Elza's Kitchen
A Novel
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
For years, Elza has gotten by. A divorcee out of culinary school, she started her own little restaurant in the mid-size Hungarian city of Delibab, and she's grown a decent business, cooking quality versions of Hungarian classics and serving them with a smile. But lately her smile has gotten tired. Her loveless affair with her sous-chef has become an irritation. She's getting sick of the same old dishes and the same old customers. And in these nascent years of capitalism, it will take some competition - both personal and professional - to make her see that her restaurant, and her happiness, are worth fighting for.Marc Fitten fell in love with Hungary after years spent living there, and his second novel is a celebration of its culture and cuisine, as well as a portrait of a woman and her country in transition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fitten's witty second novel (after Valeria's Last Stand) will leave mouths watering and tears streaming, all for the sake of food and love. Divorc e Elza owns a little restaurant in postcommunist Hungary. She's in a dead-end relationship with the Sous-Chef, restless and dissatisfied, and desperate for the Critic to visit, taste her marvelous pork tenderloin, and nominate her for the coveted Silver Ladle award. She entreats two friends, the Professor of Sauces and the Professor of Meats, to persuade the Critic to give her a shot. Her failed relationship with the Sous-Chef, combined with the Critic's late, drunken arrival, and a violent incident with a trio of loitering Gypsy children cause everything to unravel. Elza must rebuild not just her business but her life. Fitten, having lived in Hungary for several years, paints a vivid and charming picture of life in the country. While Elza's story is an easy and engaging read, Fitten also manages to subtly track the progress of a nation and its people specifically its women (they're the only ones given proper names) as they pursue a better life.
