Helpful Score: 1
Set in Renaissance Florence and Rome, this is the fictional telling of the life of Catherine De Medici. The main character in this book is Tommaso, the personal chef to the duchess. Together they leave Florence when she is called to Rome as part of a political scheme that includes her marriage to the son of the King of France. But Catherine is a willful woman with plans of her own. A frolicking trek through the Italian countryside, this is an entertaining historical fantasy. This book introduced me to crostini and there is enough detail that you can prepare the Italian dish. Cooking figures strongly in this story, there are even period recipes included. My favorite character is the Little Kitchen Goddess, Gattamelata, the tortoiseshell cat!
