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From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home Audiobook
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A 2020 Audie Award Finalist
One of AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2019!
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour.
It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black American woman, an actress no less. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forges on. They build a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopt at birth. Eventually, they reconcile with Saro’s family just as he faces a formidable cancer that will consume all their dreams.
From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family and his origins, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother in law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s incredible romance—an indelible love story that leaps off the pages.
In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. Her story is about loss, but it’s really about love found. Her story is about travel, but it’s really about finding a home. It is about food, but it’s really about chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and needed a powerful reminder that life is…delicious.
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"Actor Tembi Locke narrates her memoir in a smooth, warm voice that carries the listener through her story of falling in love with Saro, an engaging Sicilian chef, his early death from cancer, and how time with his family helped heal her intense grief. Locke's memoir frequently shifts timeframes, alternately voicing the devastation of his death and the joy of their life together. Locke captivates as she tells of her love for Saro and their daughter, Zoela; the pain of rejection by his family when he married her, a black American; and the bittersweet joy of reconciliation during his illness. Listeners will savor Locke's lyrical English and Italian, and will be swept away by scenes in his Sicilian village of finding solace in food made with love.""
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“This beautiful memoir takes us on Tembi’s personal journey of love, parenthood, and ultimately the loss of her husband, Saro. She learns to heal in the most beautiful way—through the support of three generations of women—and yes, there’s Italian food!”
— Reese Witherspoon -
“Tembi Locke’s moving, vivid memoir is an epic cross-cultural romance, a tragedy, a tale of self-discovery, and, best of all, a testament to the simple healing powers of good food.”
— Shelf Awareness -
“Actor Tembi Locke narrates her memoir in a smooth, warm voice that carries the listener through her story…Listeners will savor Locke’s lyrical English and Italian and will be swept away by scenes in his Sicilian village of finding solace in food made with love. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“A captivating story of love lost and found.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Actress and TEDx speaker Locke movingly describes the process of grieving and finding solace during three summers in Italy..Locke’s raw and heartfelt memoir will uplift readers suffering from the loss of their own loved ones.”
— Publishers Weekly
Awards
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New York Times bestseller
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A #1 Amazon.com bestseller in Biographies/Memoirs of Chefs
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A Reese’s Book Club Pick
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An AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year selection
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A 2020 Audie Award Finalist for Best Narration in Biography & Memoir
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About Tembi Locke
Tembi Locke is an accomplished actor who has appeared in over forty television shows and films, including The Magicians, NCIS: LA, and Animal Kingdom. She is also a TEDx speaker. Her talk “What Forty Steps Taught Me about Love and Grief” traces her journey as a cancer caregiver. Locke is the creative voice behind the Kitchen Widow, a web series and grief support community that has received mentions in the New York Times and the Guardian. She lives in Los Angeles with her young daughter but can be found each summer on the island of Sicily.