RACHAEL RAY

A few months ago my aunt gave me a book called The Stone Boudoir by Theresa Maggio. The book is a collection of short non-fiction stories of small villages throughout Sicily. Being Sicilian, I had to read the book, although for some reason I was not sure if I’d like it at first. However, once I started reading it, the book completely consumed me and I did not put it down until I finished it. I am not sure if you have to be Sicilian to enjoy it, but it helps! Theresa’s writing style is so comfortable and appealing that I found myself not wanting it to end. She finds such beauty in life, clearly, and she paints a story of these various places to make them almost sound magical, and maybe they are in a way. My curiosity is certainly piqued about a few of the towns she describes, as she embarks on her own adventure to learn about hilltop villages in Sicily, including the one where her grandparents are from, San Margarita. Her stories include her rides on the train that go up and around Mt Etna, stopping and passing by various small villages, including Polizzi Generosa, where Martin Scorcese’s family is from.  She visits her own family’s town that had survived a horrible earthquake some 100 years ago, as well as the St Agatha festival in Catania, which rivals Spain’s running of the bulls in terms of craziness. She really gives you a taste of a culture that is so detached from our own. I highly recommend this book and if you like it as much as I did, then you’ll want to read her first book, called Mattanza.

This book is about the ancient ritual of men trapping tuna off the coast of Sicily and slaughtering them by hand. It is a practice that is all but extinct, replaced by machines and farm-raised fish. It was written with an equally compelling style and intriguing story telling.  It’s fascinating, and yes, she did it again, she’s made me want to book a trip to Sicily tomorrow.  I sure hope Theresa keeps writing about this country, because if I can’t get there, I am enjoying living vicariously through her.

I am about halfway through Julie Andrews’ memoirs called Home, A Memoir of My Early Years, about her upbringing and how she got her start as an actress.  Sweet, innocent Julie Andrews.  Man, that lady has had it rough!  She has worked her entire life on the stage and began a rigorous vocal training at a very early age.  Her mother was an extremely talented pianist and performer, which led Julie into the field of entertainment.  She was naturally gifted with her voice so from the time she was a child, she was on the stage, sometimes with her mom as her accompanist.

The book is riveting.  It takes us through not only Julie’s life as a child and the family turmoils that seemed to always exist in her young life, but her progression into adulthood and her growing success.  Meanwhile, in the background is war-torn Britain, the death of a King, and the beautiful English countryside.  We learn about a nation’s struggle with poverty and depression and the history of the traveling performers of that time.  There are complex and complicated relationships in Julie’s life that shaped her personality and resilience.  You get a keen understanding of how hard Julie worked and what gave her the drive to succeed.  My favorite people in this story are her Dad and her”Auntie Joan.”

For any Julie Andrews’ fan, I recommend this read.  If you aren’t so interested in Julie, it’s still a well-written and engaging book.   I hate to say more because I don’t want to ruin any of the delicious surprises!