Customer Reviews

Harlot's Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm not sure if it's because I (internet)know her so I was slightly biased or if I 100% truly just LOVED the book, but if I didn't have an active 2-year old, I would've read it all in one shot, never putting it down. I don't think it's because I'm biased though, because I've read some friends' (and acquaintances') works and they just weren't as interesting or as good.

There were things that I just couldn't relate to: living in a different country, superstitions, and certain family dynamics that just didn't exist in my home. But there were also so many things that I COULD relate to (originally from NY, second generation American, in a not-so-good relationship) and it just goes to show you that no matter where you're from, how old you are, or what your beliefs, there are commonalities with everyone.

This book is funny and sweet... and even in the parts when things are not looking so good, she has a way of expressing herself so it's not so sad and that you know that the best times are still yet to come. You never feel sad for the heroine. The book is filled with hope, love, humor and hard work.

I also really enjoyed reading about Greece. It's one of the few places in the world that I would love to visit but have not had the chance to yet.

The only actual complaint I have really is that the end felt slightly rushed and I'm sure that it's probably because of book length constraints, but I really could've read more. So, I guess it's less of a complaint and more of request for a sequel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone.

For any woman who has backed the wrong horse in the romance stakes, this book will remind you that you're not alone. For every woman who hasn't, this book will remind you how lucky you are!

Harlot's Sauce is a portrait of an Italian-American girl who ends up in Greece, married into a traditional Greek family. Often touching,sometimes sad, frequently hilarious and always honest it's a refreshing change from all the relentlessly predictable chick lit that's floating about now. The 'hero' has habits that make you wish you could shake him by the scruff of the neck and the 'heroine' has an unfortunate encounter with Greek liquor. This is one of the most engaging books I've ever read although I did end up shouting at some of the characters which led to my other half giving me a wide berth until I'd finished it...

In short, this book is a must-read so go on, what are you waiting for??

This wonderful memoir justifies the expression "don't judge a book by it's cover". Though released through a small press, Davis' book is as professionally written (if not formatted) as any I've ever read. Witty and self-deprecrating, Davis takes us through two decades of life as an Italian-American woman married to a Greek for all the wrong reasons. Though her naivete is sometimes painful, Davis is ruthlessly honest about the mistakes she made and why she made them. Readers will admire her determination to make her marriage work- she did after all move halfway around the world to try to find happiness for her family!

As an Irish-American, I could appreciate many of the facets of growing up a "Hyphen" (especially the Catholic guilt!), and think this memoir will speak to anyone who appreciated My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to pass it along to friends. My only quibble is that the ending felt rushed after all the buildup- I would have liked an additional chapter to cover "where is she now". All in all a highly recommended 4 stars.

After three days of other duties keeping me away from finishing this book, I chose to stay up to read it and ended up staying up until after midnight. I'm glad I did.

Patricia's tells the story of the impetuous choices and clouded thinking of youth through the eyes of a woman who has grown far beyond her old self. It is full of sensitivity and love not just for the younger "Trish" but for the people who misunderstood her and treated her poorly.

Every page of the book teaches the reader about how to make better choices, how to forgive and forget, how to love every inch of life- and it does all of that through simple storytelling, not preachiness.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves family, who loves food, who loves travel or who sees beauty in ordinary life.

You'll love and identify with Patricia's insights, in retrospect, on life, love, cultures, friendships, conscious mothering, running a usiness in an adopted country, wifely duties, and a domineering mother-in-law, generously spiced with wretched dogs (and their owners), flying cockroaches, baseball bats, harlot's sauce, and a no-account woman who smells bad. As she cavorts through a couple decades, often laughing at herself, you see innocence retreat and a strong, self-reliant woman come into full bloom, holding no grudges and willing to share herself and the sauce with all of us.

Written differently, adding some theoretical concepts and a comparative framework, this top-rate autobiography could very well be a sociological or anthropological work: an excellent ethnography or sociology of Greece and the immigrant experience in New York. The author displays acute observational and analytical skills, very detailed and thoughtful presentation of life scenes and characters in the context of historical events and social institutions. It is obvious to the reader that Patricia V. Davis was keeping detailed notes throughout her life journey (and this is one additional reason why this book is so close to being an "ethnography" more than an autobiography).

As a factual autobiography, "A Harlot's Sauce" is a very frank and explicit description of a "cultural attraction" (an American-born girl, the author, with a big Italian family, falling in love to a Greek immigrant in New York with a big family in New York and a much bigger extended family in Greece). Falling in love is presented by the author as the outcome of perceived cultural affinity and the idealized love of Greece and quickly turns into a "cultural clash":
- Between two immigrant groups (Greek- and Italian- Americans) and the wider "host society" in New York from the point of view of a first generation American, the author.
- Between culture and life in New York and in Athens, Greece.
- Between an American-born wife and a native-Greek husband, the product of a post-war traditional Greek culture, a clash that ended the marriage with the author returning to the U.S.

The organization of the book -in chapters and sub-sections, each with a special theme pinpointed with an epigram/"header" - render it a very refreshing, educating as well as entertaining reading, and a very fast-one. In one chapter after the other exhilarating moments of "cultural clash" are presented.

A large array of ideas/concepts as defined by the "indigenous" people themselves (mostly Greek) are described and analyzed in a very vivid language. Most impressive among those:
a) The idea of "amerikanaki" is of great importance as it presents the author's personal struggle to overcome diminishing/belittling attitudes of Greeks towards American-born inhabitants or visitors of Greece - who are thought to be "naïve"...
b) A very entertaining description of the "evil-eye" ritual among Greeks and Italians. This idea introduces "life around the Church", an important part of the author's experience both as a first generation American and as an inhabitant of Greece...
c) The definition of "kamaki" (a native Greek man trying to "hook-up" with a tourist girl) is also sociologically very adept and leads directly into the heart of this autobiography - the discussion of sexuality and gender relations in two different cultures.
d) An acute observation on "chill fear" expressed all the time by Greeks (p.29)

All these concepts are interwoven with great virtuosity in detailing Patricia's life in New York and in Greece. Again, Patricia Volonakis-Davis has done an excellent job in observing, keeping notes and organizing a real "life time" of material into "scenes" or "acts" that present to the reader several important moments of her life... Many chapters of the book read like a script for a play or a movie and one has to wonder whether this was the original purpose of the author.

Finally, "A Harlot's Sauce" is not another comic story along the lines of "A Big, Fat Greek Wedding," although the "cultural clash" I discussed above is (as a writing tool at least) at the center of this book. The universality of the message of "making sauce" (or "making do", surviving and flourishing) out of bad situations, multiplies the appeal of this talented autobiography and turns it into a self-help book that many "motivational" speakers would envy...

Nick Stamatakis, Ph.D
Deer Park, NY

As a jaded reader who bores easily I found myself being totally drawn into this absolutely delightful book that moves easily through time and cultures. I totally relived my Italian American upbringing with all it's pros and cons . Patricia really nailed it. Having grown up with Iatlian chauvinism i long ago came to the conclusion that "food" was the true religion of Italy.
I heartily reccomend it..
Leda Sanford
Look For The Moon In The Morning

I had been wanting to read this book for a while, and once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. It is well written and honest, and I think most women will be able to relate to Patricia, even if they have not moved to a foreign country for love. We have all done something in which we lose ourselves, and the way Patricia found herself and made harlot's sauce of her life (making the best of things with limited ingredients) is inspirational. While reading this book you will likely want to whip up a batch of sauce yourself! Highly recommended!

I, like Patty, married into a Greek family - and every word resounded in me as a shared experience. Yasou, Patty and efharisto - Hello and thank you for your honesty, humor and strength.

Harlot's Sauce was an entertaining picture of what it was like growing up as the daughter of immigrants in New York City--an experience that was very different from my own as a fourteenth generation American raised in Southern California. It should be on the reading list of anyone wanting to marry someone from a different culture or religion. A story about strength, womanhood, compassion and motherhood. I was often reminded of my daughter. The same stubbornness that gets her into trouble, gets her out of trouble.