Name: From Scratch
ISBN: 9781501187650

Tembi Locke

"A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour"--

From Scratch

Lisa Lindquist 

Krystyna 

This was the May 2019 book selection for Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club. I really enjoyed this book. The audiobook was great to pair along with reading the physical book because it is narrated by the author and she does a great job. There are bits of Italian throughout the story and it is such a beautiful language to hear. So, listening to the audio is a great option to consume this story. 

This book successfully made me cry. It brought smiles to my face and tears to my eyes. The love story between Tembi and Saro is incredibly beautiful and she is such a strong person. Saro loved her so much and she expresses that beautifully on the page. Their story is one that will definitely stick with me for a long time. I loved the relationship that also developed between Tembi and her mother-in-law, Croce aka Nonna. I also absolutely adored the Italian/Sicilian setting. It makes me want to travel and visit. I loved how I could just visualize everything she was describing. 

One of my favorite parts of the book was, towards the beginning, when Saro waited outside for Tembi under a lamppost in the pouring rain during the winter. It came back later, full circle, which made me have a full waterworks episode, but it was so beautiful. That scene in the book sets precedent for other events later in the book, that it is referenced to. Their love had to undergo many obstacles, both physically, mentally, and emotionally. They also had hurdles to overcome with his family. But, I loved the relationship that took place over time with Nonna and Tembi. I also really enjoyed seeing Zoela being so curious and questioning everything. I really admired how Tembi addressed Zoela's concerns and I loved how she fully immersed Zoela and herself in Sicilian culture, that was such an influence on Saro and who he was. 

This was a beautiful story of how life can be unexpected, how to heal from loss, the importance of family, and to fully embrace love and life to its fullest. This book had many great quotes that I found myself taking note of. I highly recommend this one, especially if you enjoy memoirs.

Cheri McElroy

This is far from my normal read. But it was recommended by Reese Witherspoon. And that beautiful cover. And Italian food, including gelato? Okay!

BUT, I learned that it’s much deeper than that. It’s a book about laughter, love, food, family, travel, pain, loss, and suffering. But, for me, it was like Tembi was sitting next to me, espresso in hand, and helping me see a picture of grief, in all its nuances. She showed me how grief, love, hope, and despair weave a pattern into our lives. And I needed that lesson.

The writing was stunning, as was Tembi’s love story with Saro, her daughter, and Texas and Sicilian family. Run, get a copy of this book. It will stay with you.

Kayla 

I kind of wish the author wrote all of the sad parts together in one chapter so I would eventually stop crying as I read this book. Between crying and eating a ton of pasta I found myself checking if it was safe to go to Sicily now and if I could afford a house there. 

This book made me make pasta at 10pm on a Saturday so be warned that if you go into this book do so on a full stomach lol otherwise you’ll be in the kitchen pretending your Nonna and eating all the pasta you have.

Loredana

this memoir is the story of a woman that found love in Italy and lost it. It talks about grief, how to the best parent you can while grieving, it is about moving on and saying goodbye to loved ones through different manners.

This book was really a treasure. I listened to it on audio book and really loved. The story touched me really deeply. My family on my mother's side is italian and in so much instance it reminded me of the story of my grandparents. We go back and forth between the past : the beginning of the story of Tembi and Saro. And the present : how Tembi and her daughter grief both in their own way in Italy. It made me smile, laugh and cry. This book felt real to me because it talks about good and bad stuff, about grieving, parenting and being a caretaker for someone you love. Tembi's voice is so soothing, it is a real pleasure to listen to her. The way she describes Italian landscape and food is really impressive, you like you are there, like you taste what she is tasting. When you stop you just wish to be in Italy eating all the delicious dishes she talks about.

From Scratch

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