From Scratch

From Scratch cover
Good Books rating 4.5
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Technical
  • ID: 2015
  • Added: 2025-10-11
  • Updated: 2025-10-11
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 2
Reviews
facebook.com · Unknown · 2025-10-15
heartfelt 4.50

From Scratch is a heartfelt memoir about love, loss, and adoption. Tembi Locke's story of navigating her husband's Sicilian family, facing infertility, and adopting a daughter is both poignant and healing. The book highlights the complex emotions of adoption and the power of love and relationships in overcoming grief.

From Scratch is a deeply personal and moving memoir that explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of adoption. Tembi Locke's journey begins with a romantic love story that faces challenges from her husband's traditional Sicilian family. The narrative takes a poignant turn as they navigate infertility and ultimately adopt a daughter, Zoela. The book beautifully captures the duality of love and loss inherent in adoption, as Tembi grapples with the emotions of welcoming a child into her life while mourning the loss of her husband to cancer. The memoir also highlights the healing power of relationships, particularly the bond that forms between Tembi, her daughter, and her mother-in-law, Nonna, as they find common ground in food and love. The story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of love and connection in overcoming adversity.


Quick quotes

    Remember what you are feeling right now. Remember, because at the heart of adoption is this love and this loss, all at once.

    Your daughter will know this feeling one day. It is the realization that she had to say good-bye in order to say hello.

    Her food spoke of malleability and resourcefulness in loss, in love, and in life.

cahughesbookreviews.wordpress.com · Unknown · 2021-03-07
beautiful 4.50

From Scratch is a deeply emotional and powerful memoir that explores love, loss, and finding home. The lyrical writing and sensual descriptions of Italian food and culture make it a moving and beautiful story that many will connect with.

From Scratch by Tembi Locke is a memoir that beautifully captures the journey of love, loss, and finding a new sense of home. The story follows Tembi as she navigates the complexities of a cross-cultural relationship, the joy of adoption, and the profound grief of losing her husband to cancer. The memoir is set against the backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where Tembi finds solace and healing through food, family, and the traditions of her husband's hometown. The writing is lyrical and evocative, with sensual descriptions of Italian cuisine and culture that immerse the reader in the story. The memoir is both heartbreaking and uplifting, highlighting the enduring power of love and the resilience of the human spirit. It's a story that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.


Quick quotes

    They loved the memoir and found it to be one of their favorites of the year.

    The writing is lyrical and beautiful, with sensual descriptions of Italian food and cooking.

    The story is about loss, but it's really about love found.