Author weaves tale of passionate romance

In old Latin American proverb states in order to discover her power over men, a woman must learn to be a lady in the living room, a chef in the kitchen and a courtesan in the bedroom. \nMarisol, a native Venezuelan, bases her sensual novel "The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan" on this theme. By telling both the story of Pilar Castillo, a modern career woman originally from South America, and Gabriela Grenales, her grandmother, Marisol beautifully weaves -- and ultimately, connects -- the stories, thereby connecting Pilar's modern ideals of life with the traditions she grew up with.\nAfter Pilar is called away from her job at the Chicago Tribune to attend her grandmother's funeral in Caracas, she inherits three books -- diaries written by her grandmother. The inside contains not only the secrets of a South American woman's beauty and charm, but also the startling story of Gabriela's secret life. No one in Gabriela's family was ever told about her reluctant marriage and subsequent affair with a boy she fell in love with as a teenager but who was below her social standing and, therefore, she was unable to marry.\nThe interesting story is about a young woman struggling to establish a career and find true love in the U.S. while working against her family's insistence of returning to Caracas to marry and raise a family. However, at times, the sections entitled "The Lady" and "The Chef" from Gabriela's diaries drag on, discussing various aspects of beauty and cooking. \nPresumably, few people really want to hear Gabriela talk at length about her beauty regimen or cooking. Obviously, the addition of her beauty tips and recipes add to the reality of the story -- it seems as though the reader is reading in on Gabriela's diaries. However, the extra words add nothing to the essential story, and at times, get in the way of the flow of the otherwise beautiful novel. \n"The Lady, The Chef, and the Courtesan" also tells two intriguing, beautiful stories -- one of Gabriela and her passionate secret love and one of Pilar and her tough decision between her family's will, and her own. \nThe section entitled "The Courtesan" is the most interesting, with the best flow and most romance. Although sex scenes in many books get in the way and distract from the action, the scenes in this book only add to the story. \nMarisol is intelligent in not describing every sexual encounter the characters have, but rather only the ones that changing the course of the characters' lives. \nPerhaps pieces of this novel are rather far-fetched. Very rarely in life do people encounter situations so incredibly romantic and beautiful as the relationships described in "The Lady, the Chef and the Courtesan." However, the novel is, if nothing else, a beautiful escape for women. Perhaps it should be treated as a fairy tale, as most romances should be. \nAlthough the novel drags on in some places, in general, Marisol has created an intriguing, if somewhat far-fetched, romance that is enjoyable and interesting. The book lists for $21.95 and is available at local retailers.