Review - Bella Figura
Bella Figura: How to Live, Love, and Eat the Italian Way
by Kamin Mohammadi
release date 5/8/2018
304 pages
Chapter length: short
3 out of 5 stars
I received a copy of this eBook from Penguin Random House's First to Read program in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Bella Figura: How to Live, Love, and Eat the Italian Way is part memoir, part travel guide, part cookbook, and part self-help book. In it, the author tells the story of how she left behind her unhappy, dissatisfying life in England and moved to Florence, Italy. In Florence, Kamin meets her many neighbors who instruct her how to live life Italian style. By diving into this new culture, she loses weight, overcomes stress, and even finds love. Each chapter concludes with an authentic Italian recipe.
As a memoir, Bella Figura is definitely in the middle of the pack. The author does a good job of getting you involved in the story and explaining her feelings. At the same time, quite a bit of the book is dedicated to her failed relationships. While I understand that these were major events in the author's life, I would have liked to have a more multi-faceted picture of who Kamin is.
As a travel book, I think the author did a good job of describing life in Florence. I've visited Florence and truly loved it. It was really a pleasure to revisit it through this book. The photo above was taken on a trip to France, but I think it reminds me a lot of the beautiful streets that make up the backdrop of the book.
I enjoyed the cookbook aspect of this book. While I'm not sure that I'll go back through it and try out the recipes, it was a very unique touch that I don't recall having seen in anything else I've read.
I think the self-help portion of Bella Figura is its weakest aspect. At the end of the book, the author gives us a list of her tips to transform your life, most of which include walking everywhere, having long leisurely meals, and eating locally sourced foods. While all of these are great tips, they are hard to carry out outside of European cities. I don't know that they would be useful or helpful to people living in American suburbs.
Overall, I give this book 3 out 5 stars. It was a fun, quick read. If you like memoirs or Italian culture, I think you will enjoy Bella Figura.
If you'd like to read this book, please consider using my link to purchase it from Amazon and help support Blonde Bibliotaph.
by Kamin Mohammadi
release date 5/8/2018
304 pages
Chapter length: short
3 out of 5 stars
I received a copy of this eBook from Penguin Random House's First to Read program in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Bella Figura: How to Live, Love, and Eat the Italian Way is part memoir, part travel guide, part cookbook, and part self-help book. In it, the author tells the story of how she left behind her unhappy, dissatisfying life in England and moved to Florence, Italy. In Florence, Kamin meets her many neighbors who instruct her how to live life Italian style. By diving into this new culture, she loses weight, overcomes stress, and even finds love. Each chapter concludes with an authentic Italian recipe.
As a memoir, Bella Figura is definitely in the middle of the pack. The author does a good job of getting you involved in the story and explaining her feelings. At the same time, quite a bit of the book is dedicated to her failed relationships. While I understand that these were major events in the author's life, I would have liked to have a more multi-faceted picture of who Kamin is.
As a travel book, I think the author did a good job of describing life in Florence. I've visited Florence and truly loved it. It was really a pleasure to revisit it through this book. The photo above was taken on a trip to France, but I think it reminds me a lot of the beautiful streets that make up the backdrop of the book.
I enjoyed the cookbook aspect of this book. While I'm not sure that I'll go back through it and try out the recipes, it was a very unique touch that I don't recall having seen in anything else I've read.
I think the self-help portion of Bella Figura is its weakest aspect. At the end of the book, the author gives us a list of her tips to transform your life, most of which include walking everywhere, having long leisurely meals, and eating locally sourced foods. While all of these are great tips, they are hard to carry out outside of European cities. I don't know that they would be useful or helpful to people living in American suburbs.
Overall, I give this book 3 out 5 stars. It was a fun, quick read. If you like memoirs or Italian culture, I think you will enjoy Bella Figura.
If you'd like to read this book, please consider using my link to purchase it from Amazon and help support Blonde Bibliotaph.
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