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The Food Taster -- a novel
| Brava!
The Food Taster Leaves A Great Aftertaste! Jan 06 '04 Author's Product Rating  Pros Interesting characters, good story, brings 16th century Italy to life. Cons Can be a bit too melodramatic at times. The Bottom Line If you are in dire need for an entertaining book, read this one. |
| Plot The Food Taster is one Ugo, a poor peasant who's life, and that of his daughter Miranda, is suddenly changed for the better (or arguably worse) when he has a run-in with Duke Federico, a brute of a nobleman who promptly makes the poor man his personal food-taster. The duke is obese, despotic, boorish and immoral. He's also highly paranoid about people poisoning him. This is after all Italy during the days of Michaelangelo, where poison is often the weapon of choice for assassins. The duke is surrounded by a host of colorful characters, from humpbacked noblemen to cocky cooks to seductive harlots. Ugo soon gets entangled in the intrigues of this group. By luck and through the use of his wits, he survives several plots against the duke, all the while trying to shield and protect his daughter who has grown into one of the most beautiful ladies in the court. Ugo's luck in escaping death is remarkable, but does not come without a price. His is thrown into peril constantly, and is continuously plagued by troubles, getting out of one only to fall into something else. And when the Duke decides to take Miranda, who has fallen for the cook, as wife, Ugo decides to make a gambit to save his daughter, which may very well be the last thing he does on earth. What I liked about this novel There's a lot to like. The prose trips along, making this a rather easy read. That's not to say the language is juvenile, but you don't feel like you have to make an effort to read it. I also like the colorful characters, like Ugo, who comes across rather nervous and high-strung, but full of drive and energy, and the obnoxious duke. Miranda is also not the one-dimensional object of desire, not a poster-girl for feminism that a lot of heroines seem to be these days. The author has also done well to bring to life Italy in the 16th century. I also liked the nail-biting ending. What I did not like about this novel There seem too many 'episodes' strung together, with characters drifting in and out. Recommended Yes |
