Bitter Almonds: Recollections & Recipes from a Sicilian Girlhood |  | Authors: Maria Grammatico, Mary Taylor Simeti
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy New: $14.83
as of 11/23/2009 11:29 MST details
You Save: $5.17 (26%)
New (9) Used (15) Collectible (1) from $4.70
Seller: glacier-basin-books
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 248264
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Pages: 200
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0688124496
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.6455
EAN: 9780688124496
ASIN: 0688124496
Publication Date: October 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Memoirs of a Sicilian woman's childhood--spent in a harsh convent where she learned to make incredible pastries--are combined with recipes, written down for the first time, for such delectable treats as biscotti, tarts, cakes, marzipan confections. 35,000 first printing. $25,000 ad/promo.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Bitter Almonds very enjoyable August 5, 2009
M. Pajer (Spokane, WA)
I came back from a trip to Erice, Sicily, wanting to read this book, and I found it very satisfying. It taught me more about Erice, which is a special place: beautiful scenery, wonderful accommodations (La Pineta), impressive food considering the location, and a break from the heat and congestion of big Italian cities. The story of Maria was fascinating to me, the daughter-in-law of Sicilian immigrants to the US -- like an inside view to an ordinary, but not so ordinary life. I think her story would also appeal to readers interested in cooking and to anyone interested in the lives of creative, heroic women. So far I've tried one cookie recipe, and it came out very nice. I plan to make more soon.
 Bitter Almonds...Sweet Read January 6, 2009
Anthony W. Peraino (West Hollywood, CA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
To sit in Maria Grammatico's world-famous pastry shop in stunningly beautiful Erice, on the top of a mountain in northwest Sicily, having a caffe and eating her delicious Genovesi, is to be a little nearer to heaven...figuratively, if not literally. Her feistiness and strength of character mitigated a rather difficult early life and made Maria into the success she is today. This brief, but delightful, autobiography (aided by Mary Taylor Simeti, a wonderful author in her own right), along with her terrific and not particularly difficult recipes, forms a sweet read.
Maria's shop December 18, 2004
Chris Brown (Bel Air, MD)
I also visited Maria at her shop in Erice. We were very impressed with the wonderful marzipan creations and other goodies, and bought gifts to take home....some did not make it home! I am eager to read the book.
 Remarks from a Sicilian Girl September 17, 2001
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have just returned from Sicily where I visited Maria's shop and saw the convent where her childhood was spent. I wish I would have read the book before my visit. The smell of almond pastries led me right up the narrow street and to the pastries and candies in her shop, and they are marvelous. The convent is just a short walk up the street from her shop, in the square. The recipes she shares in the book are uncomplicated and simply delicious. Her story is not embellished. There is no polished prose. It is as she saw it and lived it and has told it with her unique Sicilian expression. I enjoyed reading it and I will continue to enjoy her recipes.
Fascinating history, definitive flavor April 13, 1998
Linda Starr (Chatsworth, CA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I believe this is one of the most underrated cookbooks in terms of awards (Child, Beard, etc.) and public attention. I LOVED the story, and I feel like I was allowed to have something very personal, special and unique in the recipes which are exquisite. Had I not known a wonderful Italian lady (Carmel Anthony) and tasted her special cookies, however, I may not have known enough to get this book. You'll love it!
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