Gerald Samper, an effete Englishman, lives on a hilltop in Tuscany. He is a ghostwriter for celebrities, and a foodie, whose weird tastes include 'Mussels in Chocolate and Garlic' and 'Fernet Branca Ice Cream'. His idyll is shattered by the arrival of Marta, a vulgar woman from a former Soviet republic now run by gangsters, notably male members of her family. She is a composer in a neo-folk style who claims to be writing a score for a trendy Italian film director. The neighbours' lives disastrously intertwine. The entourages of the rock star and the director come and go; mysterious black helicopters bring news of mayhem in Voynova, Marta's homeland; and along the way the English obsession with Tuscany is satirized mercilessly.
Cooking With Fernet Branca
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"'Wickedly witty... Anyone who does not add this hilarious divertimento to their summer reading list should be put on a forced diet of Gerald's inimitable Alien Pie.' Michael Dibdin, Guardian; 'A deliciously nasty farce set in [Hamilton-Paterson's] adopted Tuscany... Cooking with Fernet Branca had me laughing out loud and uproariously. All Tuscanites should read it, preferably over a plate of stewed otter chunks in lobster sauce.' Sunday Telegraph; 'Larded with bitter satire and piquant wit, at the expense, often, of its readers and their dreams of Italy... I laughed out loud several times a chapter' The Times"
About the Author
James Hamilton-Paterson is the author of the bestselling Empire of the Clouds, which was hailed as a classic account of the golden age of British aviation. He won a Whitbread Prize for his first novel, Gerontius, and among his many other celebrated books are Seven-Tenths, one of the finest books written in recent times about the oceans, the satirical trilogy that began with Cooking with Fernet Branca, and the autobiographical Playing With Water. Born and educated in England, he has lived in the Philippines and Italy and now makes his home in Austria.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I was given this for Christmas, and found it an excellent antidote to the January blues! The narrative flow from two points of view, with overlaps, is a terrific comic device. Gerald is a great character, in both senses of the word, with a truly witty turn of phrase and some hilarious one-liners. I loved his attitude towards his ex-pat bachelor lifestyle, and of course his outrageous cuisine (don't worry - it's not a cookbook!). Marta is perhaps slightly less rounded as a character, but it doesn't matter too much as the whole book is such fun to read. Deep and meaningful it isn't, but if you've done the demanding bit and it's time for some light relief, this is for you. I'll really miss it now I've finished it. More please!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book: Gerald Samper is a ghostwriter for the famous and stupid; he works best in his secluded villa in the hills high above Viareggio. That is, until he discovers he is not all that secluded: an eastern (or central)European neighbour wanders over with a bottle of Fernet Branca, advice and trouble. Though he is an aesthete and sensitive soul, Samper (of the Shropshire Sampers) rises magnificently to the challenge, distributing operatic song and recipes (oyster and turnip profiteroles, otter chunks with lobster sauce) through the hills; plus some observations on Italian estate agents, British tourists, the rich and famous, and the philosophy of life.
My opinion: a comic masterpiece, I think, for specialists who enjoy morbid wit, beautiful writing, and taking potshots at almost everything... It is obvious Mr Samper (and his author) love Italy, but have seen some slightly less wonderful sides of it, as well. A glorious book which has me buying *anything* by this guy, and laughing out loud when I read it. And again. And again... highly recommended, a feast for connaisseurs and for anyone who takes themselves, and their foibles, not too seriously.
My opinion: a comic masterpiece, I think, for specialists who enjoy morbid wit, beautiful writing, and taking potshots at almost everything... It is obvious Mr Samper (and his author) love Italy, but have seen some slightly less wonderful sides of it, as well. A glorious book which has me buying *anything* by this guy, and laughing out loud when I read it. And again. And again... highly recommended, a feast for connaisseurs and for anyone who takes themselves, and their foibles, not too seriously.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Milla
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a bit of a surly kipper, never been known to use the acronym LOL (shudder) but this is one of the very very few books I've read (and I read a lot) which actually did make me laugh out loud. (the other few are: Lucky Jim and Confederacy of Dunces and 2 phrases from Ending Up, er, that's about it). I just adored the bleak resentment of the narrator and although it was, OK, a bit OTT in places, this is an absolutel gem. Don't believe the dullards who didn't get it or were expecting a cook book. FFS. Tut.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Mary Evans
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book is written as alternating chapters by the two protagonists, describing their own view of the same bizarre events. Gerry, effete,witty,with a well-developed sense of the ridiculous, but takes himself and his culinary work rather seriously. Marta is an eccentric Eastern European, living amongst the beautiful Tuscan hills in happy squalor, whilst she tries to come to terms with modern technology to help compose a film score. You can't help but grow fond of these two characters as they merrily score points off each other.Very cleverly written, like watching a good film.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Trionon
Format:Paperback
I've bought this book on sale at the local library partly because it was ridiculously cheap and partly because of the hilarious narrative inside the cover of the book that made reference to 'Alien Pie' for which among many other things '1 kg smoked cat, off the bone' and '1 single drop household paraffin' were required . So, naturally I HAD to have it. I began reading on the bus and suddenly found myself missing all my stops, when I did finally arrive I could hardly wait to get home to continue with the reading and finished the book that same evening. Since then I've been re-reading the favourite bits and have developed an addiction to Fernet Branca....so I've become a much happier person as a result of this book, LOL
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Urban Yuppie
Format:Paperback
What a treat to read a book where the story line is driven by highly developed characters. This surely is one sign of a skilled writer. It's a bit like watching a play with no props where only the skill of the actors keeps the audience spellbound. In an era of special effects and melodrama, this is a simple story well told.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is rare that a book makes me laugh out loud and this one did, almost all the way through. The two main characters are brilliant; Gerry is almost hateful but we can't help liking him. I can't recommend this book highly enough,it's a must-read for anyone with a sense of humour.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Sam Allenby
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This is one of the funniest books of the last ten years - a modern classic to be read alongside Evelyn Waugh and PG Wodehouse. Anyone who fails to be amused probably has no sense of humour and should be exiled to a desert island with the collected works of Jeffrey Archer, or the man himself.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent fun
I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys a wicked sense of humour and witty, erudite writing. Hamilton-Paterson is a brilliant author, and his characters are wonderful inventions. Read more
Published 2 months ago by ellie may
5.0 out of 5 stars
A smile for the heart and brain...
What a delightful book this is; engaging of all the senses, including the mind, (yes, the mind can be a sense! Read more
Published 4 months ago by MaggiG
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
My other half and I truly are Martha and Gerald. What, with his knobbly knees and cracking falsetto and me a proud (well that may be stretching it) son of the Balkans, the Voyte... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Igor Pachemski
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolute laugh out loud book. Don't read it in the library: you'll be...
I have bought four copies of this book so I could give it to friends. Other reviews will give you the gist.. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Susan Mellups
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cooking with Fernet Branca
One of those really quirky funny book that makes you laugh out load and cause other people on the bus to wonder what you are reading...
Published 15 months ago by Dessy
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not for me
We decided on this book for our book club after a review on the radio. I did read two thirds of it as I thought it would have to improve - but - it did not. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Elsbeth
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fabulous find
I have now bought four copies of this book to share my delight with my friends and although not everyone is reduced to the helpless giggling which overcomes me the movement I open... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Nils
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Death Roe" and other recipes
No, dear reader, this is not a recipe book. Oh, what fun I`ve had browsing some of the reviews on this page, bemusedly aghast at how some people will always miss the point. Read more
Published 24 months ago by GlynLuke
3.0 out of 5 stars
A clever comic gem
This first novel featuring the obnoxious but irresistible Gerald Samper is a mixed bag. The prose coruscates, the recipes repel and obsess as much as Samper himself, though the... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2010 by barbicandy
3.0 out of 5 stars
entertainingly odd
Picked this up in a charity shop when looking for mindless books to read on holiday, and mindless this certianly was - but in a reasonably entertaining way. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2009 by Feasel 81
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