Cucina Tipica: An Italian Adventure is the story of Jacoby Pines, a disheartened American who arrives in Italy on holiday, and decides he never wants to leave. What follows is a wine-soaked, food-filled, travel-laden adventure about one man’s quest for an antiquated existence in the modern world.
“Any reader with a passion for food, wine, literature, and, most of all, the streets of Florence, … the streets of Florence, will find the release of Andrew Cotto’s latest novel, Cucina Tipica: An Italian Adventure, a rare delight to the senses and intellect.” –The Brooklyn Rail
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I don’t even know where to start. For some reason it’s difficult for me to put into words how I felt about this book because honestly my biggest takeaway from it is that I truly felt it. I hope that makes sense? The whole essence, the whole vibe and the whole story was magic and connected with me on one of those levels where I felt pure enjoyment reading ‘Cucina Tipica’ and resonated with so many of the incredible moments throughout.
First off, Jacoby!!! I thought he was such an interesting, cool and relateable character. I adored his passion for Italy and his love for the simple life. I smiled so big when he talked of the Italian people and the Italian food and his desires for the future. I wanted very much to be him. He just had this pureness about him, in that I liked that he didn’t care much for material things or money and that he took pleasure in a homemade slice of bread and glass of Italian wine. There was this endearing side to him also; in his times of feeling lost. I think we all go through those phases in life where we’re not quite sure what we are doing or which direction we should take next, but in our hearts we have this dream and it becomes a matter of whether we take the leap to follow that dream and just go for it or not. I am happy that Jacoby went for it.
The characters that Jacoby meets in Italy are delightful. There is such a wonderful mix of vibrant people filling the pages. Some will make you laugh out loud, others will maybe frustrate you and other’s warm your heart. Italy holds many a heart warming people after all. I absolutely adored Bill and Helen was possibly my favourite!
Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoyed the Italian that was littered throughout this book. It gave it a perfectly authentic feel and also had me writing things down, happy in the fact that I was getting to have Italian lessons while reading it. Jacoby trying to speak the language and build the confidence to do so made me happy and motivated me too.
Honestly, I highly recommend this fantastic read. It’s full of passion, heart and adventure that will make you want to book a trip to Italy and inspire you to go after that dream you’ve been harbouring and make it a reality.
A smorgasbord for the senses in this foray into the lush fields south of Florence, Italy. Jacoby is a man of many talents who feels he is at the end of his tether as he accompanies his fiancé, Claire on her trip to Italy as a travel writer. His hope lies in an old photograph that he found among his father’s belongings. A flamboyant adventure is unleashed as the relationship between Jacoby and Claire disintegrates and other relationships are formed in this wild ride. A fun read full of wit, humor and an appreciation for sating all of the senses. Thanks Andrew for a very pleasurable visit to Florence.
New Yorker Jacoby Pines takes a trip to Tuscany with his girlfriend, Claire, a travel/food writer. He’s not having the best of times: a drunken text sent to the wrong person lost him not only his job but any prospect of getting another in that field*. Being unemployed is not doing much for his relationship with ambitious, status-orientated Claire. A frustrated former musician, Jacoby has no family, feels insecure, useless and worried that he and Claire are nearing the parting of ways – particularly concerning their very different reasons for wanting to go to this part of Italy.
The adventure side of the story is fairly low-key, with some interesting relationships and amusing situations. The descriptions of the area and the food probably make up half the book, and I enjoyed these to a certain extent, but I don’t eat meat and dairy and am not a ‘foodie’ (I think knocking up a vegetable chilli with a ready-made sauce is cooking), so it was a bit wasted on me. If of the gourmet persuasion, though, you will adore this.
I liked: 1. Jacoby’s realisations about himself, that he was at home in rural Italy and was not a New Yorker at all, and his observations about his previous wealth-orientated, competitive lifestyle – according to Claire, the ‘real’ world – and the ex-pats of ‘Chiantishire’. 2. The depiction of the place itself, the people and the way of life. 3. The characterisation and dialogue. 4. The writing style. 5. The outcome.
I was less keen on: 1. the food detail. 2. Some of the dialogue being written in Italian. Obviously it was necessary for authenticity, but as I can’t speak it, I didn’t actually know what they were saying. Sometimes I could guess, but more often not. My only other comment is directed at the publisher – does this book not deserve to be wrapped in colour? I can imagine a cover splashed with luscious olives, lemons, bottles of red wine, pizza dripping with tomatoes and olive oil, sunshine and blue skies, that would leap out at those who long for a Tuscan idyll.
To sum up: a rather lovely book in many ways; not quite my thing but if you do fancy it, there’s a sequel, too!
Good story arc; pleasantly surprised
I was expecting a gastronomic travelogue but this story was so much more. Jacoby, the male lead, arrives in Italy dispirited and aimless after losing his job in NYC thanks to an email snafu. But he’s got extra healthy taste buds and finds a paradise in the food and wine he imbibes in the Tuscan countryside; all meals are enthusiastically described.
But apart from the food tour, Jacoby’s story, with its disappointments and happy moments, includes a mixture of romance, cultural education, mortal danger, a search for family belonging and budding friendships (and animosities) found in the small village south of Florence where he’s based. For me, this was the best part of the tale, Think of that famous female American expatriate who made her move to Tuscany famous. Here it’s a man instead as the character at a crossroads, infatuated with the beauty and lifestyle of rural Tuscany. The story comes with some twists that are foreshadowed and a bit predictable but part of an overall good story.
It did take me a while to get into Jacoby’s odyssey and, for my tastes, the descriptions were occasionally overly detailed, but a good read nonetheless. I reached the last page contented with the outcome and feeling like I’d made a few literary friends.
Thanks to Black Rose Writing and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.