Keeping the Feast: One Couple's Story of Love, Food, and Healing in Italy Hardcover – February 18, 2010

First of all, the quality of the writing is superb. The author's beautiful writing makes this true story even more poignant because she evokes the emotions and feel of situations so compellingly. It is the story of a couple's healing after he is shot in Romania. Added to the suspenseful tale of his recovery is the background of places such as Prague but, most especially, Rome and the delight and healing nature of life in that city, of the sensuality of Italian food, of the curative nature of what Italy offered them. The rituals of preparing and sharing meals are a thread as the author relates both her own background and her husband's. When I heard the author speak, however, she chose to empasize the depression that hit her family and her husband as a way of bringing the issue of depression more out into the open. Certainly her book will be helpful to anyone who has dealt with that, perhaps especially to anyone who has a family member suffering from PTSD.

Keeping the Feast is a wonderful memoir. Though it is about difficult topics - violence and its aftermath and depression, the story wonderfully affirms the love and commitment that Paula Butturini and her husband, John Tagliabue had for one another. Moving to Italy, which they both loved, in an effort to achieve healing for John, afforded Paula opportunity to immerse herself in cooking. And oh! what wonderful food. Preparing the daily meal was an act of love, and as such, she gave herself to its creation. The meal, the feast, becomes the symbol of love as it has since Biblical times. Ultimately, their story is one of hope also. Keeping the Feast is a feast of reading that leaves the reader totally satisfied.

Loved this book and have recommended it to friends. She is a beautiful writer who tells a great story of the double whammy of depression in the family of origin and then in a spouse, after a tragic accident, intertwined with a wonderful story about the nurturing power not only of food but how food brings family and friends together in all the small, daily moments that count, toward healing. Uplifting and inspiring for anyone facing external crises who needs the steady routines and rituals that keep us together.

The plot and the characters were well developed and likable. My only negative comment would be in relation to the long lists of various foods (although food is a serious aspect of the story), because they interrupt the plot. I cared about the characters and was rooting for them to overcome their enormous difficulties.

First, this is a very well written book about the effects of depression on those who suffer from it, directly and indirectly. But it is quite grim for a long period of time, despite the descriptions of luscious food prepared and consumed, as a daily therapy for both the husband and wife, caught in this recovery/coping process. So if you are thinking Frances Mayes, look elsewhere. The author has a very rudimentary understanding of what happened to her husband when he was recovering from his gunshot wound, and I was frustrated by the explanations that did not make complete sense to me. Her comments about depression and it's treatment understandable reflect her experiences and hint at opinions that must have been researched at one time, but there is no data, merely the impression that ECT should not have been dropped in treating depression, and that treatment at the time was in throes to big pharma. (Which recent a article showed overstated the efficacy of antidepressants, so she was right, if prescient.) The lack of data means it isn't a book to guide one dealing with depression. The lack of recipes means one can't even try to cook ones way out! Unless one can move to Rome. I am not quite sure what this book is intended to do, other than make you go out for Italian food, or cook it yourself. Odd book, rather grim.

I loved this book and ended up buying multiple copies for gifts. It is a beautiful true love story about how a woman's devotion plus a move to Italy revived a sick and depressed man.

I loved the author's descriptions of the places and the foods. I logged on to Google earth and went to a street level view of the neighborhood she described in Rome. It was just as I imagined from her description. This book is an easy read, enjoyable, and a little different from anything I had read before.

Beautifully written, inspirational story that touches the soul and gives hope to the reader.

The book was well packed and arrived by return. It is an interesting mix of recipes, thoughts and a good story alongside. Would recommend it to anyone interested in cooking and lifestyle.