are some interesting recipes at the back of the book, so I'll be trying my hand with a recipe or two.
I highly recommend this book and I do hope that Ms. Locke writes another book because memoir or not I found this book engaging.