The Book of Unholy Mischief

In the middle of a party, ever start thinking of the book you left at home and long to just curl up and finish the story you had started? The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark made me do that very thing. But then, I'm equal parts nerd and book lover. Certain key phrases always make me perk up when considering a novel - the mystery of an ancient book, the promise of heavenly food descriptions (nerd, book lover, and voluptuary), throw in a dash of something decadent like Renaissance Venice and I am intrigued. Does The Book of Unholy Mischief deliver - oh, yes it does! Worth staying home from a party to read any day. First there is Luciano, the mischievous but innocent orphan, rescued from the streets by the secretive Chef Ferrero, head chef at the Doge's palace. The Doge is dying of syphilis and to combat the course of nature, he is scouring all of Venice for a book rumored to contain the secret of immortality, using torture and murder to gain his ends. But the malevolent Doge is not the only one looking for it - the terrifying cappe nere, an elite force with agendas of their own, and even Pope Borgia of Rome want the book of magic for their own uses. As the Chef's apprentice, Luciano at first only wants to become a chef himself and perhaps win the lovely nun-to-be Francesca's heart. But Luciano is too curious for his own good. Soon he makes a connection between the unusually learned Chef with his amazing dishes that can sway the moods of powerful men and the hidden book of magic for which everyone is searching. What secret can his maestro be guarding under lock and key? "Food has a power, Luciano. Each dish works its own magic, a kind of alchemy that changes our bodies and our minds....Consider the effect of melted cheese. Soft, warm, comforting, so easy to eat you barely need to chew. It makes a man relax. Then came the dumplings. Plain, common food to inspire trust, to awaken a sense of shared humanity and the enjoyment of simple things....Food can manipulate men's hearts and minds." There is plenty of food in this colorful, inventive novel - but the mouthwatering descriptions are elevated by the rumination on food's power and effect on people, how food connects us to hidden parts of ourselves and to each other. Newmark cleverly intertwines the magic of food with the mysteries of alchemy and the burgeoning age of enlightenment. And then you've got Venice at the height of her power as a backdrop. All these elements combined make The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark a dazzling feast that fully satisfies. Only thing missing perhaps are recipes - I want to make the fabled Sauce Nepenthes!

Elle Newmark immerses us in 16th century Venice with lush and vivid detail. We live history through the eyes of an urchin named Luciano who, seemingly by pure chance, is plucked from the streets by the head chef of the lavish Doges Palace. But just as we are about to lose ourselves in a particularly exquisite entrée, we are caught up in a vicious search for a book of alchemy, said to contain the secrets of wealth, power, and life itself. Tension builds as we find that this coveted book has a curious connection to the palace kitchen. Beautifully and cleverly descriptive, the story twists, turns, and finally emerges as a lasting testament to wisdom and truth.

Elle Newmark dishes up food and recipies in the tradition of Dan Brown's lessons on architecture and art history. I loved it.

This book is one of the best I have read this year. Not only is it a great read, there are morals,in sites, and culinary secrets.Herbs and spices are used in a way that anyone who has any herbal knowledge will appreciate this book. The characters come alive though the eyes of Luciano. You will be intrigued by his thoughts and his reality. The political atmosphere of historic Venice come to life through Luciano's eyes. As well as his hopes and dreams, which reflect modern times. what I loved best was the idea that chefs are the true alchemists! If you enjoy cooking you know that it is as much science as it is magic, and this book will confirm that. I think I found my new favorite author! She is one to keep in mind in the future.

From the first moment of beginning to read this book I knew it would captivate me, my attention and my imagination. Elle Newmark has written a book which was simply a marvel for me to read. Venice of 1498 is so alive that I could smell the good and the bad aromas described here, I heard the sounds, I felt the pricklings of unease over the actions of evil men. The story is told through the orphan boy Luciano who survives by picking through the garbage left to rot in the gutters. Luciano, Marco and Domingo are the three friends who protect each other and look after each other to the best of their young abilities. All three lives are marked by the political events taking place in Venice and the search for the magic book. Some say there is more than one book and that they contain the formula for a love potion, or perhaps the method for turning lead into gold, or even, the secret of immortality. When the chef in the palace of the doge of Venice spots Luciano stealing a pomegranate in the market square he is taken from his familiar world of petty thievery into a place of luxury unlike anything he ever knew existed. The main question Luciano has is, why? Why has the maestro chosen him? What does the maestro want him to do? When these questions are asked, the answers don't always satisfy Luciano but he begins to learn, slowly, ever so slowly, that the maestro only wants him to be better than he ever knew he could be. This book is so richly written that it almost defies description for me. There were times when the preperation of a meal was described so beautifully that I found myself salivating. When the layers of political intrigue in 15th century Italy are revealed in their horrendous cruelty I experienced the horror of men being beastly to men. Times when Luciano would finally comprehend what lesson Chef Ferrero was trying to teach him in the story he told or the food he prepared made me rejoice for that young boy grasping a lesson to hold on to for the remainder of his life. I loved it all. The food which could be used to influence men from one course of action to another. The search for the mysterious book that meant something different to each person who sought it. The secret group of men who were willing to sacrifice their very lives to protect what had been encoded and handed down within the books for their safekeeping. And through it all, the wonderful evocative prose that put me there, in those streets, in that house, in that kitchen, on that balcony, in that torture chamber. Whether it was a pleasant experience or not doesn't matter. Experience it I did. I highly recommend this book. It is filled with history, pathos, charm, excitement and above all else, a gratitude to the teachers. And the truly exciting part is, this book shows that each of us is or can be a teacher. This book was previously released under the title "Bones of the Dead" in 2007. I really like this new title and the cover picture of the figs is en