Mark Rotella

Wandering through Calabria with Mark Rotella was a lovely experience. Rotella visited Calabria, located in the toe of the boot of Italy for those like me who might have missed this in school, several times, to connect with family who were originally from this area. My Italian roots were ripped from soil in the northern part of the country; though I was unaware of this, there is apparently quite a bit of animosity between north and south in Italy, with the south, including Calabria, playing the role of poorer, uglier sister. Rotella finds much to love in the south, including the people who've always been tied to the land; the beauty of the land with its mountains and oceans; and the produce, that is, the oranges and the olives and the incredible figs. Rotella has a nice way of telling a story. I enjoyed this visit to Calabria. Thank you again, kind BCer, watchcat, for sending me on my loveliest vacation this year! :-)… (mehr)

I really wanted to like this. Mark Rotella is an editor at Publishers Weekly, and, despite that credential, just can't write very well. The book reads like he took the contents of a guidebook to the region, moved things around about, and inserted a few personal details--often the same details, over and over again. A big reason that I only got through two books this month was the fact that I was determined to finish this, and found it extremely difficult to care about. It did, however, make me interested in Calabria.… (mehr)