The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan

Rating:
Summary: Hot and spicy--true passionate love
Review: Not only is the title terrific, but the content is beautifully written. This novel begins with Pilar,a contemporary woman living in Chicago who has gone back to her home country of Venezuela for her grandmother's funeral. She received a gift her grandmother wanted her to have: three journals, one entitled THE LADY, one THE CHEF and a third THE COURTESAN. Pilar reads these journals, the writings of her grandmother, which add a whole new dimension on to her grandmother's life Pilar nor Pilar's mother ever knew. Pilar's grandmother teaches her how to be a Lady in the living room, a Chef in the kitchen and a Courtesan in the bedroom.
The grandmother's diaries were my favorite part, a picturesque view of a seductive and wonderful culture where favors and sensations are described as if the reader was actually experiencing them themselves. Take this book to the beach, on the plane or curled in your favorite chair and it will make you hungry for love.

Rating:
Summary: A Gift to All Women
Review: Remember "I am woman hear me roar?" At a time when most of us women are confused about our roles in societey, comes "The Lady, The Chef, and The Courtesan," an outstanding celebration of femininity to shed some light into who we are.
Set both in Venezuela and Chicago, "The Lady..." recounts the story of three generations of South American women based on the diaries of Gabriela Grenales, the grandmother who passes the secrets of how to be the perfect wife, woman and lover to Pilar, her Venezuelan granddaughter, who now lives in Chicago. Both women face similar choices: doing what's expected of them, versus following their heart. What ensues is a passionate tale that beckons every woman to follow her heart and do what's right for her. "The Lady..." conjures a gentler version of feminism, a place in the middle where women can reclaim their femininity without giving up their roar. I highly recommend this elegantly written novel, especially if you feel caught in the middle, or are facing a tough choice.

Rating:
Summary: A Gift to All Women
Review: Remember "I am woman hear me roar?" At a time when most of us women are confused about our roles in societey, comes "The Lady, The Chef, and The Courtesan," an outstanding celebration of femininity to shed some light into who we are.
Set both in Venezuela and Chicago, "The Lady..." recounts the story of three generations of South American women based on the diaries of Gabriela Grenales, the grandmother who passes the secrets of how to be the perfect wife, woman and lover to Pilar, her Venezuelan granddaughter, who now lives in Chicago. Both women face similar choices: doing what's expected of them, versus following their heart. What ensues is a passionate tale that beckons every woman to follow her heart and do what's right for her. "The Lady..." conjures a gentler version of feminism, a place in the middle where women can reclaim their femininity without giving up their roar. I highly recommend this elegantly written novel, especially if you feel caught in the middle, or are facing a tough choice.

Rating:
Summary: Age-old feminine secrets, uncovered
Review: There's something alluring and mysterious about South American women. They seem to possess a self-confidence and elegant beauty that makes them irresistible to men, and a complete mystery to other women. Could it be that they've simply been born with good genes? Or is it something else - a deeper secret passed down through generations that empowers Latin women and gives them the ability to explore and celebrate their sensuality and femininity?

Pilar Castillo is twenty-six years old, and trapped between two different cultures. She was born in Venezuela, but now resides in Chicago, where she's learned to live independently. She enjoys her job as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and she's dating an all-American photographer named Patrick Russo. Yet her mother heartily disapproves of her choices - both in living, and in men. She's expected to come back home to be with her family, and to marry Rafael Uslar, an arrogant and flirtatious, albeit successful lawyer that she was once engaged to.

What's a girl to do when she's being pulled in so many directions? Advice and salvation come in the form of three leather-bound volumes; her grandmother's diaries which encompass her life and many words of wisdom. Pilar's grandmother, Gabriela, believes in the old proverb that states "a woman must be a lady in the living room, a chef in the kitchen, and a courtesan in the bedroom". By sharing her own experiences, Gabriela imparts upon Pilar the real secrets to being the quintessential Latin woman, and perhaps the most important lesson of all: that a woman should always follow her heart.

THE LADY, THE CHEF AND THE COURTESAN is elegantly written, and full of wit, charm and insight into a culture that still seems to be frozen in another time. There are many lessons to be learned from reading this book, and although the advice may sound dated at times - "a husband wandering around the kitchen could signify only one thing: his wife had failed miserably in her duties" - it also offers a refreshingly open look at relationships, and the gender roles that many of us still play in our daily lives.

This is an eloquent, lyrical novel which shouldn't be missed by any woman wanting a deeper look at uncovering the age-old secrets to her femininity.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, Highly recommended
Review: This book is a must for woman who try to be all three of these things. It uses natural life experiences and puts you a world where you can relate to being torn between your feelings of family tradition and following your heart!

Rating:
Summary: Wouldn't you like to receive a diary such as this one...
Review: This one was different - haven't you ever wished you could ask your mother or grandmother questions about their lives, personal questions. After her grandmother's funeral, Pilar is given the gift of her nana's (grandmother) diary and, boy, is it an eye-opener. A family secret is included in the diary that helps put all of the pieces of the family puzzle in place. It is information needed to help Pilar understand her mother. Her nana wants Pilar to make her own decisions for her happiness and not be influenced by her mother. But Pilar must first learn what it is she truly wants out of life. Her grandmother shares the importance of being a lady, art being able to seduce a man through food, and then the talent of being a courtesan to the man/lover/husband to keep him satisfied. It's a different kind of read. Good, but slow for me in parts. But you need to try it and see what you think. I am glad I read it but it's not a keeper for me.

Rating:
Summary: Marisol Has Written a Heartwarming Story
Review: Who hasn't wished for the wisdom of the ages to be bestowed upon them in one fell swoop? Who hasn't thought that there must be some secret key that would make life easier, if only they knew what it was? Who wouldn't give a considerable amount of money in exchange for the knowledge that would smooth their way and land them on the path to success?

Pilar Castillo has not necessarily wished to receive knowledge in just these ways, but knowledge is what she finds in a beautiful white brocade box containing three black leather bound journals, each one based on a different aspect of a Latin American proverb advising a woman to be a lady in the living room, a chef in the kitchen, and a courtesan in the bedroom. The journals were written by her recently deceased and much beloved maternal grandmother, Gabriela, and they impart their own brand of wisdom from a life led not as she would have wished it but as society dictated.

Born and raised in Venezuela and reared amongst a myriad of unquestioned traditions, Pilar finds that life in America has altered her attitude and perspective toward her traditional upbringing. Culture shock is a mild description for the emotions Pilar experiences when she returns home to Venezuela to attend Gabriela's funeral and finds life in Venezuela much the same as when she left. She is the one who has changed.

While she appreciates the beauty of the land and the people of Venezuela, she can't help comparing Rafael --- her jilted fiancé whose magnetic charm, good looks and the security he could provide are overshadowed by an elevated opinion of himself common in Venezuelan men --- to her current American boyfriend Patrick, who tugs at her heartstrings and moves her to a plethora of new feelings but who has not felt the need for a strong commitment.

She compares the women of Venezuela to those of America and wonders how on earth the Venezuelan women accept the traditions and social mores that keep them confined in their roles as pampered and protected objects. Yet at the same time, Pilar reveres the attitude they maintain toward themselves as women.

As she searches for her identity and what she wants out of life, Pilar is touched by the struggles and triumphs of her grandmother. Through her journals, Gabriela manages to leave a legacy of wisdom and encourages Pilar to throw off the expectations of others and live her life as she sees fit, unfettered and unbound by family expectations or the traditions of her past. The journals also reveal that Gabriela had secrets, secrets unknown to even those closest to her.

THE LADY, THE CHEF, AND THE COURTESAN is a heartwarming story and an interesting look at a culture that differs vastly from that of modern day America. While some women today can be glad to be free of the expectations that restrict women in other countries or in times gone by, this book may leave them wondering if their search for freedom has cheated them, to an extent, of the beauty and mystery of being a woman in another time and another place.

--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor