Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-in-Law

by Katherine Wilson

Full of lighthearted humor, sumptuous food, the wisdom of an Italian mother-in-law, and all the atmosphere of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels, this warm and witty memoir follows American-born Katherine Wilson on her adventures abroad. Thanks to a surprising romance—and a spirited woman who teaches her to laugh, to seize joy, and to love—a three-month rite of passage in Naples turns into a permanent embrace of this boisterous city on the Mediterranean.

When I saw the sea at Gaeta, I knew that Naples was near and I was coming home.

“There is a chaotic, vibrant energy about Naples that forces you to let go and give in,” writes Katherine, who arrives in the city to intern at the United States Consulate. One evening, she meets handsome, studious Salvatore and finds herself immediately enveloped by his elegant mother, Raffaella, and the rest of the Avallone family. From that moment, Katherine’s education begins: Never eat the crust of a pizza first, always stand up and fight for yourself and your loved ones, and consider mealtimes sacred—food must be prepared fresh and consumed in compagnia.

Immersed in Neapolitan culture, traditions, and cuisine, slowly and unexpectedly falling for Salvatore, and longing for Raffaella’s company and guidance, Katherine discovers how to prepare meals that sing, from hearty, thick ragù to comforting rigatoni alla Genovese to pasta al forno, a casserole chock-full of bacon, béchamel, and no fewer than four kinds of cheeses. The secret to succulent, tender octopus? Beat it with a hammer. While Katherine is used to large American kitchens with islands and barstools, she understands the beauty of small, tight Italian ones, where it’s easy to offer a taste from a wooden spoon.

Through courtship, culture clashes, Sunday services, marriage, and motherhood (in Naples, a pregnancy craving must always be satisfied!), Katherine comes to appreciate carnale, the quintessentially Neapolitan sense of comfort and confidence in one’s own skin. Raffaella and her famiglia are also experts at sdrammatizzare, knowing how to suck the tragedy from something and spit it out with a great big smile. Part travel tale, part love letter, Only in Naples is a sumptuous story that is a feast for the senses. Goethe said, “See Naples and die.” But Katherine Wilson saw Naples and started to live.

Praise for Only in Naples

“In a world filled with food memoirs, this one stands out. Katherine Wilson gives us more than the fabulous food of Naples. She offers us a passport to an exotic country we would never be able to enter on our own.”—Ruth Reichl, author of My Kitchen Year

“Warmhearted . . . an exuberant account of love and great Italian food.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Sweet and humorous.”—Publishers Weekly

“Wilson has written a glorious memoir celebrating the holy trinity of Italian life: love, food, and family. Her keen eye and sense of humor take you through the winding streets of Naples at a clip, on a ride you hope will never end.”—Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker’s Wife

“How lucky we are to get these hilarious and wise perceptions filtered through a sincerely loving eye.

Genres: Italy, Memoir, Travel, Nonfiction, Food, Foodie, Biography

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2015

About the author

Note: There is more than one author on GR with this name. This profile is for Katherine^^Wilson, author of Only in Naples.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often read memoirs as many times it seems to me that they are just too self serving. So why did I read this one by a privileged woman who goes to Italy after college because spending time abroad was what her WASP family always did ? Mainly it was because my Goodreads friend Sue gave it a wonderful review that piqued my interest. It also appealed to me because of my Italian heritage , the fact that my maternal grandparents were from a small town near Naples and because I thought I might be able to relate . I was not disappointed in the least. This is a book about family , food , customs , love of life and in many ways a tribute to the author's mother-in-law.

The food as anyone who has been to Italy or associated in any way with an Italian family knows - it's all about the food . How to eat pizza - I never have nor will I ever eat the crust first. Katherine Wilson talks about her issue with being over weight and her binge eating disorder, how she ate wonderful food upon her arrival in Italy and lost 20 pounds. Can you imagine? My kind of diet!

The Christmas Eve dinner and family gathering reminded me of those celebrations of my childhood at my Italian grandparents' house where we gathered with aunts and uncles and cousins and just ate the night away. Only ours were not as formal as Raffaella's. We didn't use china or crystal. My mother had eight siblings and together with spouses and children we were quite a crowd so it had to be paper plates .

It was amusing in parts as Katherine learns that you really shouldn't take your underwear to the dry cleaners . I loved that it was her misunderstanding of the language that caused her to call Salvatore every day and thus begin this wonderful love story . I was reminded of how beautiful the Italian language is as she translates certain words and phrases . Having studied it so many years ago in high school and not speaking it for so many years, it made me want to learn it again.

While I felt somewhat removed from the privileged life these people lived , I really liked them all , especially Raffaella. A light , enjoyable read which makes me really want to go back to Italy.

Thank you Random House Publishing House - Random House and NetGalley.

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard for me not to like Only in Naples, but I don't expect it will be everyone's cup of tea and in some ways it was a bit puzzling. Only in Naples is a memoir written by Katherine Wilson, who grew up in the upper classes of Washington (she is a Wilson of the tennis ball Wilsons). She went to Naples after graduating from Princeton to do an unpaid internship at the American consulate, and never left. She met a boy, fell in love with him and his family, and enthusiastically immersed herself in life in Naples and Italy. Her memoir recounts her adventures adapting to Naples and her new found family. She focuses a lot on food and on her attempts to understand the social conventions of her new found family. Her enthusiasm for her new found home is hard to resist -- especially the food she describes -- and her tales of hapless cultural clashes are generally quite charming. But mostly I couldn't help liking this book for a very idiosyncratic reason; I have been traveling in the area of Naples as I've been reading Only in Naples, and I appreciated the cultural context and observations Wilson provides -- especially about food and social interactions. If I hadn't read it in this context, I may have found aspects of Wilson's memoir a bit grating. Her life experience and her whole experience of Naples are very privileged, which she doesn't really seem to acknowledge. Which brings me to the puzzling aspect of the book. From what I've read and seen, Naples is a city that has been plagued by chronic unemployment and poverty, and a fair amount of crime. It's a challenging city for people who live there and visit. It's not all negative, but it's certainly more complex than the city Wilson depicts. But somehow Wilson appears to float above much of the real Naples, or she certainly circumvents it in what she recounts in her memoir. Instead, she focuses on fairly lighthearted aspects of her at times bumpy integration into southern Italy. Again, I liked Only in Naples because I read it in the right context. But there's something a bit unreal about the world Wilson depicts and I wouldn't use it as a realistic measuring stick for truly understanding life in Naples, even for tourists and expats. In parallel, I am also reading Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend which I suspect is giving me a much more real taste of life in Naples. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katherine Wilson, rich, WASP, overweight and over-sensitive, travels to Naples, Italy for a post-college internship and to Experience the World. She is quickly introduced to the Avallone family, which conveniently has a son Katherine's age. She and Salvatore get lined up, they go hang out with his family for the evening, and Katherine begins to learn how Italians (specifically the Napoli variety) think far differently than Americans, and yet how we're all alike in other ways.

This was a pleasant read for the most part, as Katherine relates various episodes from her life in Italy and her growing relationship with Salva. Her mother-in-law-to-be is in fact an amazing person. The author's voice is often self-deprecating and sometimes the stories were a bit too "warts and all" for my comfort. (These are real people and her family! Wasn't she a little worried that some of them would take offense?) Her comparisons and analysis of the different cultures are sometimes on the superficial side, and overall the episodes from her life didn't entirely coalesce into a whole in the way I would have liked, but the stories were interesting and amusing enough to keep me going.

I was fascinated by the practice of octopus-pounding to make it tender and edible, which is a thing I first noticed just a few weeks ago in reading The Moon-Spinners. There was the funniest family argument about a tough octopus salad:

We all taste the octopus.

“È duro ’sto polipo.”

It is Nino who has broken the silence. He speaks with his mouth full, exaggerating the movement of trying to cut through the chewy octopus with his overworked molars. Have I understood correctly? Has he just said that the octopus is tough, no good?

“È buonissimo! È buonissimo!” I start my performance immediately. It’s fabulous! It’s fabulous! Let’s pretend Nino didn’t say that!

I am completely ignored.

Salvatore seconds his father’s statement. “Ha ragione Papà.” Daddy’s right.

After an excruciating silence, Pia declares, “Toto, this octopus you caught is really tough.” Not the octopus that we cooked. The octopus that you caught. Fightin’ words.

“Lella, did you perhaps forget to beat it?” Toto asks Raffaella nonchalantly. Since he is certain that his octopus was not by nature tough, the only question he has for his sister is where she went wrong. Raffaella was supposed to mash the octopus with a hammer before performing the dunking torture, Toto explains with authority, even though I suspect that he has never cooked an octopus.

The recipes at the end were intriguing, but have too many exotic ingredients and take too long to prepare and cook, for me to be seriously interested in trying them myself.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free arc of this book!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine Wilson falls in love with Naples and you will too.

For those currently craving a story steeped in light-hearted humor, romance and with calorie upon calorie described in its pages, "Only in Naples" is the book for you.

We are intimately introduced to Katherine's journey of love and the acceptance by an Italian family in Naples that changed her life. This family offers her their hearts, love, tradition, and family life and consider her as one of their own.

It is a signature piece that celebrates February and Valentine's Day every day of the year and every day of her life.

This venture teaches the reader what it is like to be taken up with the swirling, fascinating life of Naples. There is no going back once Katherine takes that first step on her journey. Naples plays a sneak attack on her heart and on the reader's heart also. Who would not want to be in her place?

Katherine Wilson has found the secret of happiness and shares it with us. Her book is thus a joyful manual about how to enjoy, life, love, culture and food in Naples and anywhere. By living in Naples she learns not just pasta plating but how to lead a successful life.

She closes her book with a few special recipes to whet our appetites such as ragu and Insalata di Polipo [octopus] which are borrowed from her mother-in-law's talented kitchen.

Thank you, Net Galley

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

BOTW

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07dkk0c

Description: Katherine Wilson tells her story of travelling to Naples and discovering love, food and family in a uniquely Neapolitan way.

Fresh out of college in 1996, Katherine arrives in Naples from America to intern at the United States Consulate. "There is a chaotic, vibrant energy about Naples that forces you to let go and give in," writes Katherine, who meets handsome, studious Salvatore and finds herself immediately enveloped by his elegant mother, Raffaella, and the rest of the Avallone family.

From that moment, Katherine's education begins. Never eat the crust of a pizza first, always stand up and fight for yourself and your loved ones, and consider mealtimes sacred - food must be prepared fresh and consumed in compagnia.

Immersed in Neapolitan culture, traditions, and cuisine, slowly and unexpectedly falling for Salvatore, and longing for Raffaella's company and guidance, Katherine discovers how to prepare meals that sing - from hearty, thick ragu to comforting rigatoni alla Genovese, to name but two.

Through courtship, culture clashes, Sunday services, marriage, and motherhood, Katherine comes to appreciate carnale, the quintessentially Neapolitan sense of comfort and confidence in one's own skin. Raffaella and her famiglia are also experts at sdrammatizzare, knowing how to suck the tragedy from something and spit it out with a great big smile.

Part travel tale, part love letter, Only in Naples is a sumptuous story that is a feast for the senses.

[PorshaJo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one. From descriptions and title I thought this was going to be a bit more food related. Yes, there is food but not quite what I was expecting. This is really the memoir of Katherine Wilson. She comes from a very wealthy family and that came across in the first few pages of the book - that was my first uh oh. The book is about her internship at the U.S. Consulate in Naples, that she got through family connections. She tells the story of her time in Naples and how she met her husband and fell in love. Now I understand she is in Italy. But she constantly throws in Italian words and phrases and then, sometimes, gives the English equivalent. It became very grating to me because it was constant and it seemed pompous. I found myself skimming a bit because it was distracting when I would see that font (Italian).

I'm a fan of memoirs and enjoy reading them. I'm sure many will enjoy the story of her time in Italy and meeting her husband. But this one was not for me.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful story of a woman who moved to Naples to do an internship at the American consulate after college. She has a contact in Naples, calls them and their son arrives to pick her up for dinner. She falls in love with the son but really more with his mother, Raffaella. I think the love affair with her husband would never happen if she didn't love his mother so much.

It talks about immersing herself in Italian culture and learning the language, In Naples it's not just the language but the hand gestures that go with it. She also learns the ins and outs of the culture which is very different, not only from America but other parts of Italy. It is a fun, good natured romp through the twists and turns of Naples. She basically lives with her boyfriend and family so gets to understand all the little nuances.

I love the family's daughter gets married and gets an apartment two floors down from her mother. Raffaella makes a lasagna, puts it on the elevator and sends it down to her daughter. It made me laugh out loud. The author learns all underwear must be washed by hand and jobs are just something to do so you can enjoy your time off. It's a really nice peek into another way of life. The big gift is the recipes at the end of the book. I gained 5 pounds just reading them although the octopus one is outside my comfort zone.

It's really fun read and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Net Galley.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read, but didn't grab my attention quite as much as I thought it might and I ended up skimming here and there.

Favorite quote: "In Naples they say, 'E figlie so' piezze 'e core. Your children are little pieces of your heart."

[Randal White · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skip it.

A memoir of a young woman who went to Italy, fell in love, married, and had children. I love travel books, living vicariously through the experiences of others trying new cultures. This book was an exception.In all honesty, I found it extremely difficult to like the author. An heir to the Wilson Sporting Goods company, she is a metaphor for spoiled, egotistical children. Some of her comments in the book may explain better. "The serene splendor of Tuscany would have been appropriate for an upper-class girl like me". "Growing up, I studied acting at Washington's most important theaters and took private voice lessons with esteemed classical musicians". "I was thankful for the Reformation. I knew with deep conviction that Martin Luther and John Calvin would've loved hearing me perform Les Mis". And, "my mother and aunt planned these vacations, which meant that while our friends from Washington went to Hilton Head or Cape Cod (oh my God, the horror those poor people must experience) we went on a cruise in Southeast Asia or the Galapagos". Get my drift?So anyway, Ms. Wilson has to do something, so she decides she wants to become an ambassador, and somehow gets a job in the American Embassy in Italy. So eager to serve, she states that she could see herself "becoming the ambassador to some small tropical country where I could throw really fun dinner parties with staff". Her work at the embassy must have been exhausting, as "I usually came in around 9:30, the first cappuccino break started at about 10:15", "In addition to the cappuccino breaks, our days were made up of two-hour lunches with Italian businessmen at yummy fish restaurants near the Consulate". Lest you think the poor woman has only the rigors of her job to deal with, she gives a to-do list of things to get done: "write a paper on the Warsaw pact exercise (which would have been fascinating to read, I'll bet her focus was on the tea-cakes served to the leaders); figure out a job in which I can earn money and have fun; become famous". Another list: "when going back to bed for afternoon nap, put full pajamas on, no half assed siesta"; bring full array of eye shadow". No wonder the United States has an image problem in the world's eyes, if this is how our diplomats act. The author, upon arriving in Italy, falls in love with the very first man she meets. She worms her way into his family (also wealthy) and manages to marry him and have children. Blah, blah, blah. I really can't decide if the author was trying to be funny, or if she was serious. I'm afraid it was the latter. The only reason that I kept reading the book was because I received it as an advance copy from NetGalley, and I felt an obligation to them to finish it for a review. There are so many good books coming out, save your time and choose one of them. This one is a waste of time.
 
 


 

[Elizabeth Brookbank · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I did not like this book. My main problem is with the narrator - she is just so unlikeable. I don't need all female characters to be likeable - I know the tendency to want that is based in some conditioned gender stereotype bullsh*t. But unfortunately when your book is a memoir I don't think the book can actually work if your readers do not in some way sympathize with and root for the narrator. I don't know Wilson personally, obviously, but the version of herself that she presents in this book is pretentious and tone deaf and just kind of annoying. The picture she paints of Naples and the people there, especially her future husband (who sounds awful?!), is not at all flattering and I found myself being glad that I've never experienced either. I don't think that was her goal. :-/

[Liz Estrada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I REALLY wanted to love this book, but the writer just turned me off from the get go. A spoiled, super rich, easily offended American woman goes to Naples and here I was hoping she would interact with the "real" Neopolitan families but she just hangs out out with a rich one. Due to her rich grandfather, head of the Wilson conglomerate, she has the privilege of traveling, interning at the American consulate for no pay and just having a good time with no money worries. Though I did like the Italian mother-in-law and the non chauvinistic Neopolitan son (how rare is that!) this book fell short. Yes, there are some very funny moments when she does capture the Neopolitan flair and quirky joie de vivre, but overall it bugged me.

Having visited Naples 3 times and having a grandmother from Calabria, I was hoping for more everyday tales of the working class people of Naples. In my view, the best chapter was on San Gennaro, the only time she goes off to see how the true everyday working people really celebrate a religious festival (which, ironically enough the upper crust of Naples frowns upon).

I also enjoyed how well she described Neopolitans opinions on America and Americans in general, from their reaction to the Clinton - Lewinsky "scandal", to how they dress and especially what crappy canned, supermarket-junk food they eat! Remember, these Mediterraneans take their slow food VERY seriously!!! No 20 minute lunches to go here!!! That is close to blasphemy!

Not to mention the hilarious chapter on the total bafflement of Neopolitans (and all Mediterranean countries, for that matter) about America's utter fascination with the dreaded air conditioner. For me, that was the best and funniest part of the book, probably because I was raised in Spain (another quirky place, so different from the American WASP culture) that I could relate to that.
I guess I would have loved this book more if I could have identified with the author.

[Bob Schnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advanced reading copy review Due to be published April 19,2016

Although I found it very hard to identify with the author's background and almost unbelievable naivete, I found myself enjoying her tales of a self-imposed stranger in a strange land. Katherine Wilson comes from a monied family (Wilson sporting goods)and the American South. In her family it is traditional to spend a "semester" during/after college immersed in one foreign city's culture. She chose Naples. Almost immediately upon arriving she falls in with a family, the Avallones, who lead her into a Neapolitan rabbit hole of traditions and customs all revolving around food. Perhaps not the best thing for someone with a history of eating disorders.

Her story consists of many short chapters, most devoted to an ingredient or dish, its history in Naples or the Avallone family and the author's personal experience with it. Between laughing and salivating you'll find yourself wishing her experiences could have been yours, or at least your taste buds'. In my ARC there are a few recipes in the back, perhaps the finished product will have more. I read this right before Thanksgiving which may have actually enhanced the experience. Recommended for those who enjoy tales of Americans abroad and food glorious food.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed reaction from me. I grew up and was very close friends with an Italian family who lived next door to me in Chicago, in fact my friend Vicki married my cousin. Anyway that is what attracted me to this memoir. Normally memoirs about privilege individuals are not my favorite thing, but I was curious and it sounded fun.

Some it was, loved the cultural and cooking discussions or insights, but some areas I felt were undeveloped or lightly touched on and some comments I felt were in very poor taste.

Loved the included recipes at the end, and the writing was good but........ well just wanted more in some areas and a little less in others.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming story about Italian culture told mostly through food. There is a lot of love and kindness in this book. While reading it I kept wishing for recipes and at the end, there were recipes! Very similar to A Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebowitz, only a female perspective in Italy.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun: just the kind of book I would want to write about my experience studying abroad in England and eventually settling over here. Of course, Wilson had it harder than me: she had to conduct her romance with Salvatore Avallone, relate to her future in-laws, and start a career all in a different language. But there were consolation prizes, chief among them the food. (Oh the Italian food, in all its mouth-watering detail! It brought back great memories of some of the splendid meals we had on a trip to Tuscany in April 2014.)

Although the book starts off chronologically, recounting Wilson’s post-college internship at the U.S. consulate in Naples in 1996 and her deepening relationship with Salva, her approach is mostly thematic. The chapters are usually named after signature dishes, used to shape the Italian material but also to draw in some flashbacks to her upbringing in a rich-but-not-that-rich suburban Maryland family (the Wilson sporting goods dynasty).

A lot of the best anecdotes revolve around food, like Salva’s mother Raffaella sending food down to her daughter in the apartment below via the elevator, or his uncle catching octopi with his one arm. Living with Italy’s food culture taught Wilson to savor her food; whereas when she was a pudgy teenager she tended to binge on things like Oreos, Raffaella taught her that good things – like the ragù stewed for hours on the stovetop – come to those who wait.

I loved the colorful Italian and Neapolitan dialect expressions Wilson dots around, and as a fellow expat it was interesting to see what her non-negotiable American imports are (we all have our own list, I’m sure): wall-to-wall carpeting, air conditioning, a garbage disposal, and peanut butter – I’m with her on that last one, anyway.

I wish the timing had worked out such that I’d read this before launching into My Brilliant Friend (my first Elena Ferrante book), because it gives a great flavor for the Neapolitan setting: “To live in Naples is to be on your toes, to have a thousand eyes, to stand up and fight for yourself and your loved ones.”

[Kati Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only in Naples
I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I don't usually read memoirs, but I am so glad I read this one. Katherine Wilson travels to Naples Italy, for an internship at the American consulate. She soon meets the Avallone family, and Salvatore, their son. She spends a lot of time with the family and is quickly immersed in Neapolitan culture. She literally falls in love with Rafaella, Salvatore's mother even before she falls in love with Salvatore himself. The book is a lot about Italian food, how to make it, how to enjoy it, family relations and Italian, more specifically, Naepolitan culture. Katherine's writing is full of humor, I laughed out loud several times as she points out differences in American and Italian culture. Not only about food, but going to the hospital, lab tests, shopping, etc. This is a delightful book of how two cultures differ and at the same time similar. I recommend this book to anyone.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House and the author, Katherine Wilson to give me a chance to preview this book.

[Plumpka · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 gwiazdki

"Takie życie tylko w Neapolu" zarówno tytułem, jak i okładką obiecuje o wiele więcej, niż w rezultacie daje. Książka jest zlepkiem anegdot, niespójnych formalnie i zwyczajnie kiepsko napisanych, które składają się na równie niespójną i kiepsko napisaną całość. Czytelnicy spragnieni barwnej i bogatej opowieści na miarę tematu zawiodą się, ponieważ brak tu płynnej i logicznej narracji - cechą "organizującą" tę książkę jest kompletny chaos.

Jeśli chodzi o samą treść mam mieszane odczucia. Anegdoty dotyczące Włoch i Włochów (czy też raczej Neapolu i Neapolitańczyków) są często interesujące, czasami nawet zabawne, oferują też czytelnikowi sporo wartościowej wiedzy o życiu codziennym włoskich rodzin. Wgląd do włoskiego domu to niewątpliwa wartość tej książki. Natomiast fragmenty przedstawiające życie Amerykanki we Włoszech, jej kulturowe szoki, amerykański punkt widzenia, były dla mnie w większości infantylne, egzaltowane, powierzchowne, a w rezultacie irytujące.

Ostatecznie nie uważam czasu spędzonego przy tej książce za zupełnie stracony, ale nie czerpałam z lektury takiej satysfakcji, jakiej oczekiwałam. Za to tylko 1.75 gwiazdki.

[Angelo Santacroce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it! A quick read that covers the very familiar ground of any young woman who visited Italy, fell in love and decided to stay. Not sure what the author "cured" in her life, but the journey through "la coltura Napolitana" was colourful, if at times cringe-inducing (strong gender roles). As an Italian immigrant to North America, it was interesting the see the flip-side.
Also, there's a lot of food prep in this book, if you're into that. The introductory lesson to the Neapolitan dialect (with very good English translations) sprinkled throughout was especially entertaining for me.
My one caveat: Naples, and Italy, has changed considerably in the 40 odd years since Katherine first went there. It's a moment in time.

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books this year! A joy to read.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this delightfully charming book. I love Italy, food and family. Katherine Wilson made her story come to life and I felt like I was part of this wonderful loving family.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review. This review expresses only my own opinions and the opinions of my mother.

Katherine Wilson leaves her comfortable life in Washington, DC for an internship in Italy. She is introduced to the Avalones , a well-to-do Neapolitan family who just so happen to have a son around her age. Katherine gets Salvatore to show her around and quickly becomes a part of the family, despite her inability to speak Italian (and his to speak English) and her unfamiliarity with the culture. Katherine always had a difficult relationship with food - loving it TOO much but not well enough. In Italy, under the tutelage of Mama Avalone, she learns the secrets of Italian food and the relationship between culture, food and family. She tried hard to copy down her mother-in-law's recipes but if you know Italian cooks, you know they change their recipe every time they make it and they never ever measure.

I really liked parts of this memoir. The parts that deal with the culture, language and food of Naples were the most interesting to me. (more on that later) I felt a little disconnected from Katherine's world. She's a rich white girl from DC whose biggest problem is binge eating. Her life back home was boring and it's no wonder she was so drawn to Italy. I also felt disconnected from the Avalones because like Katherine, they are wealthy and my grandparents and their families were poor peasants from the mountains of Avellino. However, the family dynamics were easy to relate to! Salvatore is in danger of becoming a mammone, a mama's boy, like his sister's husband. We know some Italian mammones and my dad, like Salvatore, was very close to being one. That much is universal from north to south, to America and beyond! I wondered about Katherine and Sal's relationship. She doesn't get too much into her feelings about him and how they fell in love with each other. She seems to have fallen in love with his family and didn't want to let go.

I especially got a kick out of the language lessons. My Italian is mostly non-existent but my dad speaks very good standard Italian. His friend is always correcting his pronunciation. The casinò (casino) conversation comes up a LOT. Papa (pope) and Papà (Dad) come up a lot too. I had to bite my tongue and hang on to the book as a surprise when my mom was explaining to someone the different pronunciations of casino. I also liked the drama/not drama opposite reaction. It was pretty funny and explained a lot about my dad and his reactions to things. I can only imagine what my great-grandparents must have been like and all the uncles and aunts. I only knew my grandmother, her oldest sister, older brother and their two American born baby siblings. I also enjoyed the history of Naples and the cultural explanations. I think my dad would also enjoy these parts as well.

My mom really really enjoyed this book. She didn't have much else to say other than that but she shared parts of it with my dad and he might read it too.. My grandmother's baby sister's WASP husband is still living and he might get a kick out of this book as well. It must have been as much culture shock for him to marry into the family as it was for Katherine when she first met the Avalones.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine Wilson, following her wealthy family's tradition, is assigned to a post-graduate internship in the U.S. Consulate in Naples (the Consul was a friend of her father's). The Avellone family, who is connected to the consulate, is designated to find her reasonable accommodation which, at first, is a temporary room in a Catholic boy's school. Their son Salvatore is chosen to show her around town. Even though he is the first guy she meets, she ends up living with him, his parents and his siblings, and eventually the two marry. As a member of the family, she is privy to all of the their very opinionated Neapolitan beliefs. Having spent a short time in Italy and witnessed the "mammoni" syndrome for myself -- and long enough to get into an argument about Italian versus American coffee -- I can honestly say this book is hilarious.

At first I thought Wilson must be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome to let herself get pushed around so much by Salvatore and his mother Raphaella (although he's an Italian "nerd" and therefore not as sexist as the typical macho guy in Italy). His mother however, is a tour de force who believes nobody else gets it; especially not Americans who eat things from cans or go to restaurants where they do not know the people making the food. Even newborn infants need to wear expensive fashionable clothing, even if they are just going to spit up all over it. Only in America would rich people be seen eating peanut butter. Peanuts are so low-class! Hazelnuts are are okay. How can anyone think about going outside in the rain? Not one drop can fall on the child, otherwise serious illness can ensue. These Americans! Can you believe they walk barefoot in the house?

Reading this makes me realize that I violated many more edicts of the "Italian Food Police" than the obvious one of asking for Parmesan cheese with a seafood pasta dish (which was met with shock and horror). I certainly can't imagine marrying into such a radically different culture even if I agree with the Neapolitan pronouncements on wall-to-wall carpeting (very bad) and processed food.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week:
Katherine Wilson tells her story of travelling to Naples and discovering love, food and family in a uniquely Neapolitan way.

Fresh out of college in 1996, Katherine arrives in Naples from America to intern at the United States Consulate. "There is a chaotic, vibrant energy about Naples that forces you to let go and give in," writes Katherine, who meets handsome, studious Salvatore and finds herself immediately enveloped by his elegant mother, Raffaella, and the rest of the Avallone family.

From that moment, Katherine's education begins. Never eat the crust of a pizza first, always stand up and fight for yourself and your loved ones, and consider mealtimes sacred - food must be prepared fresh and consumed in compagnia.

Immersed in Neapolitan culture, traditions, and cuisine, slowly and unexpectedly falling for Salvatore, and longing for Raffaella's company and guidance, Katherine discovers how to prepare meals that sing - from hearty, thick ragu to comforting rigatoni alla Genovese, to name but two.

Through courtship, culture clashes, Sunday services, marriage, and motherhood, Katherine comes to appreciate carnale, the quintessentially Neapolitan sense of comfort and confidence in one's own skin. Raffaella and her famiglia are also experts at sdrammatizzare, knowing how to suck the tragedy from something and spit it out with a great big smile.

Part travel tale, part love letter, Only in Naples is a sumptuous story that is a feast for the senses.

Fenella Woolgar ... Reader

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07dkk0c

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need a light hearted read . . .

[Nicole R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy personal memoirs. And not the kind from famous people, but humorous memoirs by every day people about every day life. Only in Naples fits that category.

Katharine is expected -- and wants to -- participate in the customary post-college graduation adventure before settling into life. Paris? Berlin? Madrid? No. Naples, Italy. She secures an internship with the U.S Consulate, packs her bags, and through a series of misunderstandings, ends up meeting a wonderful family and falling in love with their son....well, falling in love with his mother's food and then falling in love with him.

Katherine tells the story of learning about Italian culture and family through food. Her memories of important milestones in her relationship are tied to what the family was eating at the time. It was cute and entertaining and made me chuckle out loud on numerous occasions.

The beginning is what brought the rating down a bit. Katherine Wilson is of Wilson tennis fame and comes from a family with money. She definitely had a bit of the humble-brag going on about her ("Oh yes, my family is wealthy, but not as wealthy as, say, the Vanderbilts.") She also openly admits to having an eating disorder when she headed to Italy and I applaud her at being so open about it. But the way she worked it in was a little forced even though she had excellent insights as to how Italy changed her relationship with food.

Overall, highly enjoyable. Also, I listened to the audio which was narrated by the author and it was quite good! I enjoyed hearing the Italian instead of just reading it.

[Aimie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-in-Law is both a memoir and a cookbook.

Only in Naples is not what I expected. I thought that the memoir, cover, and description hinted a more food related memoir. However, this novel mainly focused on Katherine Wilson's journey from America to Naples, Italy. She goes from living with her wealthy family in America to having an internship at the U.S. Consulate in Naples, Italy. Which she obtained thanks to her family's connections.

The rest of the memoir focuses on Katherine Wilson's time in Naples, how she met her future mother-in-law, her husband, and how her life changed in ways she never thought it would. With that being said, I would have given Only in Naples a five star rating if the recipes weren't so lacking. The memoir was also rather slow-paced, leaving me at times inpatient and wondering when the memoir would end. In the end, this memoir was just not it for me.



ARC was kindly provided by publisher, Random House Publishing, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

For this review and more, check out: http://amalialock.blogspot.ca

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson grew up in a prominent and somewhat cosmopolitan family but when she moved to Naples for an internship at the US Embassy, she found herself a drift. Even though she had a rudimentary knowledge of the Italian language, she was unprepared for the dialectical differences and the traditions and customs. These issues cause not a little humor (and a little heartache) for the young lady abroad.

Miraculously she is "adopted" by a prominent Neapolitan family and she is mesmerized by their family life, especially the mother's role in the household. She becomes a member of the family almost before she even officially starts dating the son.

Wilson traces her trials and tribulations with self-deprecating humor. There's a bit of back story that she never fully develops, specifically her eating disorder.

While I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, I wish that some of her characters (and there certainly are some authentic Italian characters in the book) would have been more fully developed.

[Dеnnis]

This book is a rather rare case, when a view on another culture through personal experience reads well, entertains and conveys quite a lot of curious and useful information. The 'I's in it were just enough, pleasingly peppered with witty self-irony. Study of the new culture was with eyes wide open and non-judgemental, though a good measure of comparison and interpretation attempts was always there. All conclusions were verified with actual Neapolitans.

Although the book addresses a number of episodes from female standpoint I still learned a lot. And while in Naples I ate quite a few of meals mentioned in the story. Too bad I didn't remember quite as many of those cool Neapolitan regionalisms the author introduced.

All in all an excellent book for anyone to read before going to Naples or Italy.

[Shira · Rating 2 out of 5]

GOOD: The book is good to read. It takes me into the insights of Neapolitan people, especially the Neapolitan family the author has come to love. The description of the places maes you want to go there, to experience the sights, smells, and taste the author had experienced those many years ago. It sheds new light about Italy that many authors strive to peek through. This book also shows the niceties and quirks of the Neapolitan people and the place they called home.

BAD: I, however, find it irksome that there is a underlying tone of racism in this book, spawning from the way how upper middle class Neapolitan people think of foreign domestic servants. The dialogue that annoyed me the most is the part wherein Benedetta told Katherine that the Bangladeshi maid/nanny is DUMB because she can't pack lunch properly, just packing it in the plastic bag, and not like the way they (Italian) do.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

How does anticipation effect one’s ultimate rating of a book? I expected little from my last book, and I ended up having it wow me. I had very high hopes for this book, and I found myself just liking---not loving---it. It’s a tricky thing.

Please don’t get me wrong, though; I did like it. I liked it a lot. It’s the story of an American girl who meets a boy and his family in Italy and falls in love---in love with both the boy and his family. It was fun to read about all the startling ways the people of Naples do things differently from us Americans. Maybe it was a teeny-weeny bit too much memoir and a teeny-weeny bit too little travelogue, but only a bit. Overall, quite good. Just don’t get your hopes up too much.