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Author |
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Lily Prior lives in London, England.
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Of
Note... |
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 Some discussion
questions (from
HarperCollins.com):
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During the twenty-five years she is in
Palermo, Rosa receives only two letters from her mother. How would you
describe their relationship, both before Rosa journeys to Palermo and
after she returns home?
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After Bartolomeo's death, Rosa retreats into
la cucina for solace and then leaves for Palermo. Why do you think she
chose to leave Castiglione and her family? Why does she not return for
such a long period of time?
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Rosa and l'Inglese are instantly attracted to
one another. What is it that l'Inglese sees in Rosa that she does not
see in herself?
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Compare Rosa's love for and relationship with
Bartolomeo to that of l'Inglese. How does each relationship alter
Rosa's life and what does she learn from each one?
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Current Selection
- October 2002
La Cucina: A Novel of Rapture
$13.00
From
Lily Prior's home page:
Since
childhood, Rosa Fiore - daughter of a sultry Sicilian matriarch and her
hapless husband - found solace in her family’s kitchen. La Cucina—the heart
of the family’s lush estate--was a place where generations of Fiore women
prepared sumptuous feasts, and where the drama of extended family life was
played out around the age-old table.
When Rosa was a
teenager, her own cooking became the stuff of legend in the small community
that took pride in the bounty of its landscape and the eccentricity of its
inhabitants. Rosa’s infatuation with culinary arts could only rival her
passion for a young man, Bartollomeo, who, unfortunately, belonged to
another. After their love affair ends in tragedy, Rosa retreats first into
her kitchen, and then into solitude, as a librarian in Palermo. There she
stays for decades, growing corpulent on her succulent dishes, resigned to a
loveless life.
Then, one day, she
meets the mysterious chef, known only as I’Inglese, whose research on the
heritage of Sicilian cuisine leads him into Rosa’s library and her heart.
They share one sublime summer of discovery, during which l’Inglese awakens
the power of Rosa’s sexuality, and together they reach new heights of
culinary passion. When l’Inglese suddenly vanishes, Rosa returns home to the
farm to grieve for her second love lost. In the comfort of familiar
surroundings, amongst her growing family,
she discovers the truth about her loved ones and finds her life transformed
once more by the magic of her beloved Cucina.
Exuberant
and touching, La Cucina is a magical evocation of life’s mysterious seasons,
and the treasures found in each one. It celebrates family, food, passion,
and the eternal rapture of romance.
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