Review: Chasing the Italian Dream

Chasing the Italian Dream by Jo Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lucia's promotion to partner in a firm of lawyers in Wales is almost assured when she goes to visit her grandparents in Italy. But when she gets to Italy she finds out her Nonno (granddad) is thinking of retiring and selling the family pizzeria, he desperately wants to pass the pizzeria on to a member of the family but Lucia's brother has his own successful business in Wales. Then in an added blow, her Nonno announces that he will instead give the pizzeria to Lucia's estranged husband Giacomo.

Lucia and Giacomo have been separated, but not divorced, for seven years. Lucia can't bear the idea of her family's heritage, being transformed into a chain coffee shop by some conglomerate, but even worse would be to see her family's traditions trashed by Giacomo and his quest for new flavour combinations as a pizzaiolo, a master pizza-maker. When he tells her he intends to install an electric oven to bake his pizzas it's the last straw.

Nonno agrees to a limited period competition between Lucia and Giacomo, the two of them will cook their pizzas in the restaurant. Whoever sells the most pizzas by the time of the annual Bocce competition on 31 August will win the restaurant. But because Nonno believes the village would not stand for a pizzaiola (a woman master pizza-maker) the competition must be a secret.

Lucia may have grown up helping her Nonno make the pizza dough and adding the toppings she has never physically made a pizza before in the wood oven. At first it seems like an impossible task, especially when Giac uses all the ingredients, but then Lucia's Nonna (grandmother) introduces her to the Nonna-network, the unsung women who grow the ingredients and cook at home while the menfolk get all the glory in the restaurants.

This book should come with a warning, or two. First its all about pizza-making so you end up craving a handmade wood-fired pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and rocket. Second, everyone is forever drinking wine and grappa so by 3pm I was also craving a glass of something Italian to wash it down with!

I thoroughly enjoyed this, there were no surprises but it was a fun read and I could almost smell the Italian coffee as I read the book.

I was invited to read this book by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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