Book excerpt: “A heart-warming celebration of the Italian family and its cuisine” from the bestselling author of Valvona & Crolla: A Year at an Italian Table (Alexander McCall Smith). Following the successful publication of Dear Francesca and Dear Olivia, bestselling author Mary Contini picks up the thread of her family story from 1934 in Pozzuoli, Naples, following the commercial success of the family business—Edinburgh’s acclaimed delicatessen, Valvona & Crolla—and the Dolce Vita of her parent’s generation. With her inimitable style she shares stories of exuberant family relationships, mouthwatering food and hilarious laughter, painting a vivid picture of life in wartime Italy and Scotland and the decades immediately after. “Food is everywhere in the book, and it will be a stoic reader who doesn’t fall upon the recipes at the back from Carlo’s mother’s kitchen.” —The Scotsman “Food is never far from Mary Contini’s heart and storytelling . . . may be the perfect holiday read—upbeat, sunny, and easy reading . . . as an evocation of a time long past it’s deftly written, tender, and true.” —The Wee Review Praise for Dear Francesca and Dear Olivia “Touching and inspiring . . . The book bursts with flavor.” —Financial Times “A remarkable book . . . a pleasure to read as well as to cook from.” —Homes & Gardens “Uplifts and inspires . . . Contini has augmented the family legends with historical research and imagination.” —Sunday Times “An enchanting, delectable read.” —Sainsbury’s Magazine “Don’t miss it: there won’t be a better cookbook published this decade.” —Elisabeth Luard, author of The Old World Kitchen