Fiscino and Naples, Italy - 1940

Livia Pertini's buffalo, Pupetta, is laughingly crowned the beauty contest winner at the annual Feast of the Apricots in 1940, but more importantly, that is the day Livia falls in love. A handsome young soldier named Enzo comes into the restaurant where Livia is cooking and, for both, it is love at first sight. When Enzo and Livia marry, he takes her to Naples to live with his parents and goes off to war.

Four years later, Naples is occupied by the British and American forces. British Captain James Gould arrives to find prostitution and the black market flourishing, and a city in chaos. People are starving and venereal disease is rampant. James is appalled at the conditions in the city. He is called the wedding officer because one of his jobs is to investigate the women that the soldiers want to marry, to make sure they are not prostitutes, and to dissuade the couples from marrying. His commanding officer orders James to clean up the city.

When Enzo is killed fighting in Russia, Livia returns home to Fiscino to live with her father, trying to maintain the restaurant with little or no food. Finding an old German tank, Livia uses it to plow a field so she can plant her vegetables. When James hears about the tank, he takes some Italian soldiers to investigate and gets shot in the shoulder by one of the over-zealous Italians. Livia takes him home to bandage him, and then he takes her to Naples where she hopes to find work. James is very attracted to Livia, but because his job is to stop British soldiers from marrying Italian women, he tries to keep his distance. The Italians want James to stop trying to clean up the city, and since sex doesn't work, they are hoping good food will do the trick. They get Livia a job cooking for the occupation forces.

A compelling story, THE WEDDING OFFICER is the tale of a young, virginal man who is ordered to take on the job of putting in order a bombed city in shambles, with little food for its remaining residents. No jobs, with nothing as it was before the war, the people are mired in confusion and doing anything to survive. Superstition is pervasive, and penicillin is the most valuable commodity on the black market. Livia is also trying to survive after losing her husband, the restaurant, and her family. She is a hard working woman and a wonderful cook. Although the story takes place with the serious backdrop of war and the terrible things that took place, some of the conversations are comical, particularly when Livia decides that James must be gay, and some of the other sexual double entendres are excellent.

As James falls in love, he becomes more lenient and compassionate. Dialogue sparkles as Livia learns English, the romance is exciting, and the story riveting. And, of course, there is all of that marvelous Italian food that Livia is constantly cooking. An excellent book that will be made into a movie, THE WEDDING OFFICER is an original story that readers won't want to miss. A Perfect 10.

Marilyn Heyman