An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude
May 15, 2010 by Caribbean Vacation and Island Tips
Filed under Books
Product Description
Under the Tuscan Sun meets the wide-open sea . . . An Embarrassment of Mangoes is a delicious chronicle of leaving the type-A lifestyle behind — and discovering the seductive secrets of life in the Caribbe… More >>
An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude
This book has been helpful for a friend who is planning to buy a boat and move to the Caribbean. He said it has been influential for him and has given him lots to think about.
Rating: 5 / 5
Well written, nice recipes, but the sailing part is pretty boring. The writer definitely doesn’t like sailing. The usual story; the husband would like to go cruising; the wife follows him and hates the sailing part. If sailing is not in your blood… don’t go, catch a plane! She wants us to believe that it is all very brave what they do, but with the house paid off, a whole package of insurances and without hardly any night passage, it sounds more like a Club Med adventure. If a cruiser is fussy in finding a hair salon in port and bug-busting bleaches everything that is on board (mooring lines, fruit,..!), I can only suggest to stick to cooking!
Rating: 2 / 5
This was a fine effort from Ms. Vanderhoof. I wasn’t sure about it – this book takes some time to “ripen” at least for me. She doesn’t spend any time on how they were able to take two years off and I guess that ok but I kept wondering about it. When they actually get to the Caribbean the whole book really blooms. The love that these two feel for the areas they live in becomes infectious. The recipes are interesting but where would this Michigan resident find the ingredients? When the author is writing about the people she meets, Mr. Butter, the Minister of Rum, Dingis and family, those are the most WONDERFUL passages in the book. This was not a perfect book but it is an interesting book and I’m so glad I read it.
Rating: 4 / 5
If you have a fantasy about running away to a tropical island, you will love this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
While less in the book is about sailing, it is rich with experiences the author writes wonderfully about. Those experiences often involve people, places and food and are rich in detail. Better yet, at the end of each chapter she includes the recipes of various dishes and drinks they are introduced too. Makes the reader feel they are along for the adventure.
Don’t hesitate to read this book.
Rachel Derlatka
Rating: 5 / 5