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WHAT WE THOUGHT...
Kirsty Gallacher reports back from Italy and comedian Ronni Ancona and actor Nigel Havers join Richard & Judy in the studio to discuss their thoughts on the book. We also hear from our own reviewers who are holidaying in France and have taken The Food of Love away with them as their Summer Read...
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RONNI ANCONA!
Ronni really enjoyed The Food of Love and found it a perfect summer read. She is breast-feeding at the moment so found herself reading it at all times of the day and night and when she started reading it she found it very compulsive.
“It’s a culinary Cyrano de Bergerac. The food all sounded scrumptious and mouth-watering except the offal, which really didn’t persuade me. However, as I’m trying to lose weight at the moment I can only look and drool and had to live a bit vicariously through Laura. The recipes at the end were a really nice touch, but I wouldn’t be tempted to recreate them firstly because of the offal elements and secondly because I have the metabolic rate of an arthritic snail and even if I look at a pasta shell I put on a stone!”
“I did feel that at times the author started off narrative threads and then dropped them without following them through – for example I wanted more on the Mafioso connection, which I found quite interesting but that thread was dropped quite quickly.
“I thought Laura was an interesting character – so hedonistic and she was very attractive. The way she was described in the beginning made her out to be not very likeable but she soon becomes a real modern day heroine. She’s not a sappy romantic lead. Although at times there are incredulous parts to her character, like when she develops that animal instinct after eating the offal and has wild sex – I didn’t really like or believe that bit. I think the author over-stepped the mark a bit there. But having said that, there is of course a link between food and sex – the excitement of a really good meal. Without doubt there is a correlation between food and sex.
“I was left wanting a little bit more – I want to know what Bruno does in the end – I don’t want him working in a mediocre New York Italian Restaurant!
“I know it’s being made into a film and I would obviously want the part of the beautiful, gorgeous and perfect Italian woman, Benedetta, that Bruno has the affair with in Le Marche. Le Marche is especially important for me because my surname Ancona is actually the name of the town which is the capital of Le Marche and it is rare to read about that region. Somewhere way back Ancona is where my family comes from.”
“Overall I really enjoyed it and found it a perfect summer read.”
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NIGEL HAVERS!
“It was divine, a wonderful summer read, beautifully written. It can’t help but make you fall in love with Italy and I liked every character.
The friendship between the two boys, Bruno and Tommaso is lovely you can tell that despite the blip in the middle, that they really do love each other.
I know it’s being made into a film and of course I see Sienna Miller as Laura! The boys – well they could be played by any guy you find strolling around Rome – they are typical Italian men and should be played by typical Italian men!
The food really was mouth-watering. Capella’s obvious passion for food is stunning. It’s also a very cleverly organised book.
I loved Gennaro – the coffee shop owner – he was so funny with his obsession with his coffee machine.
I was tempted to recreate the recipes at the end of the book and I’m sure I will. I am unlike Ronni quite au fait with the offal dishes – they are very Roman, and that sequence in the book where Laura is prepared the offal meal shows that she was being tested and she passed the test. The link between food and sex is there and very strong!
Overall it was a wonderful read, perfect for holiday and so true to life.”
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RICHARD & JUDY'S SUMMER READ 2005
Find out more about all the other books in the Summer Read
>>here
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