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Catherine falls for Pedro, who is Argentine, when her boat capsizes in Sydney harbour. Then she falls for his cooking.
And then she finds herself in Buenos Aires. Unable to speak fluent Spanish, let alone understand rapid-fire conversations, she is disoriented in a high-rise city of thirteen million inhabitants, where the subway runs on the left, but cars drive on the right. The custom of kissing people when they are first introduced - but not always, and not everyone - adds to her confusion. And Pedro's family displays an overwhelming interest in everything that Catherine and Pedro do.
Funny, intimate and engaging, Catherine's story unfolds against the backdrop of Buenos Aires streetscapes, Argentine customs, family life, food and wine. The narrative is peppered with Argentine sayings and expressions - with their English translations - and each chapter ends with one of Pedro's tantalising recipes.
Catherine's story is written in the form of a travel memoir and covers a period of six months. During this time, Catherine experiences emotional highs and lows in a new country, and learns what is important to her, to her husband, and to their relationship.
This entertaining, easy-to-read story speeds along with a good dose of humour. The action takes place near to, and often within, the Buenos Aires tourist areas of Palermo, Recoleta and San Telmo.
The book will appeal to travellers, Latin American cooking enthusiasts, students of Spanish, and those who plan to move to Argentina as expats. For those visiting Buenos Aires, this book will complement any travel guidebook for Argentina, Patagonia, or South America.
About the author
'An Argentine in my Kitchen' is my first novel, inspired by travels in Argentina and South America with my Argentine partner. Like Catherine in the book, I've stumbled through Spanish conversations and been confused by local customs. I've been fascinated by Spanish sayings and expressions, and by the local food and its indigenous, colonial, and immigrant origins.
Two of my current writing projects are based in Patagonia, the region that forms the backdrop to Chapter 4 of 'An Argentine in my Kitchen.' One project is the biography of an early European settler, and another is a fictional family saga spanning three generations. I'm also compiling a book of short stories.
Visit my website: carolynkerrbooks.com
