Product Description

In this fascinating follow-up to the highly successful "Dear Francesca", Mary Contini writes to her other daughter, Olivia, to tell the story of her great-grandparents, the humble Italian shepherds who emigrated to Edinburgh and then helped to transform Britain's food culture. Sharing some of the recipes that they brought over - the tomatoes, the garlic, the sausage, the wine - this is a mouthwatering memoir of family and food. It is also a brilliant evocation of life between the wars, a triumphant story of survival against all the odds, that captures the sights and smells of Italian life and culture, at home and abroad.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82412 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1 pages

Review
"Uplifts and inspires... She has augmented the family legends with historical research and imagination to produce a tale of a hardy tribe bonded by faith, a powerful work ethic and a deep love of home-cured sausage." Sunday Times "... there is an added pleasure to reading Mary Contini, that comes from the importance of food in her life... The book bursts with flavour." Financial Times "A recipe for a rich and rewarding life... Dear Olivia is essentially the story of one man's journey, but is also a story of one community, two nations, and how they grew and flourished together." Scotsman "Mary Contini has given her ancestors words and tears and awkward relationships, fear and love and hope. She has done so with remarkable tenderness, skill and bravery." The List"

About the Author
MARY CONTINI is based in Edinburgh and first generation Italian Scot is a director of the famous delicatessen and wine merchant, Valvona & Crolla. She has written extensively for The Scotsman, appeared on TV and Radio and has co-presented Scotland's Larder on STV. Her children's cookery Books, Easy Peasy, co-authored with Pru Irvine are now in their 8th year.

Customer Reviews

A superb read
I could not put this book down. It is very well written. The historical content of Italian immigrants to Scotland is very interesting plus very moving. The "poetic license" that adds a story to fact makes for a real love story/family saga. Mary Contini's description of Italian food and style of cooking made me demand to taken out to a true Italian restaurant. The description of the food will have your mouth watering! Even the open chapter which involves the slaughtering of a pig will have you longing for real Italian sausage! I highly recommend this book - it is a good rip a long read!

Real life as it was for who emigrated
I'm slightly biased with the review for this book....as part of what was written could be the story of my family. My grandfather emigrated to Scotland from Italy in the 1910's and it is natural that the story struck a cord deep down. The journey begins in 1913 when one of the Crolla's - Alfonso decides to emigrate to Edinburgh with his young wife and finishes after the Second World War. It recounts of the difficulties they encountered both in peace time and duting the war, of how they conquered them to make a better life for themselves and of the beginnings of the famous delicatessen Valvona and Crolla in Edinburgh.