kateleos's review against another edition
4.0
Ooh, I loved this. Need to buy it so I can cook my way through. And also, obviously, time to plan a spring trip to Berlin.
thesarahsilvester's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book. Sweet, romantic, beautifully written. Evocative descriptions of gorgeous places. It’s made me very curious about German history, also, not a subject I’ve really thought about before. 4 and a half stars.
sheilabookworm3369's review against another edition
4.0
The audio version does contain recipes on the mp3, but I was listening in my car, so this review does not include recipes. The food, though, sounded really good. Mostly, though, this is a story about heartbreak & then finding ourself, and then it's a love story, and then food. Not my usual order, but I liked it a lot!
kickpleat's review against another edition
3.0
I was really looking forward to this book but I felt a little disappointed. Maybe I wanted more of the stories to unfold themselves slowly without stating the obvious and I felt the recipes were sort of tacked on to the end of each chapter, trying to find a way to weave each recipe in. That said, I'm a sucker for a love story and a wedding and Luisa's wedding seemed gorgeous and perfect. The book had me yearning to visit Paris and head back to Berlin to wander more neighbourhoods. And the recipes seem comforting and good, so I'm sure I'll try my hand at a couple.
pixie_hallows's review against another edition
4.0
So, lately I am finding that I love a new genre: the food memoir. This one had me wishing for the ability for half-star ratings on Goodreads, as I would rate it 4.5 out of 5. I loved this book! At it’s core, it’s a love story. One that tells not only of romantic love, but love of family, friends, cultures, and food. The narrator takes you on a journey through her past — one where she spent years living both in the States and in Berlin, visiting her mother’s homeland, Italy, frequently as well. She leads you through the smells and tastes of each place, associating them with the memories of her childhood and young adult life. Each chapter ends with a recipe, several of which I tucked away (okay, took pictures of with my iPhone) to try sometime in the future.
The book has somewhat of a feel to it as Julie and Julia, but I thought it was wrapped in a much better package (or maybe I just liked it better because all the harsh language in Julie’s book was a turn-off). It was a pleasure to read, and made me just want to curl up under a warm blanket with a cup of tea and some yummy comfort food. I found myself cheering Luisa on and rooting for her as I read through her life’s decisive moments. Read this one. If you love to travel and read about food, you should enjoy it.
The book has somewhat of a feel to it as Julie and Julia, but I thought it was wrapped in a much better package (or maybe I just liked it better because all the harsh language in Julie’s book was a turn-off). It was a pleasure to read, and made me just want to curl up under a warm blanket with a cup of tea and some yummy comfort food. I found myself cheering Luisa on and rooting for her as I read through her life’s decisive moments. Read this one. If you love to travel and read about food, you should enjoy it.
robinsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The publisher states this is a good read for those who loved JULIE AND JULIA and I agree. A memoir about a woman who returns to her home town of Berlin to make a new start. She was inspired by Little House on the Prairie books which always warms my heart.
bravelass85's review against another edition
4.0
A book about love and growing up and cooking.... wonderful!
khjb's review against another edition
3.0
More of a personal memoir than I was anticipating, with recipes having only an incidental role. I'd recommend it, though, especially for anyone who has ever felt pulled between two places (and even more especially if one of those places is Germany).
kwugirl's review against another edition
4.0
I've reached a certain point of saturation with the blogs that I follow so I'm always a bit hesitant to add a new one that seems already a bit established, versus the kind that I've been able to enjoy watching grow over time, if that makes sense. After finishing this memoir with recipes though, I immediately went and added The Wednesday Chef to my Google Reader--I'm sad to have missed out on it for years! I thought this would be mostly recipes with some personal stories, but it's actually the other way around, and just a lovely reading experience.
As the book jacket promised, she really did have me rooting for Max and for her to find her way in life and hope for her to be happy (as opposed to sometimes with these kinds of memoirs when I end up feeling more annoyed that the author won't just snap out of it and get out of her own way). The love story is magical and gentle, and not just romantically so, but also with all the friends and family and places over the years.
This has made me really want to go travel in Germany (but not in the winter), so I'll be working on talking Dan into that at some point. Recommended for people who enjoy a good romantic comedy movie (not that this is really doing the comedy thing, I just mean as a type of personality/interest), cooking, and travel.
As the book jacket promised, she really did have me rooting for Max and for her to find her way in life and hope for her to be happy (as opposed to sometimes with these kinds of memoirs when I end up feeling more annoyed that the author won't just snap out of it and get out of her own way). The love story is magical and gentle, and not just romantically so, but also with all the friends and family and places over the years.
This has made me really want to go travel in Germany (but not in the winter), so I'll be working on talking Dan into that at some point. Recommended for people who enjoy a good romantic comedy movie (not that this is really doing the comedy thing, I just mean as a type of personality/interest), cooking, and travel.
hollylynna's review against another edition
3.0
What a great book. Learned a lot about food and Berlin.