The Wedding Officer

Captain James Gould is a young British intelligence officer during World War II. He arrives in Naples to take over as “the Wedding Officer” – assigned to discourage marriages between British soldiers and Italian girls. He is young, somewhat innocent, and determined to follow all regulations to the letter. He seems to be succeeding when a young widow arrives as the new Officers’ Mess Cook. Livia Pertini has always cooked in her family’s restaurant/bar in the small village on Mount Vesuvius. Her fiery personality and sumptuous feasts soon distract James from his orders.

This is a delicious novel that begins as a romantic comedy but moves on to give the reader a lesson on the history of the area in 1944. Capella writes with humor show more and pathos in describing the war-time experiences of the citizens and soldiers trying to survive not only a war but a volcano’s eruption. Capella wrote about real events in and around Naples in 1944, and I’m glad he included the grittier scenes of chaos and destruction. But where he really excels is in writing about the sights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes of the cuisine, and the effects of those scrumptious meals on the human spirit. For example:

He felt a sudden sense that nothing would be the same again. Eve in her garden had bitten an apple. James had eaten an oyster, sitting outside a tiny restaurant overlooking the sea by Sorrento. His undernourished heart swelled in the Italian sunshine like a ripening fig, and he laughed out loud. With a great flood of gratitude he realized that he was having the time of his life.

I was completely caught up in the story from beginning to end. I think I must have gained 10 pounds just reading about the food! It certainly made my mouth water. show less

The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella is a wonderfully romantic tale set in war-torn Italy. Captain James Gould arrives in Naples in 1943 to become the Wedding Officer, whose main duty is to prevent marriages between British soldiers and their Italian girlfriends. As a stickler for the rules, the young Captain is determined to stamp out the black market and restore order.

He eventually meets and hires Livia Pertini, a beautiful widow whose cooking talent sets her far apart from other women. Captain Gould can’t seem to stay away from the kitchen and it’s not just for the lovely Livia’s cooking. He soon realizes he is falling in love with this earthy and sensuous woman. She in turn, has her own issues with the Allies as the show more occupation has not always gone smoothly for the locals or for her family. Her take on the young British captain with his stiff and polite ways, is at first disdainful, then she mistakenly thinks he is gay. In a delectable picnic scene, she finds out James Gould definitely prefers the fairer sex.

This is not a book to be read when hungry. The deliciously described recipes are so detailed you can practically smell them cooking, they are guaranteed to give you a craving for Italian food and perhaps even make you blush, as Livia teases James with sexual innuendos thinly disguised as food preparation or eating. At times a comedy-of-errors, at other times a compelling tale of war, love and food, I was entranced with this book and highly recommend it. show less

This book was a bit of a surprise to me. Reading his first novel, The Food of Love, what you got was a romantic comedy based upon the Cyrano theme: fun-filled, light, and full of sensuous descriptions of food. I expected the same from this book based upon its description.

"It's 1944, and Captain James Gould arrives in Naples, assigned to discourage marriages between British soldiers and their gorgeous Italian girlfriends...Once a masterful cook in her father's restaurant, Livia Pertini is the Allied officers' new chef."

You can guess where it goes from there.

However, though the book is still humorous and generally light reading...and is certainly filled with sensuous descriptions of food...Capella adds a bit more roundness to this work by show more including the darker aspects of Italy 1944: the complete destruction of a country caused by both retreating Germans and advancing Allies; 40,000 Neapolitan women (out of the estimated 90,000 women in Naples) working as prostitutes to avoid starvation; the Allied plan to kidnap those prostitutes who had syphilis and forcibly relocate them behind German lines in order to infect the enemy soldiers; the list goes on. Some, perhaps, will not like these darker notes in their romantic comedy, but I thought it made the book a richer. Instead of hearing a single note throughout the entire story, one reactions shift back and forth, providing more contrast.

Perhaps I felt that Laura and Bruno in his first book had slightly more chemistry than Livia and James do in this one, but it's a minor flaw in the overall work which I would certainly classify as a very pleasant summer read. Definitely R-rated if you're planning on giving it to someone without reading it first. show less

I picked this book off my pile to take with me on a holiday to Sorrento and it was the perfect reading companion. Looking, as I did, across to the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, where this book is set, really brought it to life for me. The characters are wonderful. I loved Livia, the feisty Neopolitan cook, and James, the intially reserved Wedding Officer.

The story is wonderful too, based partly on real life events. There really was a Wedding Officer, there to vet the potential Italian brides of British officers, and Vesuvius did erupt in 1944, during the war. I loved the way the author intertwined so many elements to make up the story: Italy, food, romance, cooking, history. It all worked so well together and I can't recommend this show more book highly enough. show less

Read nearly any review of The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella and you'll get a description of a 20-something British officer being sent to Italy to discourage British soldiers from bringing home Italian brides. While, yes, James Gould is a major character in the novel, saying it's all about him is misleading.

Instead, the book is about the occupation of Italy by German and British forces and Livia Pertini, a cook in the foothills of Mt. Vesuvias trying to keep the family afloat. James Gould, wedding officer, doesn't show up until much later. Really and truly, this book should have been titled, The Wedding Officer's Cook.

It's not that I didn't like reading Livia's story, but it's not what I went into the book expecting to read. The show more wedding officer bits of the book feel forced into the plot. There's also a tacked on romance at the end that I can only guess was there to appeal to "women readers." show less

1944 Naples. Captain James Gould is assigned to discourage marriages between British soldiers and Italian women. He begins his job with good intentions and wants to strictly follow his orders--everything black and white. The Italians are used to shades of grey, so this doesn’t go over too well. Then he meets the lovely and talented cook Livia Pertini and he decides to follow his heart. This is a tale of love in the midst of war, a fairly quick read. Oh, and there’s a volcano that erupts too—guess I should have known that since it really happened…

Every time I read a book set in Italy my heart just soars. And the descriptions of the Italian food made me want to jump right on a plane.

It took a little while for me to get into this book, just as it took a little while for the main character, James Gould, to really get into the character of Italy. But my patience was rewarded and one day it just clicked and I really got into it and all this great stuff happened and the plot really took off and after I really enjoyed reading it. The magnetism of the characters of James and Livia drive the plot along, but the war and everything that happens to them as a result of that serve a role, too. It was a very informative book, too. I learned a great deal about Italy during World War II that I never knew before.

I read this book for my book club, and I was very glad that we selected it. We're having an Italian dinner to celebrate.