What do readers think of The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark? Write your own review.

The book's title intrigued me with its connection to religion and books as they often do not go together with favorable outcome. From the beginning i was involved in the story as well as got a feel for the historical time. I can say that the premise of the book is plausible and offers a bit of to ponder. For my taste, i would suggest the book as a young adult best seller..character, plot, mischief, a tad of romance with great dialogue among the characters and the coming of age. I would not be surprised to see a sequel, which I would certainly read, as I read all of installments of Harry Potter

Other similar books I have read:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

This book kept my interest from the first sentence until the last. Along with being a very entertaining mystery/adventure, it has so many layers to it and so many thought-provoking questions that go back to our basic beliefs. I went to Google as reference a number of items.

The characters were so well defined and believable. I really cared about what happened to Luciano and the chef.

I would definitely read another book by Elle Newmark

If you enjoy the writing style of Joanne Harris and the punch of Dan Brown then you will appreciate The Book of Unholy Mischief. The book is a nicely written coming of age story set in the renaissance period. The author does an excellent job portraying the lives of the rich and poor, the powerful and weak during this culturally complex time. But more than a boy's journey to self discovery and adulthood, the book takes on the sanctity of knowledge and the lengths people will go to own and preserve it. My only criticisms are that the characters border on stereotype and that the book may be too ambitious in its attempt to reveal knowledge in its many forms. All in all, I found The Book of Unholy Mischief an entertaining read.

This is a very enjoyable book that takes the reader back to Medieval Italy. It is a book with many points of interest: the love and creation of culinary delights, the search for a book purported to hold some valuable secrets, and the development of some lovely relationships; all told through the eyes of a young street orphan taken on as chef's apprentice.

This book would appeal to anyone who enjoys an intriguing multi-layered plot with many diverse characters.

Book clubs would benefit from reading this book because the multi-faceted plot would allow for a range of discussion points within the group.

I enjoyed reading the book. The book moved along well and kept my interest. I like historical fiction. We have traveled to Venice and it was easy to imagine where the story was taking place. It was also interesting how the author based much of the book around food and its preparation. It reminded me of the book "The Last Chinese Chef".

This book seemed very contrived as far as the plot was concerned and extremely improbable. Also, not sure it is historically accurate to the time period. The author threw in way too many different subjects without using or exploring them to any degree. I could have put this down at any time without hesitation.

A time of guarding knowledge, intrigue and fear. Telling the story with food and food preparation in the fifteenth/sixteen centuries as the centerpiece was for me very interesting - consuming food is essential for survival, but can be much more. A book for those interested in reading about this time period, loyalty and food.

I read all types of books, but have a soft spot for historical fiction. This was a quick and easy read. If you love cooking/baking or even just eating food, this book will have you drooling. The author even cleverly slips in trivia about different dishes and ingredients to "spice" things up. The story itself was somewhat predictable, but was fairly fast- paced. I just wanted to shake the narrator, Luciano, and say "Wake up!!!". Could anyone be as naive as he and still be as street-smart as it was implied??!!! Not great literature but a fun read.