OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile
Stanley Tucci narrates this moving, funny, heartwarming, and gut-wrenching audiobook with vigor and style. Not surprisingly, he reads with an actor’s attention to language, rhythm, and emotion. An Italophile, he pronounces the many mouthwatering Italian dishes—pastas, sauces, and signature cocktail recipes—with reverence. His delivery of his unalloyed love for generations of Tuccis is personal, and his account of his horrific battle with throat cancer is revealing. As he describes his lifelong preoccupation with cooking and cuisine, he sounds like an actor stepping to the front of the stage and talking directly to his audience. His memoir is to be relished—especially as an audiobook. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"Through food and scenes of family life, Stanley Tucci shares both his personal story and his celebration of all-things taste. With tales from peanut butter sandwiches to lobster in Maine, with recipes from the perfect Negroni to his wife’s roast potatoes, he draws us to his table. Come hungry for the food, the cocktails, the gossip and the fun. Just never, ever, cut up your spaghetti." –Yotam Ottolenghi
"An instant classic, Stanley Tucci's TASTE is as captivating, simple, charming and insanely moreish as the best Italian food. Take it to bed with you and you will fall asleep dreaming you're in Italy. But take it to the kitchen and you will find yourself using it as often as a pan or a peeler." –Stephen Fry
"A delicious story of appetite, family and pasta. A serious amount of pasta. In this gloriously written memoir, the ever tasteful Stanley Tucci invites us to his table and feeds us all the good stuff." –Jay Rayner
"It’s impossible to read this without becoming ravenous!” –Nigella Lawson
"Our relationship with fire and food has shaped us as human beings, it connects us in a unique way, to ourselves, the people we love and this beautiful planet we live on. It is a wonderful story of and told by a wonderful man through his food memories. It is as infectious as it is delicious, as funny as it is insightful. The only reason to put this book down, is to go cook and eat from it.” –Heston Blumenthal
"Funny, heart-breaking, fascinating, intimate and beautifully-written.” –Kate Mosse
"This superb book...Taste enriches the reader and establishes Tucci as one of the wisest and most generous personalities of our time." — Roger Lewis, Daily Mail
"The man, the myth, The Devil Wears Prada legend Stanley Tucci has blessed our hungry souls with a food memoir to feed our mounting appetite for the actor and cook’s wit, warmth and, let’s face it: tight polo shirts. He divulges some of his most treasured memories and stories behind favourite recipes — prepare to feel bereaved when it’s over."—Joanna Taylor, Evening Standard
"Reading this book will make you more attentive to the glorious — or modest — food on your table, and to the people with whom you are privileged to share it." —Jennifer Reese, The Washington Post
"Like the enormous layered pasta pie that starred in the 1996 movie Big Night, Stanley Tucci’s new memoir is a gastronome’s delight." —Bookpage
"Tucci is not only a prolific actor and writer, but his zest for food, travel, culture, and life is contagious." —Edith G. Tolchin, New York Journal of Books
Library Journal
12/01/2021
Actor Tucci waxes nostalgic in his new entry into the realm of culinary memoirs, following his new CBS show Searching for Italy and two cookbooks (The Tucci Cookbook; The Tucci Table). Tucci begins with a meandering reminiscence about his early years in Westchester County, New York, with vivid descriptions of his immigrant family's Italian cooking, conveyed in an irreverent, conversational style. Later chapters delve into fare that Tucci was served by family, restauranteurs, and friends at home, on vacation, and on set—in Italy and beyond. Some anecdotes are conveyed in the form of scenes from a screenplay, adding a lively, humorous touch. Sprinkled throughout are a handful of family recipes for cocktails and memorable dishes (e.g., Spaghetti con Zucchine alla Nerano) of varying complexity and portion size. The book changes course when its focus shifts away from Tucci's own personal experiences and instead begins discussing Italian culinary history and well-known chefs and personalities (including Julia Child, who needs no introduction). Overall, an entertaining glimpse into Tucci's passion for cooking both with and for his friends and extended family. VERDICT A no-brainer for fans of Tucci or those interested in food memoirs; this heartfelt account will also appeal to anyone interested in Italian home cooking.—Rebecca Brody, Westfield State Univ., MA
OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile
Stanley Tucci narrates this moving, funny, heartwarming, and gut-wrenching audiobook with vigor and style. Not surprisingly, he reads with an actor’s attention to language, rhythm, and emotion. An Italophile, he pronounces the many mouthwatering Italian dishes—pastas, sauces, and signature cocktail recipes—with reverence. His delivery of his unalloyed love for generations of Tuccis is personal, and his account of his horrific battle with throat cancer is revealing. As he describes his lifelong preoccupation with cooking and cuisine, he sounds like an actor stepping to the front of the stage and talking directly to his audience. His memoir is to be relished—especially as an audiobook. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
