Customer Reviews

Bones of the Dead: A Novel

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Life in old Venice, where an urchin is plucked from the streets by the wealthy mayor's chef to become his apprentice, which leads to many secrets being revealed and many kept hidden, but the intriguing motives push you along. It is difficult to stop reading until the last word.

There are street thieves, gypsies, secret police, and men of evil intent woven throughout the story that give our protagonist a run for his ducats. His passion for a young woman clouds his judgment. He learns life's hard road one cobble stone at a time, while avoiding lobbing off a finger chopping vegetables. The people you meet in the narrow streets have plans of their own. Luciano and his cat Bernardo hear many secrets, but only Bernardo keeps quiet. Chef Ferrero has secrets he wants to pass on, but those that speak too loudly are overheard and that becomes a dangerous thing. You feel the steamy broths, the rich aromatic atmosphere, and you see before you the life of medieval times among the channels of Venice.

I can't give away the premise of the story, but trust me; it is a clever thought. I will never look at another gourmet meal again and not think of the chef's plan for my future, his influence on my life, through an appetite that can't resist his culinary delights and the seductive ingredients he uses.

This is a wonderful story and I recommend it highly. It would be nice to be lying relax on the steps of a cathedral in some magnificent piazza in Venice while reading this, but be warned not to go near the men in black capes - Dio indeed. You haven't seen adventure until you walked in the majordomo's shoes. Grazie Elle.

Bones of the Dead: A Novel

I am enjoying this book so much that I need to tell other people about it. It's really enjoyable and a wonderful read. Kudos to the author for such a wonderful, delicious book.

The writer has a rare talent to blend mystery and metaphor. Her prose style evokes delicious imagery and moved me through the corruption and lavishness of the Italian Renaissance as though I had a bird's-eye view. Ms. Newmark obviously brought significant research efforts to bear on her creation of the world of an apprentice to a doge's chef where superstition and greed reign and wisdom is a treasure buried in secret, forbidden books.

Set in 15th Century Venice during the time of the Renaissance, "Bones Of The Dead" is a unique novel in which author Elle Newmark brilliantly unfolds a fascinating story about an underground network of chefs at the dawn of humanism who are teaching subversive 'new' ideas disguised as recipes. This was a time in which both Church and State were seeking to suppress humanist notions through torture, imprisonment, and even death. But the era of ideas would not be stopped no matter what the cost. One of those ideas was to use cookbooks a instruction manuals in philosophy. "Bones Of The Dead" is a gripping novel of political and papal intrigue that will grip the reader's total attention from first page to last. Enthusiastically recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections, he recipes embedded in this articulate and original work of masterfully crafted fiction are an added bonus!

"Civilizations are built on the bones of the dead." Sometimes I believe we forget about those that have come before us...this is evident in some of the mistakes that are made over and over again. History certainly has a way of repeating itself, but thankfully there is nothing about this book that is a knock off of something else you have read - it is truly original in every way.

This book focuses around a street rat named Luciano and his mentor, Chef Amato Ferrero. Luciano is living on the streets, turned out at the age of 6, and although it is not the life he would have chosen he has become skilled in the tricks needed to survive the hunger and the cold he faces daily. One day he is plucked from his life of poverty by his soon to be mentor, taken to the home of the doge, given clean clothes, 3 meals a day, a warm place to sleep, and a real chance at improving his station in life and showing that he is someone of worth.

"The art of cooking, like the art of living, must be savored for its own sake." This is the first of many lessons young Luciano will learn from the maestro. His techniques are about much more than just following a recipe - he is truly a magician in the kitchen. His unique abilities are able to prevent possibly disastrous situations from happening, but in the end they aren't enough.

The story's true star is a book - not just any book, but a book that is thought to be magical, housing everything from the "recipe" for immortality, a love potion, and how to create gold from common ingredients. It is sought by some of the most powerful, wealthy, and downright evil men in the country - all of whom are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to possess it as their own.

I don't believe in delving too deeply into the plot of the story, I want the reader to be able to enjoy the story as I did and not give away too much of the plot beforehand. I will say this, I wish that I was made aware of Elle Newmark before now - her ability to evoke your emotions through her storytelling is something to be rivaled. She also has an uncanny way of describing her characters and setting in the type of detail that makes you feel as if you are truly a part of the story, not an easy feat when the story is set in 15th century Venice.

This book is one I recommend to anyone looking for a true page turner with an original plot and enough twists to make you shake your head and guess again at what will happen next. Thank you for providing this wonderful book, and making me realize that just because a book is set in another country and time, does not mean it won't be compelling right up until the last page.

http://www.uponfurtherreview.org

Bones of the Dead is that rare thrilling mixture of literary work with page turning mystery. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to start all over again. I'm giving my friends copies for Christmas so I don't have to give up mine.

Here's the dilemma you'll face when reading Bones of the Dead. Do you give in and race through it so you can find out what in the hell happens?! Or do you follow the chef's advice and Be Patient? After all, each beautifully written sentence of this book should be savored. Of course, you can do what I did and read it twice. First, staying up all night, tearing through the pages to get to the poignant and richly satisfying end. And then again slowly, lingering over the craftsmanship, grinning at the humor, nodding at the wisdom, salivating over the food descriptions, and sighing over the way the author breathes life into 15th Century Venice and its people. Her writing is masterful; the chef is not the only maestro here. Bravo, Elle Newmark. And thank you.

I'm really enjoying this book! The author has written a real "page turner", which means I keep going to bed too late, and thank goodness she doesn't go on for a thousand pages. I love a good story; like Alexandre Dumas - no one tells a better story (no one), but don't look to him for thoughtful or rich prose. This book offers both, cleverly disguised as a great adventure! What's not to love?

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (10/07)


"Bones of the Dead" is set in Venice during the Renaissance Period. Luciano is an orphaned street urchin who has been rescued from the streets by a chef, Amato Ferrero. Luciano is to be apprenticed to him. Amato sees something special in Luciano and plans on teaching him more than just culinary skills. Luciano senses a mystery about his background and why Amato took him in. He also wonders about the doge that he works for. Early on in his apprenticeship, Luciano witnesses the doge killing a peasant and then pouring an elixir down his throat. He doesn't understand why he would do that to a corpse, but sets out to find out. Along the way, he learns that the doge is seeking a mysterious book that some believe has the recipe for the elixir of immortality, others believe it reveals the alchemy behind how to turn objects into gold.

The chef Amato knows of the mysteries in this book. He is more than a chef, he is also a guardian. Guardians hide secrets in their recipes. They also create concoctions with their recipes that can affect the outcome of decisions that are made in politics. The food sets the mood for how the guardian feels the outcome of a meeting should be. The chef Amato says, "...the prep of food was a tool to illuminate the mysteries of life." In Luciano's haste to find the answers to secrets, he reveals information to untrustworthy sources, this puts himself and Amato in danger. The answers are revealed to him, but at a great cost.

"Bones of the Dead" is an incredibly written novel. I found myself hooked immediately. The author traveled to Venice to create this story. She has a gift for describing the sights, sounds and smells of Venice exactly how you would imagine at that time. She also draws upon the political intrigue and drama that involved The Church. I really liked that the Chef had a great deal of integrity within himself. Under his guidance Luciano was destined to become a great man with integrity, however, because of his background and human nature, it was a struggle. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this novel; however, I highly recommend it to people that enjoy historical intrigues. If you like books like "The Da Vinci Code," you will be thrilled to discover "Bones of the Dead." I look forward to reading other novels by Elle Newmark.

Received book free of charge.

This is a delicious read, for more reasons than its romance with food. The setting, descriptions, characters and story, all delight with smooth, well constructed prose. Buy this book; you will be engaged from first to last page with a delightful story written with style and intelligence.