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A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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.
It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in F...more
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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.
It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in F...more
Published April 30th 2019 by Simon & Schuster
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Memoir Published in Year: 2019 143 books — 40 voters
Casablank Nominees 2019-20 91 books — 2 voters
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From the shores of California to an island in the Mediterranean, FROM SCRATCH is a rich, sensual reading experience. Equal parts uplifting and devastating, it is a memoir of soul-searching beauty. As extraordinary and unique as Tembi Locke's life is, all readers will identify with the themes of love, family, and forgiveness. Highly recommended.
May 18, 2019Moonkiszt rated it really liked it Shelves: its-all-about-choices, comestibles, romance-mostly-tolerable, wish-for-rest-of-the-story, dontgetcomfy_changeispermanent, forgiveness, language-is-a-character, mademecry, mother-daughter-connundrum, comin-of-age
From Scratch: a Memoir. . . .
This was an assignment from Reese W and Hello, Sunshine! Good thing, too, because this is not one I would have picked up and read, given my own choosing algorithms. But this was an interesting story, with all the happy accidents that result in real living (as opposed to fictionally contrived situations to fit plot points), full of crazy coincidences for which we make up plots, intervening characters engaged in divine and/or devilish interferences, with promises of ha...more
This was an assignment from Reese W and Hello, Sunshine! Good thing, too, because this is not one I would have picked up and read, given my own choosing algorithms. But this was an interesting story, with all the happy accidents that result in real living (as opposed to fictionally contrived situations to fit plot points), full of crazy coincidences for which we make up plots, intervening characters engaged in divine and/or devilish interferences, with promises of ha...more
May 07, 2019Cortney (cortingbooks) rated it it was amazing
“That morning I wanted nothing more than to know that it was possible for me to feel alive, fully alive again. The half living of life after loss was shifting. I wanted to be reminded of the bounty of life...”
Oh this precious little book touched my heart. I was tearing up at the prologue. Through Tembi’s words you can feel the love she has for her family.
I know first hand the challenges of learning to navigate the world again as a mom and widow so this book really hit home for me.
I laughed. I cr...more
Oh this precious little book touched my heart. I was tearing up at the prologue. Through Tembi’s words you can feel the love she has for her family.
I know first hand the challenges of learning to navigate the world again as a mom and widow so this book really hit home for me.
I laughed. I cr...more
Apr 16, 2019Jodie rated it it was amazing
The love story of Tembi and Saro is one of passion, commitment, and everlasting love. Not since Paul Kalanithi’s “When Breath Becomes Air” have I been so moved by a book.. Tembi Locke conveys passion and sincerity which is deeply felt on each and every page. It is articulate, vulnerable and full of symbolism. I could not put this book down and highly recommend it.
Please note: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review which I have provided here.
Please note: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review which I have provided here.
May 21, 2019Stacey A. Prose and Palate rated it it was amazing
'She had said so many things, things that were hard to hear, harder still to push through. Things the therapist and books all said were very normal. When those moments happened, when the grief was too big and it threatened to buckle the frame of the house, we'd often go to the back yard of our house and lie on the grass, put our bodies prostrate on the earth. On the blanket looking at the stars, I would tell her to give her hurt to the stars. They could take it. I told her she could say anything...more
May 09, 2019Marianne Fokas rated it it was amazing
I loved this book. It appealed to me on many levels, I am of Italian heritage and my husband also died from cancer. I thought her writing was beautiful and the feelings expressed were so real and spot on when it comes to caregiving, and grief. It is also a story about healing and the love of family. And the food, Tembi had my mouth watering on so many occasions. I was so happy to see the included recipes! I plan on trying a lot of them. Wonderful debut novel!
Jun 14, 2019Holly rated it really liked it
From Scratch is a beautiful story that moves through love, loss and moving on. While sad and heartbreaking, it is also a testament to love, family and community.
We meet Saro and witness a very moving romance between him and Tembi. The love they share is so strong that it overcomes thousands of miles of separation. When Saro becomes ill, their love provides strength and courage. The writing is exceptional and lyrical. The descriptions of the food and scenery are wonderful. I highly recommend Fro...more
We meet Saro and witness a very moving romance between him and Tembi. The love they share is so strong that it overcomes thousands of miles of separation. When Saro becomes ill, their love provides strength and courage. The writing is exceptional and lyrical. The descriptions of the food and scenery are wonderful. I highly recommend Fro...more
A beautifully written memoir. The recollection of a love that travels from one continent to another and back again. A must read.
This was such a wonderful, yet heartbreaking memoir. Part sweeping love story, and part grief manual. It gives us a glimpse into two parts of Tembi Locke's life; how she met and fell in love with her husband Saro and built a family, and how she was able to get through her grief when Saro passed away. It is a story of love, family, grief, forgiveness and strength, with a generous helping of food (which played a main role in Tembi and Saro's relationship because he was a chef).
A truly heartwarmin...more
A truly heartwarmin...more
Beautifully written!!
Am I the only one who sometimes actually mourns the end of a book? My own healing from loss took me to Italy a few years ago. This book spoke to me in so many aspects and touched on that journey to Italy once again.
May 29, 2019Lori Palmer (Palmer's Page Turners) rated it it was amazing Shelves: rw-book-club, 2019-library-love-challenge
I loved everything about this book. Tembi is a beautiful writer--her book made me feel like I could sit down with her and have coffee and talk for hours. The book made me smile and made me cry--the story of Saro's cancer is heartbreaking. Tembi beautifully describes their life together, and writes honestly about her grief. I haven't lost a spouse, but have experienced the loss of a parent, and related to Tembi's feelings, thoughts, anxieties, and behaviors throughout this book. Of course, this b...more
May 26, 2019Andrea Bolton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
It’s one thing to have experienced the life and love of Tembi Locke, but to be able to share it with the world as she has done, is truly remarkable. Her story and her writing are so emotional and beautiful.
The story she had to tell was compelling but it was overwritten. It seemed like her prose was trying too hard.
May 20, 2019Mikala Hill rated it it was ok
In all fairness, I am not the 'memoir' type. But I was rooting for this one. It started off strong...and then drug on until the end. Bummer.
Probably would have given this book 2 stars, except that the writing really is beautiful. It just wasn't what I expected. This is a memoir about loss, period. If that's what you're here for, then you will likely get a lot out of it, but it wasn't what I was hoping for at this particular moment in my life.
May 17, 2019Carolyn Hedges rated it it was amazing
This is a book you have to hear. Author Tembi Locke narrates her story in such a beautiful way. The heartbreaking loss, the gorgeous Italian and the lush discoveries are part of her and the story has that extra layer in her voice. I rarely give 5 stars but this book conjured up so much beauty and emotion that it was more than listening to an audiobook- it took me to another place and unlocked worries and love I didn’t realize I had. So well done!
May 16, 2019Jude (NYJudester) Fricano rated it it was ok · review of another edition
I wanted to love this book. Sicily, food, culture, family, love .. but unfortunately I did not. The story was too drawn out, too much forced drama. There were parts that made me smile, other parts I rolled my eyes. I wish I loved it. I just didn’t feel it.
May 11, 2019Sandra rated it it was amazing
Exquisite! I listened to the audible version narrated by the author and it was beautifully peppered with gorgeous Italian language. Tembi Locke's effortless flow from English to Italian accented phrases hooked me immediately. Her story was crafted in lyrical, romantic prose. I fell in love with every single word she told. I loved that Aliminusa, Sicily was a central character in the story. I felt like I was there, her descriptions of the area, the food, the taste of Italian food left me longing...more
May 12, 2019Brittany Petersen (thecontinuingchronicles) rated it liked it
Rating: 3.5/5
I know there are many who hesitate to rate memoirs as they feel as if they are rating the author's experiences. In reality, however, we are rating the way the author relates these experiences. How they tell their story and weave their narrative. I am a firm believer that even the most dry of stories can be made fascinating if told from the lips of a talented storyteller. And Tembi Locke is definitely gifted with words.
With beautiful prose, she weaves a tale of love and loss, jumping...more
I know there are many who hesitate to rate memoirs as they feel as if they are rating the author's experiences. In reality, however, we are rating the way the author relates these experiences. How they tell their story and weave their narrative. I am a firm believer that even the most dry of stories can be made fascinating if told from the lips of a talented storyteller. And Tembi Locke is definitely gifted with words.
With beautiful prose, she weaves a tale of love and loss, jumping...more
Jun 07, 2019Leigh-Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I enjoyed the audiobook of 'From Scratch' by Tembi Locke. The author narrates her own book and did great. There was a fair amount of Italian sprinkled throughout the book and listening to it as an audiobook really made it more enjoyable. I'm not sure I would've appreciated reading it and think the audio version was the perfect way for me to go. The author's writing is rich in descriptions of love and Sicily that sometimes rich prose drags on for me when I'm actually reading it. The audio version...more
Jun 01, 2019Monica rated it it was amazing
I loved this story! Such an eloquently written and read story! The authors’ ability to envelope the reader into her story enabling a variety of emotions to come forth is brilliant. I felt everything the main character felt from the joy to the confusion to the grief etc. It made me want nothing more than to see the places her scenic pictures depicted for her readers. The author reading her memoir gave so much life to this book! One of my favorite reads this year thus far!
This was a beautiful memoir that I could tell Locke poured her heart and soul into. I was lucky enough to listen to this on Audio and because she narrates I could her tears, her joy and every feeling that she had in between. She has such a positive outlook on life and love.
May 13, 2019Lisa L Brown rated it really liked it
This book was a gift to my senses. The descriptions of Sicily and the food was amazing. I laughed and I cried. What a beautiful memoir.
May 11, 2019Jessie rated it it was ok
I really wanted to like this, to connect with someone else who has felt grief, but it fell incredibly flat. The way it was written, I wasn't able to connect with the characters, and there was no plot. It was simply a sad woman who ate pasta. I expected to follow their love story and then feel the loss, grieving alongside Tembi, but it never happened.
This was such a heart warming book. From the start of the prologue to the final words of the book i was hooked. The Story is about Tembi, and how she navigated life after becoming a widow, a young widow and her summers in Italy honoring her Husband. She paints such a beautiful picture of Sicily and Sicilian culture. Tembi really knows how to emote emotions through her words.
10/10 would recommend
10/10 would recommend
May 18, 2019Jessica Mckay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Amazing.
Similar in some ways to Eat Pray Love it Under the Tuscan Sun but this was just real. I cried multiple times while reading. Tembi has a way of describing that made me really see. I love that recipes are included and I can’t wait to try them out.
Must read.
Similar in some ways to Eat Pray Love it Under the Tuscan Sun but this was just real. I cried multiple times while reading. Tembi has a way of describing that made me really see. I love that recipes are included and I can’t wait to try them out.
Must read.
From Scratch is a trek navigated internally across the landscape of loss and “guerrilla grieving—stealthily mourning our if public views, using any tactics necessary to get by.” It is the memoir of “a girl from Texas who had dreamed of being an actress and had fallen in love with an Italian chef she had met on a street corner.” Like the author who “had just fallen for a bicycle thief chef,” reading From Scratch “was love at first bite...I loved it in the way you love a place you know in your sou...more
May 08, 2019Michelle rated it it was amazing
What do you do when you find yourself in a story with whom you have nothing in common? Tembi Locke and I have very little in common save the age of her daughter in the book is the age of my daughter now. I’m divorced not widowed. I am a food blogger not an actress. I am white with a Heinz 57 background not African American.
But her story of place connects me to the same place. I found my late grandmother, who was half Sicilian, in Nonna. That was a precious gift. I was able to understand some of...more
But her story of place connects me to the same place. I found my late grandmother, who was half Sicilian, in Nonna. That was a precious gift. I was able to understand some of...more
“I cried from being overwhelmed and exhausted by what life was asking me to do. The ways in which love required more than I felt I was capable of doing.”
Such a beautifully written story of love and loss, and all that comes with. Navigating her grief at the loss of her husband, Locke speaks of her relationships with her daughter, her family, and her husband’s family in Sicily. Parts of the book are written in the past tense when getting to know her husband, alternating with current-day day’s wrou...more
Such a beautifully written story of love and loss, and all that comes with. Navigating her grief at the loss of her husband, Locke speaks of her relationships with her daughter, her family, and her husband’s family in Sicily. Parts of the book are written in the past tense when getting to know her husband, alternating with current-day day’s wrou...more
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As an actor, I started my onscreen career with the iconic comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Today you can find me in roles on The Magicians, Proven Innocent, NCIS: LA to name a few or on the big screen in the upcoming feature film, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2019). I love my acting career and, at the center of my work on set, there is always a commitment to story and the complexity of being...more
“The connection you are creating here is like a flower. It requires soil and sun. things that, thanks to God, are given freely. But it is you, all of us, who has to water the flower to make it grow, Without water, all relations remain small. They can't open, and eventually die” — 2 likes
“Cooking is about surrender.” — 2 likes
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