The Biblio Blogazine

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci
Scheduled Release Date: April 8, 2009
Non-Fiction (Memoir), 288 pages
Grand Central Publishing

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by:
Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Synopsis:
Giulia Melucci tells her story of romances gone bad and recipes done well. Along the way she shares mouthwatering recipes and her musings on why she is so good at something she loves while not so good at love itself.

I would’ve used the synopsis off the back cover, but I didn’t particularly care for it. I know the publisher is trying to get the reader to open her up, go for a test drive, and buy the book, but on this occasion it was a bit much. For some reason Billy Mays’ voice kept leaping into my head each time I read it.

To be honest, I had a hard time writing this review. I kept wondering if the issues I had while reading this were strictly mine, the format, or the tone. I’ve come to the conclusion it’s a little bit of all three.

Not that this is a bad read – it really isn’t. However the flow of the story is continually interrupted by the placement of recipes. Every time the author remembers one from her childhood, or when trying to impress or de-stress, it was inserted immediately into the narrative. It’s very distracting.

There were also some style issues. The author writes well: however in the beginning, and in a few instances later on, the writing is a bit clunky and not well formed. Of course, this being an ARC, it is entirely possible these items will be smoothed out in the finished book.

But there are some gems:

Though my perception of Kit throughout the four years we were together remained as distorted as it was the day after our first date, when it came to putting distance between us, he met me halfway.

Even with statements like this, she never garnered much feeling from me. Not that this is the goal of the book. She just didn’t share anything in her remembrances or insights that resonated strongly with me. More often than not, I just wanted to shake some sense into her. I have to say though, I did enjoy her sense of humor, especially when naming some of those recipes – and the directions given for them.

When I finally finished, I was left with an undecided attitude about whether or not I really liked what I’d read. It’s so strange to feel this way. I don’t hate the book, but I can’t say it thrilled me all that much either.

At the time of this post, there weren’t many reviews out there for me to determine if I’m much off the mark about my feelings for this memoir. From what I was able to find, most have given this the same rating I had decided on before doing any research.

Thus, I am giving it 2 Stars as it did need a little effort to finish due to the constant breaks in the narrative. However, at only 288 pages, this would be a good book to take on a weekend retreat. Maybe a spot with a well equipped kitchen as I can tell you, some of the recipes are very tempting.

“Judith Castle” by David Mitchell
from The Book of Other People edited by Zadie Smith

Each copy of this book sold benefits 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Click on the link above to learn more and how you can become involved.

This story opens with a dialogue in which the author presents an obviously self-absorbed and manipulative woman. I immediately wonder if I can feel any compassion for her and discover I can’t.

However the story is like a train wreck about to happen right before your eyes. You want to turn away, but you can’t – the curiosity is too great. Plus you are an observer, it’s not as if you have any vested interest in what is about to happen and no concerns over the outcome except to see this woman get her come-uppance.

As you can tell, she is not a very likeable character. But she is one that intrigues you enough to keep reading to try and learn why she is the way she is, and how in the world can someone like this exist. They do you know, I’ve met a few such as her. I’m sure you have too.

A lot is written about creating characters that readers can connect to, empathize with or have sympathy for, yet here is one that is completely distasteful. There is no redeeming quality in her, and it appears by the end of the story, she has not learned her lesson enough to have that change any time soon.

Perhaps I was drawn to her because she portrays all those things I hope I never am: those qualities that alienate you from friends, family, society; those that make you feel better about many of your own flaws because you know they are, and never will be, as bad as hers; that I would never put myself in a position of never being liked, loved, or wanted.

This is her fear, yet she does nothing to earn them. She thinks they are due her and it is exactly for that reason she may never attain them. At this point, you would think this is enough to feel sorry for her, and perhaps you would. As I said, I never did, even when offered a glimpse into why her personality developed this way.

In the end, she learns how she is truly perceived, and it falls on deaf ears as she only knows how to listen to herself; her voice the only voice of reason, of understanding. Even if it is merely held together by fantasy and desperate hopes.

Although I enjoyed this, I found it to be a good story, not an outstanding one. Thus I am giving it 4 stars. I am also adding it to one of the reasons this anthology would keep its overall positive rating.

, was long listed for the 2006 award.

Mitchell’s first novel, Ghostwritten (1999), won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize (for best work of British literature written by an author under 35) and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. (Wikipedia, as of March 2009)