Review: Keeping the Feast by Paula Butturini
Reviewed by Carly M.
Like many books set in Italy, Keeping the Feast is a book that revolves around food. Buying food, preparing food, enjoying food…these tasks are the constant background noise to a story that is, in many ways, the exact antithesis of culinary pleasures. Where the food comforts, the story agitates. Where the food tantalizes, the story repels. Where the food strengthens, the story despairs. Such is the back and forth in this memoir about the lives of two journalists whose lives took a sudden and tragic turn.
Paula Butturini and John Tagliabue met in Italy while working as foreign correspondents. Marginally successful in their careers and satisfied with their lives abroad, the pair decided to marry and make a life for themselves. However, within a month of their marriage, John was shot while on the job. This book tells the story of the strain that his injuries, many surgeries, and resulting depression took on their young marriage as they tried to rebuild their life in Rome.
I was initially excited to read this memoir, after hearing some good reviews. I was disappointed, however, to find that Keeping the Feast did not live up to my expectations. Although Butturini’s story is complex and intriguing, I found the constant discussion of food and the continually leaping back and forth in time to be very distracting. I feel like this book would have worked better if it had been separated into two projects: the flowery celebration of food in Rome and the detailed, gritty story of the events that made up the first few years of their marriage. The combination of the two just didn’t work for me.
Carly lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and their two cats. Her favorite thing to do is to curl up by a window with a library book.
This book was provided free of any obligation by Riverhead Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Cooking, Food, Wine, Memoirs, Nonfiction
I have never minded a book that skips around in its narrative as long as it is well written and clearly outlined. This book does not sound like it does that. What a shame as the story line sounds like it would be a really good book!
I agree that I don’t like it when a book skips between a narrative and really in depth discussion of food. That how I felt when I was reading Ruth Reichl’s books. I would get involved with her story and she would launch into a detailed description of a particular bit of food, and I would end up feeling confused. I understand why writers do it, but sometimes I feel there is not enough of a smooth transition – too bumpy for my taste.
I can get confused really easily when the author skips around and then I have to go back and read sections again to figure out what is going on. I hate that.
I have never been fond of the back and forth in time narrative. I usually find that I do not like one of the stories and just want to read the other. However, I love memoirs, I love Italy, I love reading about cooking and I do not even mind trauma. So even though the reviewer did not like the book, I am a little quirky with my picks and pans. I probably would like, if not love, the book. Then again, maybe I would not like it either. Given the opportunity (i.e. if it falls in my lap) I would give it a read to find out.
I think that you are either a food book reader or you are not-for me I enjoy these books-however what you have stated tends to be the general response that I see from people who have not enjoyed this genre of book. However you have to be able to weave the two stories successfully.
have you read: A Homemade Life or Confections of A Master Baker-give those two a try for a food based memoir.
Hey Esme! No, have not read either…will check them out
Thanks for the book recommendations. Someday when I write my first novel, it is going to have recipes. Best to cover all the bases I believe.
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Mmm, food … Sounds like a book that you would almost have to choose which part you want to read and ‘skip over’ the rest: like, focus on the food descriptions and celebrations, while skimming past the actual ‘memoir’ parts. The cover is fascinating, and the title leads me to think it’s a food book – so to find out it also has a flawed marriage of food AND marriage is kinda disappointing.
Oh, I do not like to skip over parts. I have to read a book, finish a book. No skipping, but I do usually look at the ending first.
I am a fan of travel/memoir type books like this but so many of them seem to lose something in the retelling of their story and I find myself getting lost when they don’t quite make the connection in their themes. Thanks for the review!
I think you are right Stephenia about travel/memoir books having trouble making the connection to their theme. The people who write these books have the money to travel and if they try to make it about more than just the journey, they often lose the topic. Eat, Pray, Love comes to mind.