A review by arcoirisdesign
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Book Summary 

Grief. Loss. And finding your way after that happens. 

Saro has cancer and dies. And Tembi is devastated. She has to find a way to move on after that happens. For her adopted daughter. For herself. 

Finding a way to connect with family, when they don’t necessarily want to. Finding a way to get past each other’s differences to become good people. Finding your place in the world, even in the oddest places. 

How I Discovered It 

Reese Witherspoon’s publishing company 

Who Should Read It 

Anyone who loves food. Anyone who has dealt with grief, but has the space to not be too deep in it. 

Thoughts & Impressions 

I LOVE the way it’s written. I also love all the stories of food. The unstructured structure was great. It makes me want to write my book that way in the future. I also didn’t realize that it’s a memoir. 

What I Liked About It 

Writing style. Parts about food. Long descriptive paragraphs about sadness, grief and getting through it. 

What I Didn’t Like About It 

That Saro died. The story itself was sad—but in a beautiful way. 

How the Book Changed Me 

I have found another person who has felt the depth of sadness that I feel through my own experiences. It’s comforting in a weird way.