A village in Tuscany is the setting for this joyous debuta novel that defies all our expectations as it puts a fresh, clever, captivating spin on the age-old tale of forbidden love. Rich in literary delights, filled with spectacular wordplay, and rife with the bawdy humor of Shakespeares comedies, Tomato Rhapsody is the almost-true tale of how the tomato came to Italyat once a brilliantly inventive fable of love, lust, and longing, and a dazzling feast for the imagination.This is a story born from lovea forbidden lovebetween Davido, an Ebreo tomato farmer, and Mari, a beautiful Catholic girl.But its not only Davido and Mari who have secrets of the heart. Everyone around them yearns for somethingfrom Davidos grandfather, who tenderly cultivates the tomato plant he stole on his voyages with Columbus, to Maris villainous stepfather, whose eye is trained on his stepdaughters virginity and his neighbors land. Caught in the midst of these passions and machinations is a village full of eccentrics who speak in rhyme, celebrate the Feast of the Drunken Saint, and live a life untouched by the passage of time. The schemes and dreams of these men and women are about to change as what is forbidden becomes too delicious to resist. Tradition, religion, and good taste collide unforgettably in a story about the courage to pursue love and tomato sauce at all costs.From the Hardcover edition.