This book has been written with love and care, which shows in the recipes he has included. There is humour and sadness, but the humour and hope shines through. Thoroughly enjoyable read

I received this book from the publishers in return for an honest review. Having lived in Italy I loved to read about his experiences especially in veneto

I enjoyed reading this book, to be honest, I had seen one or two films that had starred Stanley Tucci, as an actor but I did not know before reading this book that he directs,and produces as well, when he is at work, as well as being so adept in the kitchen when cooking. As a foodie myself, I found this book a pleasant surprise, so much so that I will buy more books written by him, I recommend this book.

Finished last night and I loved it!! We all know I'm not a cook but even I managed one of the simple pasta recipes from it, one of many sprinkled in amongst Stanley's wonderful life stories, and it was amazing. This book is genuinely a rollercoaster for your emotions, and you will need the hanky for wiping your eyes throughout: sometimes crying tears and sometimes laughing tears. I have recommended this to everyone I've spoken to, and recommend to you all as well

I honestly didn't expect a book combining 2 genres which I previously had no real interest in (celebrity memoirs and food writing) to become one of my all-time favourites! I have been a fan of Stanley Tucci for a while. He's an excellent character actor with an ability to enliven even small parts in otherwise fairly mediocre films and he comes across as an intelligent, thoughtful person in interviews. More recently, he has also found a new lease of life with his fantastic cocktail-making videos on social media. So when I heard he had written a memoir based around his experiences growing up in a traditional Italian family, I was extremely excited. Italian food is for me the best in the world and I couldn't wait to see how Tucci's wit and charm would translate to the written word. While I am not the kind of person who generally reads autobiographies, I was sure that this would be a cut above the usual examples. Happily, Taste does not disappoint! This is a memoir which covers Tucci's upbringing as well as his acting career and personal life. Growing up in a Calabrian family living in both New York state and Florence, food was a major part of young Stanley's life (as it should be for us all). The book is liberally seasoned with food-related anecdotes, recipes and tales of culinary triumphs and disasters. This is also regularly combined with Tucci's other passion, acting, so if you ever wanted to know which country has the best on-set dining, this is definitely the book for you! The mouth-watering descriptions of food are one of the highlights of the book in my opinion, although as with his recent travel series I would definitely recommend consuming after mealtimes rather than before! On the whole, the tone of this book is wry, humorous and light-hearted. Tucci writes with an ironic and self-effacing sense of humour throughout, and this combined with his keen intelligence and style renders this a book which is well-written and readable in a way that's far from a given with celebrity memoirs. However, there are also some darker moments, particularly where the author describes his and his family's struggles with cancer. I found myself completely invested in Tucci's life story in a way which I don't generally experience with this kind of book, and being able to tangibly feel his pain and suffering made the moments of humour and success even more uplifting. In conclusion, this is probably the only book I can think of that will simultaneously have the reader laughing, crying, salivating and smiling all within the space of 300-odd pages. Whether you're a food lover, a fan of Stanley Tucci's oeuvre or just an enjoyer of engaging and enthralling works of literature, this book truly has something for everyone and has taken its rightful place as one of my most beloved reads.