July 21, 2008
Food aficionado Capella (The Food of Love
) brews a tale of a young poet-turned-coffee-expert in 19th-century England. Robert Wallis, a lazy 20-something poet, meets a man in an artists’ cafe and soon has a job. With his talent for over-description, Wallis is the perfect employee for Samuel Pinker, a coffee merchant wanting to create a guide to the world’s coffee beans. Unfortunately, Wallis falls short trying to woo Pinker’s daughter Emily with charming “epigrams” and his oversized ego. To spare his daughter from scandal, Pinker sends Wallis on a journey around the world, and the real story begins. Political issues of the time—from the slave trade to women’s rights—provide the backdrop for Wallis’s expedition. Navigating a series of unpredictable challenges, Wallis transforms from an apathetic charmer to a poised young man. Despite the lack of food details prevalent in Capella’s earlier work—coffee doesn’t have quite the same appeal—the surprising plot twists and authentic love story will make this a crowd pleaser.
August 15, 2008
In 1893 London, Robert Wallis is an impoverished poet who takes occasional refuge from his debts at a coffeehouse. There, a coffee merchant who notices his extraordinary palate hires Robert to create a flavor index for coffee suppliers to gauge the world's coffee supply. His success shapes his life as an expert taster and a reckless, self-centered adventurer who stumbles into the darkest corners of the world. When he falls in love with Emily, the daughter of the coffee company's owner, he is shipped off to Africa to avoid scandal. There Robert learns how plantations are started and managed. He witnesses the indentured locals laboring as slaves on the plantations and the harsh conditions under which they work and live. Robert's experiences change his view of love, business, politics, and coffee. Capella ("The Food of Love") infuses history and style into a skillfully crafted blend that starts sweet, turns to a rich, full flavor, and leaves readers craving a bit more. Recommended for all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 5/1/08.]Ron Samul, New London, CT
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