Customer Reviews

Angelina's Bachelors

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Read at your own risk, because this book WILL make you want to plant a garden, make a lasagne, befriend old men, and, most of all, EAT. Angelina is a young widow (no spoiler, he dies in the first chapter) who begins cooking for neighborhood gentlemen as a way to keep her household afloat. But Angelina is no ordinary cook--she's a gourmet chef with her own fresh kitchen garden and enough imagination to keep the hardest-to-please eater impressed. The gentlemen are endearing, each in his own way, and the descriptions of food are swoon-worthy.

I second the sentiment of the first reviewer, who reviewed and said "In a word: delicious."

This is a love story that starts with food and ends with food, and packed in between is a sandwich layered with great characters, funny situations, accidents of fate and make-yourself recipes that you can not only imagine, but make too.

As you read O'Reilly's delightfully unfolding tale, a sort of music starts in your head, like a movie score, but somehow even better. And as his well-crafted characters take their individual turns on his Philadelphia stage, the music shifts according to their distinctive personalities. By the time you finish this novel a full blown symphony is blasting away in your head and heart, that when you reach the final page, you'll stand up and cheer.

I sure did.

As a writer, I don't usually have time to read other people's works; but I came across "Angelina's Bachelors" and haven't been able to put it down yet. I love the unique approach to story telling mixed with recipes that the O'Reilly's have melded together so wonderfully. The story is very compelling and Brian's attention to detail is riveting and his word play is memorable (in fact, I might steal some of his lines). I haven't tried any of the recipes yet because I haven't put the book down long enough to get out my mixing bowl. I'm in love with the character of Angelina and her story moves along quickly with dozens of twists and turns - and recipes. It seems like Angelina wrote both the book and the instructions herself and it makes the book most endearing. For a debut novel I think Brian has hit this one spot on. I hope he continues with a series of books featuring this strong, Italian woman from Philadelphia. Great read and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good story and good food.

This review is for the Audiobook Version of Angelina's Bachelors: A Novel with Food narrated by Xe Sands. Along with being an excellent overall listen for many of the previously stated reasons I'd have to say that anyone with even a passing interest in cooking or the Food Network would love listening to this book for the sheer genius of the recipes / food / meal descriptions, they will have your mouth watering.

From the moment I started listening to Angelina's Bachelors: A Novel with Food, I was totally engrossed. Narrator Xe Sands brings this Italian neighborhood in South Philadelphia completely to life with her skilled narration of this moving and delicious storyline.

Frank and Angelina are blissfully happy in their marriage and with their life when Frank suddenly dies from a heart attack, leaving Angelina a young widow, adrift in a life without him. Vocally, we experience every emotion Angelina experiences - warmth and love, a wrenching grief, sadness mixed with determination that turns to hope, and then delight as she builds a very different but once again happy life for herself. This takes place over time with the help of family, friends and Food.

Angelina uses her amazing cooking abilities as therapy and then as a way to make ends meet, while filling a spot in several men's lives. Angelina's Bachelors moves at a fast pace with something new around every corner as the cast of characters builds and grows together with each artfully created and mouth watering meal.

Ms. Sands gives each character throughout Angelina's Bachelors a beautifully defined voice, which is impressive considering the fact that there are multiple main characters, each with a vivid personality that shows through when they speak. I particularly enjoyed hearing the Italian accents prevalent throughout the story.

A wonderfully written book brought vibrantly alive with Xe Sands' excellent narration.

Angelina D'Angelo's world is changed forever when her beloved husband Frank dies unexpectedly at a young age of a heart attack. In her grief, she begins to cook...and cook...and cook....each dish more special than the next. As the food piles up, she decides to share it with the neighbors in her tightknit community, which leads her to begin cooking for several unmarried men in the neighborhood as a way to support herself. This is the premise of Brian O'Reilly's charming novel "Angelina's Bachelors". Angelina is someone we care about and empathize with - and we certainly would like to sit down at her table along with her bachelors for one of her delicious meals. Lucky for us, there are recipes provided in each chapter and I'm looking forward to trying some of them for myself. Angelina's kindness in sharing the fruit of her grief-cooking leads to unexpected consequences. The reader will enjoy getting to know Angelina and her bachelor's and watch her story unfold. Good story and good-sounding recipes. This one's a winner!

This was just a wonderful warm and fuzzy, filled with great sounding recipes, friends and family you wish you could have, and a story of a woman who survived the loss of her husband and picked herself up and went on. When Angelina suddenly becomes a widow at a young age, she is unprepared for how alone she feels. Unable to sleep alone, one night she just gets up and starts cooking, wanting to occupy herself doing something that she enjoys doing. Before she realizes what she is doing, she has cooked so much food that is will be impossible for her to eat all of it. When her mother-in-law finds her the next morning, surrounded by all of this food, the two of them get busy figuring out who to give it to, and that is the beginning of Angelina's new career. Before she knows it, she has put her talent for cooking to good use, and has created a new business, feeding seven bachelors from her neighborhood their daily meals. It doesn't take long for these seven men to become like family to her. I will have to pass along the included recipes to some of my more accomplished cooking friends, although they sound like amazing dishes, they are much more gourmet than I would ever tackle!

A book for foodies and romantics.

O'Reilly's eye for the details of living in South Philadelphia are dead on. He conveys both the cynical nature of it's citizens and the generous nature of their spirits.

He understands that food can be both a seduction and a healer, that life doesn't often give us what we want, but what we need.

And love is the ultimate comfort food.

Imagine spending time with a Nicholas Spark's novel in the kitchen and you will understand what Angelina's Bachelor's is all about.

But in a word, delicious.

Angelina, a young South Philadelphia woman who loves to cook, has just lost both her job and her husband. What to do? There are several gentlemen in the neighborhood who need feeding, and in cooking for these men she finds both friendship and a means to deal with her grief. This novel, written by a Food Network writer/producer and filled with delicious and impossibly complex-sounding recipes, is to be savored not only for the elaborate meals described but also for the appealing characters and their close-knit ethnic community.

When life hands you lemons, you could make lemonade. Or, if you're Angelina, you'll use those lemons to make a roast chicken and invite some people for dinner. In a cruel twist of fate, Angelina loses her job and her husband in the same week. She needs to support herself, and she loves to cook, so she decides to offer home cooked meals to bachelors.

Angelina's idea is brilliant: it provides delicious meals and companionship. As her table starts to fill up, the men become a surrogate family. There's even a hint of romance, if she's ready.

O'Reilly has written a great story filled with people you care about and interesting twists. The descriptions of the meals and recipes that are included sound delicious and might even inspire you in the kitchen. Angelina's Bachelors will make you laugh, cry, and eager for more. It's a wonderful novel about food, family, and second chances.

This book is a great read for "foodies" and "non-foodies" alike. The story is wonderful with an intriguing plot and endearing characters. Should you be seeking to expand your culinary talents, the recipes of the meals described during the novel are all included. The story, however, easily stands on it's own. The author's great writing and sense of humor is a real treat. Though I am not much of a cook, this book does inpsire me to make more of an effort in kitchen as it highlights the importance of a good meal shared by family and friends. Regardelss, if you are just looking for a good book this one is great!