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Liked It “A book of loves gone wrong. Giulia seems to have dated every worthless dick out there and lets them live long in this memoir. Her recipes sound delicious and I will be trying them out soon.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “I didn't love it.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A book of loves gone wrong. Giulia seems to have dated every worthless dick out there and lets them live long in this memoir. Her recipes sound delicious and I will be trying them out soon.”
Baglady wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Chick lit; the title says what the book is about; some of the recipes intertwined with the story are ones that I would like to try.”
Sue M wrote this review Saturday, November 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti Giulia Melucci
Tenia F wrote this review Friday, October 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
3 stars
Filled with recipes, this book made me hungry. Giulia Melucci goes through lots of boyfriends, wooing them with food and keeping them way past there expiration date. She knows it, but always hopes this one is the one. Besides the recipes not a great book, I wanted to slap the author and shout dump him!”“The story of Giulia Melucci's unsuccessful search for true love and the food she cooked along the way. A humourous look at the plight of the unmarried New York intellectual who is better with manicotti than with men. The recipes sprinkled throughout are easy and convince you learning to cook is easier than learning to love. ”
Virginia V wrote this review Saturday, September 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I didn't love it.”
vsquared wrote this review Friday, September 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Clever book and a good, easy beach read. Managed to make one of the recipes included and enjoyed it very much. ”
Camille B wrote this review Wednesday, August 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I loved this book. What single woman doesn't want to read about someone else's dating trials and get great easy recipes at the same time?!
Boulder Public Library wrote this review Monday, August 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Melissa, Circulation”
“Do Not Read This Book On An Empty Stomach! Now that I have that warning out of the way I will proceed with my review of “I Loved I Lost Made Spaghetti:” I loved it! On one level Melucci’s tome is an insightful memoir of her romantic entanglements. On another level it is a philosophy of cooking book. In short, it is what you would have if you combined Carrie Bradshaw with Carmela Soprano.
Kim V wrote this review Wednesday, July 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Melucci is a successful, Brooklyn, singleton who is looking for her other half. In wooing her suitors Melucci is a devotee of the “way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” school. Thus, whenever she meets her next potential Mr. Right she serves up exquisite meals such as: Risotto with Intricately Layered Hearts; Salmon with Lemon-Tarragon Butter; Linguine with Friendly Little Fish, Orzo Salad with Feta, and French Lentil Stew.
Unfortunately, for Melucci, her 5 star efforts in the kitchen are enjoyed by: 1) an alcoholic; 2) a commitmentphobe; 3) an aging hipster; 4) a geriatric lunatic; and 5) a user. Melucci, however, does not lay all of the blame at her boyfriends’ feet. Rather she admits that “I had a remarkable ability for turning any picture into the picture I wanted to see: me with a husband. My imagination had the flexibility of a thirteen year-old Chinese gymnast.” She also confesses that “maybe I’m not as ready as I think I am.”
Still I couldn’t help but think when reading about actions, in say, dropping everything to rendezvous with a new suitor that she might have won him if she hadn’t repeatedly violated The Rules. If you are not familiar with this dating bible it preaches that women must “play hard to get” to bag her man. Ironically, Melucci states that she did have a coaching session from one of The Rules authors, but failed to adhere to the advice. Yes, this philosophy is dated, and sexist, but personally I believe it works. Tellingly, Melucci notes that several of her boyfriends later married other women.
“I Loved, I Lost” is also a terrific cookbook. Melucci’s philosophy of cooking is surprisingly straightforward and attainable: “the only true essentials . . . are fine ingredients and a sense of how to use them.” Hence, the recipes are simple and sound tasty. I have even made a few (Linguine with Friendly with Fishes and a Baby Arugula with Avocado Salad). She also adds thoughtful flourishes to her meals like serving hot meals in warm bowls. This is a nice touch and one that I rarely think to do. Lastly, I especially love her commitment to making enjoyable meals even if she’s “only” cooking for one. As she muses, “though I much prefer cooking for two to cooking for one, if one is all I have, I cook for her.” Buon Appetito!
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“I enjoyed the book. All the foods she talks about are in the book. She makes it sound as if it is very easy to prepare.”
CHOLLY1978 wrote this review Thursday, June 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“stick to this in print. loses much appeal on audio,found myself skipping through recipes 'cause i felt they interuppted the story. nowhere near as compelling a novel as julie/julia was for me.again,feel this story is best enjoyed on page.”
austen-tatious wrote this review Tuesday, May 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
