The Love Goddess' Cooking School

I love to read. And I love to cook. What could be better than combining two of the things I find most enjoyable? Books that incorporate food and cooking into their storyline have an immediate attraction for me and this latest novel by Senate was no exception.

Opening with Holly Maguire musing about her fortune as told by her late grandmother, this book is a solid and satisfying confection, a tiramisu of a book, if you will. According to Holly's Milanese grandmother, renowned both for her delicious Italian cooking and for her fortune-telling, the great love of Holly's life will be a man who likes sa cordula, a traditional dish made from lamb intestines. It is this fortune that sent a heartbroken Holly running back to Blue Crab Island, show more Maine from California. She felt her long-time boyfriend slipping away and so she fixed him sa cordula, which he loathed, only reinforcing the fact that he was not her great love. So Holly returned to her grandmother and the love and acceptance she has always found with Camilla Constantina. Cruelly, Holly only has two weeks with her beloved grandmother before Camilla passes away, leaving Holly crushed and floundering. To honor her grandmother's memory and legacy, Holly determines that she will take over Camilla's Cuchinotta and teach the Italian cooking classes for which Camilla was famous. The big problem with this is that Holly can't cook. But she has her grandmother's recipes, a load of determination, and four students who didn't immediately demand their money back when Holly told them the news about Camilla's death. And to start with, that suffices.

Holly's four students are hurting as much in their own ways as Holly is. And together all of them need a little of the magic that always pervaded Camilla's Cuchinotta to help them realize that they are the architects of their own lives. Each of the secondary characters is well fleshed out and their individual back stories have a chance to be highlighted as the main plot with Holly opening up and learning to risk love again moves along. Each story is a vital ingredient and each secondary character helps Holly to recognize things about herself and where she wants to go in life. Cooking with all the triumphs and failures that are a part of learning to trust oneself in the kitchen is celebrated here. And Holly makes some pretty amazing sounding dishes once she starts getting things right, in the kitchen and in her personal life. There are occasional places where the lessons learned are a little overdone or saccharine but for the most part, they hit the right note. The ending is a little tidy for a book celebrating the vagaries of life and acceptance of all its parts, sad, happy, and true all in similar measure but over all, the book works and is ultimately the sort of read that leaves the reader smiling and satisfied. A quick and fulfilling read, I'd recommend this one (and I'd also recommend reading it close to your kitchen or a good restaurant because it will make you hungry). show less

A word of caution for those picking up Melissa Senate’s new novel, The Love Goddess’ Cooking School: don’t read on an empty stomach. I’ve issued this caution before, I know, but trust me this one time, friends. Since beginning this warm and engaging novel, I’ve been dreaming of tiramisu, spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, lasagna and ricotta cheese. As someone who feels she must have been Italian in another life (pasta, I love pasta!), the odd stains scarring the pages of my copy may or may not be drool. The prose was just . . . scrumptious. And Senate describes Holly’s creations so well, you’ll want to throw this one down and make dinner every time you finish a chapter.

What I love about this work, Senate’s latest in a long show more line of great books, is her ability to create likable, friendly and interesting characters who captivate you right from the start. Like the men entranced by the exotic, lovely Camilla Constantina, an Italian immigrant who arrived in America with her young husband and was widowed in the U.S., I was immediately drawn into Holly’s world and felt like I was reading the story of a dear friend. Have I read the running-away-to-find-yourself plots before? Yes, of course. But in Senate’s hands, a familiar story takes on new nuances.

Holly is a bumbling, uncomfortable woman when first we meet her — aching from loss and grief, both in the form of her relationship with John and her grandmother’s unexpected passing; lost as to what to do with her life. Having spent most of her adult years following men from city to city, she has no career or aspirations. She has no calling. And Camilla, when she was living, could tell her little about her future . . . aside from the premonition about sa cordula. She needs guidance. And through her grandmother’s magical recipes, she finds solace and direction.

Liam’s slow pursuit of Holly was magical, too, and felt honest. Though initially attracted to one another, Holly and Liam don’t suddenly find themselves locked in a passionate embrace. There are so many factors to consider: rules to follow; guidelines that should be met. And it takes a whole lot of thinking and analyzing for them to move forward. Of course, when they do? Well. Love can’t happen along someone else’s guidelines . . . sometimes we make the rules up for ourselves.

I’ve read and loved many of Melissa Senate’s novels, including The Solomon Sisters Wise Up, and this was a departure from her usual fare. Still about women, love and family, yes, but there were no sisters here to speak of — and sisters appear often in Senate’s works! I’m happy to report this is my favorite Senate read of all, and a book I’ll still be thinking about in the months to come. Holly is an inspiration.

Now, where’s that tiramisu? show less

Once again I am won over by a book that transcends its genre and makes me think I should be more broadminded about that genre - chick lit. I've pretty much hated every chick lit book I've ever read. So much of it is about women who care most about shopping, getting into the latest hot new club, their weight, their makeup, and snagging that enormous diamond ring and great big expensive wedding. These characters tend to be so shallow and the books tend to be so thinly written that I end up loathing them. One exception to this is The Devil Wears Prada, although I probably adored the wrong character - I think Miranda Priestly is a goddess and loved that the book was filled with the kind of couture that transcends fashion and becomes art. show more The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate just made this list.

The best thing of all about this book is how simple it is - a good story, simply told. No unnecessary embellishments, no cliches, no stereotypes, just an honestly told story about being in your thirties - a time of life when for most people everything is up for grabs. Everyone in this book is at a crossroads in their lives with their old life down the toilet for whatever reason and the course of their new life still uncertain.

It made me think of the time after my divorce when I had to try to sort out who I was going to be, how I was going to live. It was a hard time for me, for my son, and for my ex-husband. Although I never thought it would come to where it has today, it did work out for the best.

The thread that runs throughout this book is all the ways that cooking and eating and sharing both things bind people together and how having a strong connection to the past, like the one Holly has with her grandmother, is so essential to grounding you in the present. The cooking in this book isn't highlighted in any special way, but rather is a constant in the book, as it should be in real life. It's full of as many burnt bechamel sauces as it is sublime risotto. It acknowledges that the fun is in the process, not necessarily in the product (although it never hurts when the product is great, too). There's an important message here about not being afraid to risk, not being afraid to fail that really resonates with me.

The other thread is Holly's relationship with her recently deceased grandmother. They had a very special relationship and that touched my heart. It made think of my grandmothers, both gone now, and how much they each meant to me and how many things I learned from each of them even though they were very different from each other. They were both an enormous part of helping me become the person I am today and I miss them both almost every day.

This is a warm and beautiful book with an honest simple story that is filled with the good smells of garlic and onion and olive oil filling the house with love and companionship. I adored this book. show less

I always have a hard time reading romances because they tend to be plot driven instead of character driven. This is not one of those occasions. The Love Goddess' Cooking School is a wonderful, romantic Food-Lit and I can't wait to share it. I think Melissa Senate's writing is much like Sarah Addison Allen without the magical realism... and you all know how much I love Sarah Addison Allen.

Melissa Senate has created characters that are incredibly easy to identify with - flawed but redeemable. It's been a long time since I read a novel where I felt connected with almost every character. Ms. Senate does an incredible job of making them empathetic. I loved them all. From Liam, the single dad trying to keep his daughter's world from crumbling show more without her mother, to the recently divorced Simon who is finding his way as a 'weekend dad', to Mia who is trying so hard to figure out where she fits, to Tamara the frustrated serial dater, and Juliet the heartbroken -whose story definitely struck a chord. It's Holly, however with whom I identify the most. Holly can't seem to find a place for herself, falls for the wrong guys, and sometimes sets too much stock in fate and destiny. I love her determination and her desire to see things through. I love that she chose to continue her Nonna's legacy, even though it meant facing her fears and striking out on her own.

As I mentioned, this book is not plot driven, but the unfolding of the character's lives pulls the reader through it at a wonderful pace so that I wasn't racing to see what was going to happen next, but enjoying what was happening now. Did I know where the book was headed? Yes. But it was one of those rare times when I wasn't in a hurry to get there. I was just enjoying the world of Blue Crab Island and it's inhabitants.

The only thing that seemed a tad out of place were the recipes at the end of the book. Not that they weren't related to the story, they were certainly recipes for the meals made at the cooking school. Perhaps it was because the story was so fabulous, but, in the end, the recipes seemed a little superfluous. I can see not wanting to break the continuity of the story by placing them at the ends of chapters, but I think to be included, they needed to be incorporated into the book somehow because it came off feeling like an afterthought. Though not a bad afterthought and that is only my opinion...

I've used the word loved a lot in this post but that's because I thought this book was marvelous - I'm actually running out of synonyms for excellent. This review has been difficult to write because I don't want to gush about it, I'd rather just curl up inside it. It's the perfect balance of love, friendship, and of course, good food.

http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/2011/07/jenns-review-love-goddess-cooking.h... show less

This is one of those books that, before you even crack open the cover, you can pretty much guess what the plot is about and what the ending will be. None of this militates against enjoyment when the need presents itself for something light and happy, preferably involving food.

Holly Maguire inherits her grandmother Camilla’s house and business - a small cooking school and pasta shop on Blue Crab Island, Maine - after her grandmother’s death. Holly had been visiting there when her grandmother died; she came seeking Camilla's comfort following yet another love affair that didn’t work out. Her grandmother, a fortune teller as well as a wonderful cook, predicted long ago that Holly would only know who would be the great love of her show more life when she found someone who liked sa cordula, an Italian delicacy made of stewed lamb intestines. So far, no one had bitten, so to speak.

Holly tries to carry on with Camilla’s cooking classes, and gets four people for her first class, including Mia, the young daughter of a local hot divorced guy. The other students are young thirty-somethings who are in troubled romances. Holly uses her grandmother’s binder of recipes, which always include an “emotional” ingredient: a fervent wish or a sad memory or a happy thought. By explaining to the class what they are adding to the recipes, the students learn to know themselves and each other better, and in the process, create some great meals as well as some new relationships.

Evaluation: Mia, the tween, is a great character, and the others are, well, just as you expected before you opened the book. While similar in some ways to The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, Ms. Senate's writing is not quite at the level of Ms. Bauermeister's. Nevertheless, this book serves up comfort food for both the characters within and the readers without. show less

This was a cute chick lit book about Holly inheriting her grandmother's cooking “school,” her house (where the cooking school was and the little takeout shop within the house in a small town in Maine after her heart was broken (of course). She is not a cook per se, and I loved her experimenting with her grandmother's Italian recipes.

She has four students, one of who is Mia, a 12 year old girl, to me she acted very mature for her age. Holly meets her father Liam and tries not to “fall” in love. I loved the camaraderie between her and her students who became her friends.

The book was good until she started crushing on Liam and then it sort of getting romcom with her obsession and how she talked to him in her head. But otherwise it show more stayed on point with her cooking, selling and perfecting recipes and trying to live off of that and getting jobs without really getting a job.

The ending was open ended which I liked for a change since I have a feeling what it was going to be like in the future, or maybe not. Who's to say. show less

I picked this up at the bookstore one day when I was thinking of my sister-in-law and channeling my mother, who had a fondness for this type of book. She loved a love story, which this was, with a dash of magical realism and cookery thrown into the mix. I did like some of the relationships, wish Holly's Nonna had been around a bit more, liked the growth of the two father/daughter relationships, and sorrowed for Holly's relationship with her mother, and the mother's relationship with her mother. The recipes at the back of the book didn't excite me, though the idea of cooking with wishes and memories did. One slight disappointment: unlike Peak's Island, Maine (which is mentioned in the book, and the setting for two wonderful books by show more Jacqueline Sheehan), Blue Crab Island is not a real place. show less