Rating: 
Summary: All I can say is Wow!
Review: Got this at the library yesterday; finished it today. Roughly 240 pages. That's the sign of a good book. When was the last time you've had a 5-star read?
It's so eerie...almost as if this book found me. I am sure many women will be able to relate to it if they have ever been in a love they cannot forget, a love impossible to explain, yet lingers in the depth of your being. In this book, it is purported to happen only "once" in a lifetime; i.e. your "orchard of truth". The grandmother's advice in this book? "When you find your orchard of truth, you must find a way to enter it..." There is so much wisdom in this book. The beauty rituals alone are worth the price. I will compile notes to incorporate many of them into my life as well as with my daughters. I learned so much about culture and traditions; about the importance of being a woman and living life true to self -- not for others. About knowing yourself before sharing yourself with others; about saving yourself for true love. It's all about following your heart to minimize a life of regrets.
Some portions of the book delve into true intimacy and will be a little risque for some I suspect, but truth prevails in its entirety for those who are honest with love.
This will definitely be purchased to add to my library. It's been a long time since I have been brought to tears with a book, but Marisol hit the nail on the head. She is so eloquent a writer, she says things precisely the way I feel. How does she do that?
For any woman in her 30's (and above) who has contemplated life, where she is, where she is going and choices that she has made at the sacrifice of self, this book is for you. I guarantee it will give you a new lease on life. I am most grateful to Marisol and this gem of a novel. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: the lady, the chef, the courtesean
Review: I chose this book for our book club because of a review I read in the Denver Post and information about the author. I truly enjoyed this book because I have had such a special relationship with my grandmother, and this book captured a real essence of our special times together. I know that this will "insult" a lot of women, but it is so important to truly love and honor the man that you chose to spend your life with. This novel put this into perspective for me. No matter what our cultures are, it is important to keep "those secrets" within the confines of our homes. I loved this book!
Rating:
Summary: The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan by Marisol
Review: I enjoyed the story line and the recipes and reading about traditions that differ from our country's. Reading about the grandmother, mother and daughter relation and their viewpoints and communicating with each other always makes for an interesting read. This year I plan to give The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan as gift to a friend.
Rating:
Summary: the lady, the chef, the courtesean
Review: I'm not entirely sure what to think about this book; some of it seems to be shallow and objectify women, but I think it slightly redeems itself towards the end. The beginning few chapters really put me off to the book, since I disagree with many of the social views about women that were put forward. However, I understand the historical reference and how women existed in those days, yet it still didn't sit too well.I was surprised by the graphic and explicit sexual detail. I expected some, but some of this here seemed out of place - almost added in un-necessarily. In spite of all this, I think I began to enjoy it toward the end. Gabriela's story of love and loss is amazing, and one I think can learn from. You need to be true to your heart, and live your life according to your wishes, not the wishes friends and family impose on you. In addition to being eloquently told, it flows quickly; due to the way it's told, you don't feel too bogged down with extraneous words and it's tone is conversational - all words from a grandmother to her niece. This book also makes it easy to feel with the characters. You mourn for Gabriela and you yearn for Pilar to find what she wants and make the right decisions. So in all, I think it's a great story, but bits of it are wrapped in shallow fluff.
Rating: 
Summary: Reader, beware
Review: It is possible to have an interesting book club discussion about this novel, the issues it raises of how women view themselves and how their society views them. However, readers should be aware that this book contains several extended and very explicit scenes of men engaging in oral sex with the two protaganists, Pilar and Gabriella. Supposedly these experiences were pivotal moments in these women's personal lives. Perhaps. But not only are these scenes jarring, they are clumsily written - much closer to my idea of pornography than Latin American sensual literary tradition. A disappointing read, for me.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing seductive book!
Review: Marisol another of those one name personalities like Cher, Prince and Madonna. She has been a model, a banker, a belly dancer and various other professions in her life. A native of Venezuela, she has penned a wonderful tribute to her female heritage. According to the Latin American proverb, for a woman to succeed in life and please her man, she needs to be a lady in the living room, a chef in the kitchen and the courtesan in the bedroom. This philosophy is played out in the tale of Pilar. She goes home for her grandmother's funeral, and finds she is left a legacy she did not expect: bound in black silk are her nana's journals. The writings carry the secrets of her grandmother's life she carried to the grave. The journals detail the beauty rituals women of South America for centuries have learned to master, stressing the social etiquette, delicious recipes to seduce men, including the most important recipe of all: how to blend a strong-willed woman into lady, wife and lover. This is very sensual, compelling novel that contrast the glory of being feminine through the eyes of a modern woman against discovering the time honoured traditions of her grandmother. A truly wonderful book that empowers being a woman on all levels.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing seductive book!
Review: Marisol another of those one name personalities like Cher, Prince and Madonna. She has been a model, a banker, a belly dancer and various other professions in her life. A native of Venezuela, she has penned a wonderful tribute to her female heritage. According to the Latin American proverb, for a woman to succeed in life and please her man, she needs to be a lady in the living room, a chef in the kitchen and the courtesan in the bedroom. This philosophy is played out in the tale of Pilar. She goes home for her grandmother's funeral, and finds she is left a legacy she did not expect: bound in black silk are her nana's journals. The writings carry the secrets of her grandmother's life she carried to the grave. The journals detail the beauty rituals women of South America for centuries have learned to master, stressing the social etiquette, delicious recipes to seduce men, including the most important recipe of all: how to blend a strong-willed woman into lady, wife and lover. This is very sensual, compelling novel that contrast the glory of being feminine through the eyes of a modern woman against discovering the time honoured traditions of her grandmother. A truly wonderful book that empowers being a woman on all levels.
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: 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.
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