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83rd out of 249 books
—
293 voters
Tomato Rhapsody: A Fable of Love, Lust & Forbidden Fruit
by
Adam Schell (Goodreads Author)
A village in Tuscany is the setting for this joyous debut—a novel that defies all our expectations as it puts a fresh, clever, captivating spin on the age-old tale of forbidden love. Rich in literary delights, filled with spectacular wordplay, and rife with the bawdy humor of Shakespeare’s comedies, Tomato Rhapsody is the almost-true tale of how the tomato came to Italy—at...more
Hardcover, 340 pages
Published
June 23rd 2009
by Delacorte Press
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Wow. Just – wow. I really wasn’t sure when I started … but wow – e cosi bello!
I’ll never look at tomato sauce the same way again.
It was an extraordinary book. It’s a fable about how the tomato came to Europe, and how it overcame the strange, popular prejudice that it was extremely and immediately poisonous, to become inseparable from Italian cuisine. It’s also about a wicked stepfather, the oppression of Jews in early Renaissance Europe, the curing of olives, Christopher Columbus, Catholic miss...more
I’ll never look at tomato sauce the same way again.
It was an extraordinary book. It’s a fable about how the tomato came to Europe, and how it overcame the strange, popular prejudice that it was extremely and immediately poisonous, to become inseparable from Italian cuisine. It’s also about a wicked stepfather, the oppression of Jews in early Renaissance Europe, the curing of olives, Christopher Columbus, Catholic miss...more
12 likes · like · see review
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Mar 28, 2012
Kim
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mt-tbr-challenge,
kindle
This is a most unusual novel. Set in 15th century Tuscany, it's a tale of love, lust, food and life. It features broad and bawdy comedy, poignant drama, rhyming dialogue (said to be in imitation of the peasant dialect of the place and time), random Italian words and phrases, commedia dell'arte elements, authorial asides, sensual descriptions of the joys of eating a tomato and creative explanations for the origin of foods such as tomato sauce and pizza.
I've noted that the book polarises opinion....more
12 likes · like · see review
Jan 18, 2012
Judy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all my novel-reading friends
Recommended to Judy by:
Janice
Adam Schell has cooked up a gourmet treat to delight all the readers' senses. His recipe includes bushels of charm, wit and cleverness mixed with a delicious plot and saucy personalities. Take above ingredients and wrap them in Tuscan history, sprinkle with a dash of suspense, season with heartbreak, Christopher Columbus (really!) and failure, then steam all the above in sweet romance for 338 pages and glory in a delectable gourmet treat.
Davido and his grandfather are sixteenth century, despised...more
Davido and his grandfather are sixteenth century, despised...more
10 likes · like · see review
So sometimes when I'm commuting, I have to hold my kindle close to my chest to make sure no one can glance over my shoulder and see what I'm reading. I had to with Tomato Rhapsody. About halfway through this frivolous light read, the most objectionable sentence in modern literature rears its head.
"One could not simply masturbate a donkey."
Be warned: this novel contains a LOT of donkey penises. Like, personally, one donkey penis is too many. But donkey cocks are responsible for a couple of major...more
"One could not simply masturbate a donkey."
Be warned: this novel contains a LOT of donkey penises. Like, personally, one donkey penis is too many. But donkey cocks are responsible for a couple of major...more
Adam Schell's comic novel, "Tomato Rhapsody," is an original paean to the Shakespearean comedy - the entire novel sings with the same gusto as Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing." The sun-kissed hill-sides of Tuscany is the perfect setting for tales of comic, romantic silliness.
Schell's novel revolves around the introduction of the tomato to Europe, but involves much more than that. Starting with a hilarious opening scene involving a braying donkey and its tremendous "e...more
Schell's novel revolves around the introduction of the tomato to Europe, but involves much more than that. Starting with a hilarious opening scene involving a braying donkey and its tremendous "e...more
Fabulous! Wonderful! Amid the slew of dreary American fiction, obsessed with dysfunctional families, addiction and vampires (YUCK!), I cannot tell you how delighted I was by this utterly original and refreshing novel. I have long loved works of historical fiction, but, truth be told, I often find them a bit dry, but not this one. Tomato Rhapsody had the literary chops and substance that I hope for in good literature, but oh my, an exuberant humor leaped from the page. Yes, it took me a few chapt...more
I fear for Adam Schell: it isn't going to be easy for him to write another book as good as this one. This one is very, very good - marvelous, in fact.
It takes a little effort to enter the world of this novel, accustom oneself to the idiom in which it is written, and enter the flow of the narrative. Some of the descriptions repeat in a Homeric way which is both enthralling and sometimes frustrating. My usual diet is Lee Child, Robert B. Parker and John Connolly, more action and dialogue, but this...more
It takes a little effort to enter the world of this novel, accustom oneself to the idiom in which it is written, and enter the flow of the narrative. Some of the descriptions repeat in a Homeric way which is both enthralling and sometimes frustrating. My usual diet is Lee Child, Robert B. Parker and John Connolly, more action and dialogue, but this...more
I just finished reading a delightful new book: "Tomato Rhapsody" by Adam Schell. It is quite unique...part fable, part history, part Shakespearean opera, part comedy, part romance. It is a work of fiction and is set in Tuscany in the 16th century. The plot is built on the historical information regarding the introduction of the tomato to Italy by the Spanish who brought it from the New World. In this particular case, the Spanish was a Spanish Jew who survived the Inquisition in Spain by travelin...more
I kept hoping it would get better. For a short time it seemed as though it would. Then we got to the donkey dicks. This book came highly recommended to me. It presents a fantastic example of how two people with generally similar tastes can diverge drastically.
I found myself struggling with the writing from the very beginning. It was verbose and reminiscent of a student who has not yet learned which adjectives are descriptive and which merely distract. The plot felt disjointed. The author, for no...more
I found myself struggling with the writing from the very beginning. It was verbose and reminiscent of a student who has not yet learned which adjectives are descriptive and which merely distract. The plot felt disjointed. The author, for no...more
3 likes · like · see review
I usually read more modern interpretations of Italian life and food (Frances Mayes, John Berendt), so Tomato Rhapsody did require a mental step back in time. Once I jumped back into this world before pasta sauce, it was easy to fall in love with the Tuscan village and it's interesting cast of characters. I was completely pulled into their daily life of market days and traditions like the testosterone and wine-fueled donkey race. The characters are easy to love or hate, and Schell's descriptive w...more
I received an advanced copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. I chose it after a number of other reviews had already been written--some good, some bad. It sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a chance.
When I first started the book, I wasn't sure what to think. It has lots of flowery and wordy descriptive passages. There is a narrator who appears regularly throughout the book to explain why some things are the way they are and what is going on in the story. It also includes fo...more
When I first started the book, I wasn't sure what to think. It has lots of flowery and wordy descriptive passages. There is a narrator who appears regularly throughout the book to explain why some things are the way they are and what is going on in the story. It also includes fo...more
You say Tomato, I say WTF.
After having read this, I am left with nothing but a profound sense of loss. As if millions(alright, maybe dozens) of my brain cells cried out at once, and were suddenly silenced.
It's just so... bad.
Let me see if I can explain why. But before I start this review in earnest, allow me a moment to discuss with you this paper I read once by Professor Fukital who wrote that eminent treatise on reviews and the art of reviewing titled "You write like crap and your shits all re...more
After having read this, I am left with nothing but a profound sense of loss. As if millions(alright, maybe dozens) of my brain cells cried out at once, and were suddenly silenced.
It's just so... bad.
Let me see if I can explain why. But before I start this review in earnest, allow me a moment to discuss with you this paper I read once by Professor Fukital who wrote that eminent treatise on reviews and the art of reviewing titled "You write like crap and your shits all re...more
4 likes · like · see review
A bookseller friend of mine passed along her ARC of TOMATO RHAPSODY to me and I just fell in love with this novel. It was a wonderfully funny and heartfelt read. On the surface, TR is an oft told Shakespearean-like story of forbidden love between an Ebreo (Jewish) tomato Farmer and a Catholic olive grower set in a 16th century Tuscany, but like a good Shakespearean farce there are a feast of subplots, history, faux-history and a dazzling array of characters--I was especially taken by the Good Pa...more
I picked this up thinking it would be some odd little story based in the south and probably have a cantankerous female farmer as the main character. What was slow to start boiled up in to a story I didn't want to put down. From feeling the warm sun of Tuscany on my face to hearing the clatter of the donkey's on the cobbles of the piazza, I was in. This story has all the twists and turns of a great mystery blended with a love story that is neither saccharine nor soured by any unnecessary barricad...more
This book was a real treat to read. Often when I read, I can see the story in my own head as though it were a movie. This has a unique style that came across more like something you'd watch on the stage instead of the screen. That style worked perfectly for this story, setting, and the characters. This reminded me of Shakespeare's comedies, without the difficult, old-world language.
The subtitle of "...love, lust, and forbidden fruit" is exactly what you'll get from this book. The forbidden love...more
The subtitle of "...love, lust, and forbidden fruit" is exactly what you'll get from this book. The forbidden love...more
This is a terrible book. The only reason I finished reading it was because I had nothing else with me to read on a long bus ride.
The author is an obvious snob who tries to show off how awesome he is through his writing, instead of actually writing a good story. He goes into needless side diatribes about the history of food, the amazingness of this recipe, and various theories on story-telling, and oh look! His story is obeying those rules perfectly! Not to mention the unnecessary and random use...more
The author is an obvious snob who tries to show off how awesome he is through his writing, instead of actually writing a good story. He goes into needless side diatribes about the history of food, the amazingness of this recipe, and various theories on story-telling, and oh look! His story is obeying those rules perfectly! Not to mention the unnecessary and random use...more
I found this book to be a fun read, though perhaps my Italian roots assisted my enjoyment factor!
It takes place in 13th century Italy and tells the story of how the forbidden fruit (tomato) was introduced to a village, by a Hebrew farming family. Yes, according to this tale (footnoted with interesting historical details), the tomato was introduced by Jewish farmers, while shunned and feared by Catholics of the times. The descriptions of cheeses, olives, basil, garlic and tomatoes served straight...more
It takes place in 13th century Italy and tells the story of how the forbidden fruit (tomato) was introduced to a village, by a Hebrew farming family. Yes, according to this tale (footnoted with interesting historical details), the tomato was introduced by Jewish farmers, while shunned and feared by Catholics of the times. The descriptions of cheeses, olives, basil, garlic and tomatoes served straight...more
Set in 16th century Italy, 'Tomato Rhapsody' is a story you won't soon forget. The strange cast of charaters includes Davido and his grandfather (two Jews in the minority amongst a country of Catholics), Mari and her evil stepfather and cripled mother, a massively large Good Padre whose skin has been dyed the color of an eggplant, Bobo the jester and his puppet Bobolito, a man whose left testicle was eaten by a goose, and the Duke of Tuscany and his son Gian who wears a dress.
As we learn about...more
As we learn about...more
Set in Tuscany in the early 1500’s, this bawdy novel tells the story of Davido, a Jewish tomato farmer who falls in love with Mari, a Catholic olive grower, while at the same time, spinning a yarn about how the tomato came to Italy. The author animates his story with a cast of oddball characters, including rhyming villagers, a town fool, a murderous stepfather and his loyal henchman, a duke who wants to be a farmer, lusty barmaids and a priest whose skin has been dyed the purple of an eggplant....more
I have to ponder over why this book has received such disparate reviews. It seems as if it is either loved or hated and I can't understand why. The same writing is either described as sublime or very bad. My fear is that humanity is losing its sense of humorous or that it expects a vampire in every story or that a novel must adhere to a set formula. I don't know and cannot presume to guess - only ponder. I loved this book, the story, the characters, the description of the food, the historical as...more
Passionate and funny and deep. And, did you know that the Jews brought Tomatoes to Italy? I found myself waving off my kids over the weekend so I could keep reading. I remember when I read T.C. Boyle's insanely great book, "Water Music", thinking how does this guy walk this tightrope of historical storytelling while being completely irreverent and
relevant? How does he lie while telling the truth, or visa versa and make it so I didn't really care about the historical facts anyway? That's Tomato....more
relevant? How does he lie while telling the truth, or visa versa and make it so I didn't really care about the historical facts anyway? That's Tomato....more
Jul 29, 2012
Sonia Reppe
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
men and women who like wacky characters and Italian culture
Shelves:
historical-fiction
This is a delightful tragicomedy about life and love on a grand scale, filled with wacky characters: including a greedy villain, star-crossed lovers, a duke in disguise, the village fool, and the good Padre (priest). I don't know if many people would appreciate this wonderful book. This is different from most current historical fiction. It's written in an old school style--omniscient voice that takes turns from each character, so we see the happenings from a range of views, and the 16th century...more
Rating this book was tricky. In the beginning, I only read it because I won it from goodreads. For the first half, that really was the only thing keeping me going. I got through the second half because I Had To Know how it ended. The book is described as "a brilliantly inventive fable of love, lust, and longing." This I get, and this part I liked. It's the "almost true" story of how the tomato was introduced to Italy and revolves around Davido, an Ebreo (which is Italian for Jew. It took me at l...more
A rousing and unforgettable fable of how the tomato came to 16th Century Italy, and a parable of a Tuscan village in which it complicated the lives of the villagers, Hebrew and Christian, noble and peasant alike. It's bawdy, it's a story of star-crossed lovers, a story that stops here and there for recipes and cultural vignettes -- as if Chaucer and Shakespeare and Julia Child had stopped off in Tuscany to jointly write a parable.
And it is a parable, of change coming to a place and time, heralde...more
And it is a parable, of change coming to a place and time, heralde...more
If you like a touch of romance with whack of reality and just enough naughty you will love this book. I could not put it down. The words are put together in a manner that would make Shakespeare smile. The introduction of characters is delightful and the added bits of narration and footnotes rather charming. There is a hero and a heroin, a good padre, naturally a villan, a duke and what would a story be without a fool to add a tough of truth. It's a cleaver book, no information is wasted, as odd...more
Funny, intelligent, and perfect, I didn’t' know modern writers still mustered the strength to concoct such deliciously delightful skilled displays of literary genius. I've read just under half of the book on my way to New York and found myself seized by the strange emotion of worrying its going to end. All things have cycles and this cycle of reading will be one of my better seasons this stuffed head of mine has partaken. The next book I pick up better be very different and very, very good becau...more
I don't know what category to place this book. It doesn't seem to fit any mold, unless it's tomato aspic. It made me think of The Princess Bride and even Shakespear's comedies (not that I've read a lot of Shakespear).
This fable is a fun romp through Tuscany when the tomato (or love apple) was introduced to Italy. The story of the star crossed lovers is told in a lyrical poetic style and vividly brings all the characters to life while praising the virtues of the tomato. You may even find a recipe...more
This fable is a fun romp through Tuscany when the tomato (or love apple) was introduced to Italy. The story of the star crossed lovers is told in a lyrical poetic style and vividly brings all the characters to life while praising the virtues of the tomato. You may even find a recipe...more
4 likes · like · see review
Oh my goodness! This book had absolutely everything! Love, whimsy, religion, comedy, tragedy, despair, delicious recipes, fake history, real history, and most importantly - surprises at every twist in the plot. I simply could not read this fast enough. I embraced the characters immediately and laughed and cried right along with them. It was hard for me to believe that this was Schell's first novel. His writing style is so well-developed and effortless. Without question the best book I have read...more
One of the best novels I've read in a while, mostly because I took a break from genre fiction. Honestly, the prose is magnificent, and from the first few chapters alone, Davido and Mari already had my heart. And like most novels that involve food and descriptions of it, this novel enticed me the same way food does.
"They laughed because life is nothing if not a constant reconciliation with death and sadness and loss that leaves one no choice but to laugh—to laugh or lose one's mind."
"They laughed because life is nothing if not a constant reconciliation with death and sadness and loss that leaves one no choice but to laugh—to laugh or lose one's mind."
What a great read.
I loved that I read it is August during a relatively hot spell (so rare in Chicago) as it brought the book to life.
It reads like a Shakespearean play with the odd cast of characters with all of their secrets and their relationships with one another.
I would love to see more about these characters, perhaps an in-depth story about Nonno's voyage with Christopher Columbus? He seemed like he could get into some mischief.
If you like to read good books, pick this one up!
I loved that I read it is August during a relatively hot spell (so rare in Chicago) as it brought the book to life.
It reads like a Shakespearean play with the odd cast of characters with all of their secrets and their relationships with one another.
I would love to see more about these characters, perhaps an in-depth story about Nonno's voyage with Christopher Columbus? He seemed like he could get into some mischief.
If you like to read good books, pick this one up!
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around the World ...: Judy Recommends Tomato Rhapsody | 1 | 11 | Jan 23, 2012 06:33am |
The offspring of a fashion model mother and a rabbi father (a long story), ADAM SCHELL grew up more inclined toward football pads than the kind of pads used for writing. Stories, however, from Moses and King David to those of Judy Blume and S.E. Hinton, played nearly as vibrant a part of Adam's youth as did sport. Love of the game aside, the on-field success (allow me to drop the charade and switc...more
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