nonna7's review
5.0
I came upon Mr. Alvarez' writing later than I should have. Despite living in Maryland, I stopped reading the Baltimore Sun and switched to the Washington Post as the Sun shrunk to nearly nothing. Unfortunately, writers like Mr. Alvarez probably lost some readership as a result which is really sad. I started reading his books after reading his first book of short stories. Then he came to our local library and spoke, and I remembered, once again, what I had loved. I bought this book along with his more recent one and have been reading it slowly. It's a book of his Baltimore Sun columns. They are jewels. It helps to have lived near Baltimore and enjoyed that city for so many years. There are so many wonderful stories about his family and their recipes. (He is a true example of the melting pot: a Spanish grandfather, a polish mother, and there's Italian in there too!) I have enjoyed reading the chapters slowly. It took a while for me to finish it for that reason. It's called savoring.
beththebookdragon's review
4.0
Evocative stories, both fictional and true, about the quirky people and places of Baltimore. Blue crabs, immigrant families, knife grinding, and sacred places--the Catholic basilica, a bar laden with Elvis memorabilia, the best pizza place in the city--all shine grittily with Alvarez' passionate love for his hometown and its inhabitants.
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