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Keeping the Feast: One Couple's Story of Love, Food, and Healing in Italy Audiobook
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(3.02) - 355 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Paula and John met in Italy, fell in love, and married in Rome four years later. But less than a month after the wedding, tragedy struck. They had transferred from their Italian paradise to Warsaw and, while reporting on an uprising in Romania, John was shot and nearly killed by sniper fire. Although he recovered from his physical wounds in less than a year, the process of healing had just begun. Unable to regain his equilibrium, he sank into a deep sadness that reverberated throughout their relationship. It was the abrupt end of what they'd known together and the beginning of a new phase of life neither had planned for. All of a sudden, Paula was forced to reexamine her marriage, her husband, and herself.
Paula began to reconsider all of her previous assumptions about healing. She discovered that sometimes patience can be a vice and anger a virtue; that sometimes it is vital to make demands of the sick that they show signs of getting better. And she rediscovered the importance of the most fundamental of human rituals: the daily sharing of food around the family table.
A universal story of hope and healing, Keeping the Feast is an account of one couple's triumph over tragedy and illness, and a celebration of the simple rituals of life, even during the worst life crises. Beautifully written and tremendously moving, Paula's story is a testament to the extraordinary sustaining powers of food and love, and to the stubborn belief that there is always an afterward—there is always hope.
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"This true story really touched me. The food descriptions were amazing. I have read many books that take place in Italy, but this one really made me want to travel there one day. My only regret is that she didn't include any recipes, but still a really enjoyable read."
— Becky (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Keeping the Feast shares with Julie Powell's Julie & Julia and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love the insight that food can jump-start a journey toward solace.
— The New York Times -
“Keeping the Feast shares with Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love the insight that food can jump-start a journey toward solace.”
— New York Times -
“Narrator Renée Raudman adopts an appropriately somber tone as she describes the painful events that took place in the couple’s lives.”
— AudioFile -
"Keeping the Feast is a triumph of will and spirit. It made me hungry for everything.”
— Abigail Thomas, author of A Three Dog Life -
“If food is love and love heals, does that mean that food heals? Paula Butturini proves the equation in gorgeous yet unadorned prose. I will never, ever forget this book.”
— Patricia Volk, author of Stuffed
Keeping the Feast Listener Reviews
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" I thought this would be a really interesting book, but wasn't overly impressed. The story follows Paula and John - they meet in Italy and end up getting married there as well. They are both journalists and end up covering a lot of the Eastern European country collapses - where they are both injured within months of each other - John more seriously since he was shot. In order to deal with John's physical and psychological healing the couple decides to move back to Italy since they had so many good memories there. John took a long time to heal, but ultimately he did recover. My main issue with the book was that each chapter had both childhood/earlier memories followed by the continuation of John's recovery, but it came across kind of choppy to me. It was fun reading about Italy and all the wonderful food, but that was pretty much the only good part. It was OK, but not great by any means. "
— Jessica, 2/19/2014 -
" It wasn't what I expected the book to be but it was enjoyable. A good story about the resiliency of a marriage and the healing power of food and love of a place "
— Grayson, 2/18/2014 -
" Not everyone's memoirs are worth publishing! "
— LeAnn, 2/1/2014 -
" Author couldn't decide whether she wanted to write a food memoir or a depression memoir or a marital memoir. Combining all three was not a good idea. I became really bored by the food parts. "
— Anne, 1/26/2014 -
" Good memoir of a couple who are news reporters and their tragic events in that marked their lives forever. How healing took place thru love, supporting each other and eating wonderful Italian food that sustained them back to health. "
— Nancy, 12/22/2013 -
" Butturini quietly and effectively chronicles her life as both the daughter of a depressed mother and the wife of a depressed husband. In lush detail, she describes her relationship with and love of food both during her Italian-American childhood in Connecticut and throughout her life as an expatriate journalist in Europe. "
— Jennifer, 12/17/2013 -
" I LOVED everything about this book. The love story, the writing and especially the FOOD! Do not read this book on an empty stomach! "
— Kristen, 12/16/2013 -
" I wanted to be in Italy and cook the way Paula and her family and friends do.. *sigh*. This is not the case, however, I did enjoy this warm, touching story of family, love and healing. "
— Karlyn, 12/12/2013 -
" What a journey...amazing love and resilience. "
— Shanon, 12/12/2013 -
" More about dealing with depression than about their marriage like I expected it to be. Enjoyable. "
— Melissa, 12/9/2013 -
" For persons with some tread on them---a lovely, honest, colorful presentation of learning and celebrating the best things in life. A moving read of love and fidelity to which I say, Amen. "
— Theresa, 12/7/2013 -
" A beautiful book! I loved all the descriptions of food, the personal stories from Butturini's childhood, and the ties to her more recent life and turmoil amidst her husband's depression. Wonderfully written and full of vivid, rich detail. "
— Andi, 11/23/2013 -
" Very disappointed in this memoir. "
— Christi, 10/22/2012 -
" It was a powerful story that got better and more gripping as it went along. I found the ending incredibly hopeful as well. "
— Mary, 10/14/2012 -
" Good book about depression and hardship and the role food can play in keeping the beasts at bay. "
— Sally, 9/7/2012 -
" Beautifully written. Highly recommend this memoir. "
— Rosemary, 6/25/2012 -
" A tribute to all those mothers whose sense of family and belonging starts with sahred meals and the power that ensues. "
— Marian, 6/14/2012 -
" Another food/life memoir that made me want to travel and stuff my face full of food. The author and her husband are both reporters in Europe in the early 90s and suffer a series of on the job injuries, and heal through food and therapy. "
— Meg, 12/11/2010 -
" Less about food and travel; more about depression and hardship within the author's family. "
— Lesa, 5/19/2010
About Paula Butturini
Paula Butturini has worked in overseas bureaus in London, Madrid, Rome, and Warsaw for United Press International and the Chicago Tribune.
About Renée Raudman
Renée Raudman is an actor and Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator. She has performed on film, television, radio, and on stage and can also be heard in several video games and hundreds of television and radio voice-overs.