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2 Works 197 Membros 23 Críticas

About the Author

Image credit: Photo by Wayne Earl Chinnock

Obras por Crystal King

The Chef's Secret: A Novel (2019) 74 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
female
Nacionalidade
USA
Locais de residência
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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Crystal King grew up in the Pacific Northwest but now calls Boston home. As a marketing and social media professional, she has taught classes in writing, creativity, and social media at Harvard Extension School, Boston University, Mass College of Art, UMass Boston and GrubStreet writing center. Crystal's passion for ancient history and the world of food and wine has fueled both her writing and her love of the country of Italy. She has been learning the Italian language for the better part of the last decade. Feast of Sorrow is her debut novel.

Membros

Críticas

 
Assinalado
RavinScarface | 13 outras críticas | Dec 13, 2020 |
Crystal King is a brilliant author and I loved her debut novel Feast of Sorrow. The Chef’s Secret is a fantastic follow-up in which King recreates the life and secrets of Bartolomeo Scappi, a real-life figure who authored one of the bestselling cookbooks and served as a private chef to the Vatican during the Renaissance. Despite his far-reaching influence on Italian culture and cuisine, much of Scappi’s personal life remains unknown. King takes some artistic license by imagining Scappi’s humble origins, his role in court intrigue, and his involvement in a forbidden romance.

King has a talent for engaging the five senses with her writing; what she does to taste is akin to what Patrick Süskind does to smell. Her delectable descriptions of the culinary arts are enough to make one’s mouth water. It’s clear when reading her works that King has done extensive research in order to capture the essence of 16th century Italian food, culture, and society and bring them to life.

I highly recommend The Chef’s Secret (as well as Feast of Sorrow) to any foodies or lovers of historical fiction. For those who enjoy cooking, King also wrote a companion cookbook filled with Renaissance Italian recipes, which can be downloaded from her website: https://www.crystalking.com/thechefssecret
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
hianbai | 8 outras críticas | Apr 12, 2020 |
Follows a talented cook in Ancient Rome through the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius. Enslaved Thrasius navigates a dangerous political climate and the changing whims of his avaricious gourmand of a master, Apicius as he serves extravagant dishes to Rome’s most powerful patricians. Richly detailed and emotionally evocative, King presents a sumptuous feast of a novel inspired by a centuries-old collection of recipes. Her world-building is excellent; she instantly drew me into the past through her sensory-laden prose. May leave you hungry, may not — depends on how deeply you crave peacock meatballs, milk snails, and flamingo tongues.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
sulla2 | 13 outras críticas | Oct 13, 2019 |
Bartolomeo Scappi, the cuoco secreto to the pope died suddenly in 1577. In his will Barto leaves his estate and name to his nephew and apprentice, Giovanni. When Giovanni is readying himself to take over his uncle's role, another kitchen apprentice tells him that upon his deathbed Barto gave him keys to several lock boxes and made him promise to burn the journal s inside. Giovanni can not resist the pull of his uncle's secrets and dives into Barto's life. After deciphering the code that many entries were in, Gio begins to discover that his uncle was much more than an amazing cook and mentor. Barto harbored many secrets as well as a love that could change everything. As Giovanni and his friends dive deeper into Barto's affairs they uncover the danger in what Barto was hiding as well as a connection that will change their lives forever.

With perfectly portioned parts, The Chef's Secret is a delectable mix of historical fiction, romance and mystery in Renaissance Italy. With an intimate look into the kitchens of the Renaissance, the food comes alive off the page. I could imagine the intricate sugar sculptures and smell the hearty broths and I was amazed at the level of food production for the clergy. The format of the book goes back and forth between Giovanni and Bartolomeo's points of view as Giovanni reads through Barto's journals. Through the changing points of view, the characters show their care for one another. Giovanni respected and looked up to Bartolomeo and Barto did everything he could to provide for Gio. While deciphering the journals, Gio also leans heavily on his friends that help him navigate the dangers that appear after Barto's death. I did figure out one of the larger mysteries early on, however the adventure and excitement of Barto's life as well as the suspense of Gio figuring out how Barto's past affects his present. The ending quickly ramped up in suspense, but ended on a beautiful note. I was very pleased to learn about the real Bartolomeo and Giovanni. While they may not have had such amazing adventures, their lives were still important to culinary history. Overall, a thrilling read that will delight your senses through Renaissance Italy.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
Mishker | 8 outras críticas | Jun 19, 2019 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
2
Membros
197
Popularidade
#111,410
Avaliação
3.9
Críticas
23
ISBN
13

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