Marlena de Blasi eats herself through Venezia while her love story unfolds! I bought this book because I love Venezia and I wanted to "see" a Venezia that a one-day-visitor does not get to "see". I wanted to read about love, a love story that in reality is like a real Hollywood film it turned out. As I turned the pages I of course was intrigued by how love can stumble on you at the most unexpected moments and in the most unexpected places. But I am a hopeless cook! I eat only to survive and I could not care less for all the crumbs of food she ate during her 1000 days in venezia. I have walked the streets that she has walked and did not notice a single fruit, vegetable or restaurant. My interest is in the canals, it's history, the houses, the little details like flowers, cobblestones, narrow alleys, house details and decorations. You will not really find any of that in Marlena's book.
She is a cook but did she have to fill out the pages with recipes? Could they not have been placed at the end so that we who want to just read the story, could have been spared the interruption. I have never seen anything like it and you have to read part of the recipes too since information about her story is there as well.
For the love story's sake I recommend this book. It is fascinating to see how a mature couple is trying to get to know each other without understanding each others languages, how they have to fight a corrupt system in Italy to be able to marry and battle the Catholic Church as well and how two people set in their ways, of which one has never been in a relationship at all, have to learn how to compromise.