Love in the Time of Cholesterol : A Memoir with Recipes

by Cecily Ross

A memoir filled with the story of an emergency heart bypass and with delicious sounding recipes and delightful tips on staying healthy. Viking, Toronto, Canada, 2006 First Edition, First Printing. 5.75"x7.5" tall; xi, 280pp.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Food

Hardcover

First published December 9, 2005

Reviews

[LA Bourgeois · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the last three years, my wyfe has been enduring a health crisis which seems to finally be resolving itself. This chronicle of a woman dealing with her husband's sudden heart problem brought me strength and laughter and an awareness that I was not the only person in the world involved in this struggle. Plus, the recipes look really tasty and make you forget that they are low-fat/healthy-fat. I must admit, I drooled a little on the pages.

[Treasure Island Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the recipes in this memoir seem delicious. The memoir is written in a way that makes Cecily seem like an adult writing about an amusing child who just happens to be her younger husband.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insights into the physical and emotional healing process from triple-bypass surgery. I'm not sure I can ever subscribe to the borderline-self-righteous health food thing, but Cecily Ross certainly makes it understandable. I was particularly interested in the connection she makes between hereditary heart disease and an inherited "high-strung" personality; she attributes her husband's clogged arteries to the level of stress, anxiety and unchecked insecurities he suffers. She discusses her evolving relationship with her husband Basil through their ordeal - as well as that of Basil and other relatives and friends - with humor and pathos. I enjoyed the recipes and am reluctant to return the book to the library because I'd love to try some of them.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun quick read. Got a pre-release copy through work and thought it was very well written. I don't even have issues that relate to the main characters (middle-aged, bypass surgery) but the author writes mainly relationships (husband-wife, friends, family) that anyone can relate to. As a dietitian I enjoyed reading about some of the food issues and the recipes, of course. I'll be trying the blueberry muffin recipe toward the back of the book-

[Joy Weese Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir by a woman whose husband had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery at age 44. The experience was horrific enough to motivate me to continue my heart healthy behaviours in the hope of preventing or warding off heart disease as long as possible. Aside from eating healthily, this book talks about making changes in exercise and in emotional and mental health.

Besides being a motivating book for a health, this is a well-written and enjoyable memoir.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like cooking and have ever lived or are currently living a medical journey, you will have two reasons to read this well-written narrative set partly in Toronto and partly in the Collingwood area of Ontario. I identified on many counts with the story and enjoyed perusing the recipes as well.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memoir with recipes. I picked this up while looking for Love in the Time of Cholera. The memoir is about husband Basil's heart disease. It's not particularly well written, but the characters and stories are engaging, and the inclusion of recipes adds a nice twist to the memoir genre.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really just got this from the library because I wanted to copy a few of the recipes. The book itself is probably intended for an older audience, but I still enjoyed it. Not exactly something I'd recommend to people, but it was fine.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, light read, would be good for the beach - as long as you bring something to mark the pages you want to try recipes on, post-its maybe. The recipes sound really good despite being healthy

[Anita Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute! A fun, light read about a very serious topic. All of the recipes at the end of each chapter were an added bonus!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable quick read.

[Maple Tea (moved to StoryGraph) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the recipes better than the story, I'll be trying out several of the dishes provided.

[Bryna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story about a woman and husband who's lives change when his ticking time bomb of a heart goes off. Bonus: LOTS of recipes!

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once I started this one I realized I'd read it when I got it from a book sale. Still enjoyable to read how they coped with a new life style.

[denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

for old women, read this for my OSRP and I genuinely didn't even read to page 100 so #slay it''s a cute story tho