Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
40 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Food Taster: A Novel
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Food Taster: A Novel (Paperback)

by Peter Elbling (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
18 new from £0.49 21 used from £0.01 1 collectible from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £9.99 £9.99 38 used & new from £0.01
Paperback (Reissue) 2 used & new from £4.30

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran

The Food Taster: A Novel + Pomegranate Soup
Price For Both: £11.48

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The Food Taster: A Novel by Peter Elbling

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Veronika Decides to Die

Veronika Decides to Die

by Paulo Coelho
4.1 out of 5 stars (69)  £4.31
Preston Falls

Preston Falls

by David Gates
3.5 out of 5 stars (26) 
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Atlantic Books (9 Feb 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1843543702
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843543701
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 587,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
"'Hugely endearing...a sparkling tale of love, intrigue and dodgy food. I enjoyed every minute of it... Peter Elbling begins where [Patrick] Suskind left off. He has produced a delicious novel which should tickle the dullest palate' David Robson, Sunday Telegraph 'Delicious historical intrigue.' Mail on Sunday 'A high Renaissance romp, casually cruel and ripely romantic... Umberto Eco crossed with a tale of Boccaccio and optioned by Spielberg on a Disney kick - a fairytale for grown-ups' lain Finlayson, Saga 'Brilliantly done... Buy it.' Daily Mail"

Product Description
Ugo DiFonte is the Duke's food taster. The Duke loves Ugo's daughter, the daughter loves the cook, and Ugo alone can save them all, though any bite could be his last.

See all Product Description

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Renaissance Romp, 15 Aug 2002
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Food Taster (Hardcover)
This faux memoir of a widowed Italian Renaissance foodtaster is a decidedly picaresque affair, documenting the rise of a sheep farmer's unloved second son to a position of influence in the service of a mercurial Duke. Through scheming and a great deal of luck, Ugo rises in favor over the years and manages to raise his little girl in relative luxury. Indeed, she becomes too accustomed to her new surroundings and becomes more and more spoiled, especially once the Duke's whore consort takes her under her wing. This leads to an all too predictable climactic difficulty when the young girl becomes a woman.

Broadly written, the book offers no depth of characterization, but does present a ground-level view of the era's social customs. It skims along a series of topics, from plague to court intrigues, to the Inquisition, to love between servants, treating each deftly but perhaps too swiftly. The bulk of the detail is reserved for descriptions of the outlandish dishes the foodtaster must sample in his role as poison detector. There's plenty of plotting and intrigue as well as humor as the foodtaster must squirm his way out of one bad situation after another. Ably written and fast-moving, this historical fiction won't knock your socks off, but it will probably keep you entertained.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Book for Entertainment, 7 Aug 2007
By juicy mclucy (Shrewsbury, UK) - See all my reviews
This book is not for those who purely want a deep historical novel that is believable on every front. This was a good read, historically accurate enough and it gave a good idea of the period's food and customs. It was a fun read which saw the main character on a journey through life and in many situations that he had to worm his way out of. It was written and should be read with humour, a book for entertainment, but worthy of your time.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, I am still hungry., 18 April 2009
By Mr. J. Holmes "Le Jolie" (Stroud UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The Food Taster was a total surprise. I loved every page. Dark, gruesome and extreemly well researched. Medeval Italy is the setting where we can sensually experiance brutal tyrants, revolting descriptions of the plague, sex, witchcraft, love and food. What else could a boy ask for. It has a faint air of Patrick Süskind's Perfume which is rather pleasant.
Culo
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars For food lovers
I'm not so sure about this book. I couldn't get into it at all and several times thought of abandoning it altogether. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tina

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

›Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates