The Broken Heart Diet

by Tom Formaro

Overview

A sweet, sexy, and magical comedy...
Time heals a broken heart. But can a plate of pasta puttanesca?

San Francisco chef Dante Palermo is on the broken heart diet: he's lost the love of his life and twenty-five pounds. Can a visit from the ghost of his Sicilian nonna change all that? Not if Dante can't master his melancholy. In the midst of his emotional free fall, Dante opens a restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco's famed Italian neighborhood. As he clashes with his ill-tempered business partner, he begins a journey to career success beyond his imagination. With his heart, however, the struggles endure. On an enchanted odyssey that takes him from San Francisco to Des Moines to Rome, Dante tries to overcome his heartache and win the heart of his inamorata. Full of magic, lighthearted fun, and romance, The Broken Heart Diet tells the story of one lovelorn man's attempt to find true love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780984259311
Publisher:	Tramonto Press
Publication date:	06/01/2014
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Tom Formaro is a writer, drummer, and dad. After 14 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, Tom returned to Des Moines with is wife and beautiful daughter. They have a rescue puppy, Enzo. He's the son of a Sicilian immigrant and an first-generation Italian-American. His family is in the restaurant business and through high school, college, and grad school, he worked in restaurants as everything from a dishwasher to a cook. The Broken Heart Diet is largely based on Tom's kitchen experience. He has published short stories in Spoilage, Akkadian, SoMa Literary Review, and A Sexy Story. He is also the co-author (with his lovely wife, Rachel) of a children's book, Alfonso, the Christmas Pumpkin.

Editorial Reviews

2014-06-11
With paranormal elements, Formaro's (co-author Alfonso, the Christmas Pumpkin, 2009) debut romance is told from the unusual point of view of the spurned male.Dante Palermo is on top of the world. Vacationing in Las Vegas, he's about to propose to his girlfriend, Abby, in the town where they met. When they return to San Francisco, he'll sign the papers to open his first restaurant in North Beach. But things don't go as planned. First, Abby breaks up with him before he can pop the question. Then, after returning brokenhearted to San Francisco, he learns that his prospective business partner has fled the country ahead of investigations by the FBI. With the help of friends Bird, Charly, business partner John Sierra and whiskey, Dante stays afloat—just barely. His new restaurant, Pane Rubato, hovers on the brink of success, seemingly sabotaged by John's now-widow and his own ennui. For every step forward, Dante takes two back. His true savior turns out to be his beloved grandmother Nonna Isabella. She may have died years ago, but her ghost still pays him late night visits when his despair overwhelms him. Her counsel, cooking and assurances that he can now cure broken hearts not only bring him success but help him discover his true love. Dante's vulnerability will make readers ache for him, although there are instances when his boneheaded behavior incites a different response. The unique point of view elevates this novel; many readers of romance will be accustomed to cursing the male character, not sympathizing with him. However, the novel is far more than a romance, as it chronicles Dante's business struggles and the meteoric rise that feels empty to him. Formaro emphasizes the value of family and true friendship (as well as the devotion of a good dog) in healing a broken heart. The only times the novel falters are in its moments of slapstick; the climactic scene in Rome also suffers from the ridiculous scheming of Dante and his relatives to arrange a meeting with what could be true love.A memorable, gratifying glimpse into the life of a romantic restaurateur.

Kirkus Reviews

Uplifting and heartwarming . . . Formaro cooks up an engaging romantic tale about how food can win the heart.

Foreword Reviews - Maria Siano

A memorable, gratifying glimpse into the life of a romantic restaurateur.

Kirkus Reviews - Staff Revewer