" Full review: 50 to 5000 charactersThis is my first look at Mr. Golding's work and I don't think I'd repeat the experiment. Book seemed to make a promising start at rome, then at Bologna it beggan to fizzle out.
Too much space is devoted to a rambling talk on Mozrella including a boring biography of a family engaged in making that cheese. That part could have been cut by at least 75%.
There is more about Sicialian politicians than on food and wine, and what is worse, a lot of uninteresting passages on migrants and their situation. In his foray into literary criticism, he has the termerity to call Prince Guiseppe di Lampedusa's masterpiece "Il Gatopardo" a 'great Sicilian novel.' This work is a masterpiece of world literature. The author states that Greeks were in the area since 2000 BC!
His account of Sardinian cusine is a little better, but one would have liked to hear a bit more about actual food. His description of the lake region of Northern Italy is so diluted with platitudes, it leaves one not knowing whether to curse ofyawn.
The two worst flaws in the book the author's laboured and highly unnecessary use of 'four letter' words, perhaps, to show that is 'modern.' His emphasis to making every thing or place worth in commercial terms is very unattractive.
It is a pity that a splendid reader has been assigned to read such a book. "
— Tarquin, 7/4/2021