Scarpetta's Winter Table

Food and friendship go together in Patricia Cornwell's book Scarpetta's Winter Table. In this story, we see Scarpetta with her friends and family as they come together for Christmas, but the events unfold in the context of food. We get into Scarpetta's head, for example, as she prepares a meal for her coworker and her niece. In another chapter, animosity disappears as a troubled child and a curmudgeony police officer bond over homemade chili. I've never another book that took this approach, and I think it's a fine idea, and well used here.

That said, I didn't really care for this book. For all its well-crafted prose and unique premise, I didn't like the main character, Kay Scarpetta, and it's very difficult to like a book when you don't show more like the main character. I understand that this book is part of a series, and I have never read the other books; I am sure that those books shed more light on Scarpetta's personality. Certainly many other people reading this book will begin it with a clear picture of her already in mind, and I'm sure that helps their enjoyment of this story. It may be that this book only doesn't function as a standalone.

But since this book is my only impression of Scarpetta, I don't really have anything else to go by. The result is a main character who comes off as cold, distant, fussy, judgmental, and vaguely hypocritical. In the first chapter, for example, when she is preparing food for two close friends, she doesn't seem happy, or even sad. She doesn't seem like she feels anything: neither pleasure (nor even annoyance) at the work she does preparing the food, not enjoyment when she eats it. She isn't even all that warm to her guests. She's very particularly about the way she makes the food, and she only uses high-quality ingredients, but she never seems to have a sense of pride in food well prepared. It was like she was just going through the motions.

In a different chapter, Scarpetta tries to convince her niece to come with her to visit the rest of the family. She tells Lucy that it's a good thing to do, that she might someday regret not coming. But after making such a big deal about the importance of family and holiday get-togethers, Scarpetta is irritable and rude to her mother. She gets very angry at her mother over something really trivial, and then she almost seems to blame her mother for putting her in a bad mood. She has good health habits (which is great), but she seems to look down on, even judge, her family for not being healthy. She inflicts her own dietary tastes onto them, going shopping by herself, buying only what she wants, even ignoring her mother's specific request for certain items. She's a guest, for the love of Pete. Who died and made her supreme dictator? And what really gets me is the borderline-hypocrisy of it all. After making such a big deal about family, she treats her own mother coldly. When congratulating herself on a healthy lifestyle, she conveniently forgets that she drinks a lot. She pours wine for herself, and the rest of the bottle goes into the soup. Then she gets another bottle, pours more for herself, more for the soup. The soup is specifically designed to use whatever ingredients are available, but Scarpetta's soup MUST have wine. I've no idea why. I have heard of some dishes that called for wine, but none of them was soup. And don't get me started on her well-stocked house. Or her friend, whom she invited to bring the spiked eggnog. I mean, I give her credit for not driving after so much alcohol consupmtion, and she doesn't let her guests drive either. But then, later on, to play the I'm-health-conscious-and-you're-not card? She was way out of line.

This book was very enjoyable in places, and it certainly had some very sweet moments. But my favorite chapters in the book were the ones without Scarpetta, and that makes me sad. show less

Read: August 2016

This is a lovely, cosy, Christmas themed novella/recipe book. In the main series Kay is well known for being an excellent cook with a particular love of Italian food due to her Italian heritage. Kay, Lucy and Marino have personal recipes showcased here.

The recipes are worked into the plot, with Cornwell occasionally addressing the reader directly. The plot is simple; it is Christmas time and Lucy and Kay are spending the holidays together while down the road Marino befriends a young boy whose mother has to work over the Christmas period.

The recipes included are:
Marino’s Cause of death’ Eggnog
Scarpetta’s Holiday Pizza
Scarpetta’s Childhood Key Lime Pie
Lucy’s Bloody Mary’s
Lucy’s Friendly Grill
Scarpetta’s show more wholesome Chicken Soup
Scarpetta’s Bad Mood Pasta Primavera
Marino’s last minute Chilli
Lucy’s felonious Cookies
Marino’s New Jersey Omlette
Scarpetta’s famous Stew show less

This was a very unique book by Cornwell. I have read many of her novels, but nothing like this before! As cooking is my 2nd hobby (right after reading) I really enjoyed it! It is just a sort of "catching-up" on what is going on with the Scarpetta & friends/family with some very good recipes thrown in!

I enjoyed this very much, and while very light reading, it was a refreshing change from the novels I normally read.

A perfectly acceptable light little story in the 'Scarpetta' canon. Falling between a novella and a short series of recipes binding it all together. Nicely produced,it will please both Cornwell fans and those who like working in the kitchen.

This is a Christmas stocking filler. A feel-good story and a few recipes. The recipes leave a bit to be desired as the quantities are extremely vague.

Throughout the Kay Scarpetta series are instances of Kay cooking different meals. This book, written in novel format, expounds on a few of the recipes that Kay uses. The ingredients are presented, however the reader is left to estimate the amounts of each ingredient used. Fascinating "cookbook"!

PLOT OR PREMISE:
A cookbook disguised as a novel.
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WHAT I LIKED:
Nothing
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
It was ADVERTISED as a combination of a cookbook with stories about Dr. Kay Scarpetta, and in that light, it fails on all counts. There IS no story, and nothing happening in the non-story -- and worse still, none of the characters act like they do in the novels. The recipes are interesting, but basically this book was issued for one reason and one reason only -- to milk some money out of the fans and to give them almost nothing in return.
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.