Shakespeare's Recipes

 

Shakespeare's Recipes is a food/cooking/commentary collection of the foods and dishes mentioned in the plays of the Bard. Due out 1st Feb 2021 from the author, Rie Sato, the page count information and formatting were not provided in the excerpt given for review purposes. 

This is a very short (13 page) excerpt for review which doesn't contain any recipes. It does contain an intriguing stream-of-consciousness running commentary on some mentions of food from various canonical Shakespeare plays. The partial excerpt of chapter one mostly concerns Falstaff and his epicurean (and romantic) exploits in Merry Wives of Windsor. There are brief mentions of sweetmeats and venison, with some attendant quotes from the play(s) (Cliff notes version: Falstaff appears in three plays (Henry IV 1-2, MWoW), and is eulogized in Henry V. 

The language in this excerpt, while perfectly readable and understandable, is clearly either translated or written by a writer whose primary language facility isn't in English. It's not particularly distracting, but it is noticeable. There are numerous instances where words are substituted for other similar words, nobilities for nobles, pursues for ensues, and several others. As stated, this is an early eARC excerpt and these issues would normally be fixed in the editing process, but since this is a self-published book, it's worth noting.

As it is now, I am truly intrigued by the premise, but less than enthusiastic about the implementation.

Three stars in its current form.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.