The Telling Room: a Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese

Publisher Marketing: In the picturesque village of Guzman, Spain, in a cave dug into a hillside on the edge of town, an ancient door leads to a cramped limestone chamber known as the telling room. Containing nothing but a wooden table and two benches, this is where villagers have gathered for centuries to share their stories and secrets usually accompanied by copious amounts of wine. It was here, in the summer of 2000, that Michael Paterniti found himself listening to a larger-than-life Spanish cheesemaker named Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras as he spun an odd and compelling tale about a piece of cheese. An unusual piece of cheese. Made from an old family recipe, Ambrosio s cheese was reputed to be among the finest in the world, and was said to hold mystical qualities. Eating it, some claimed, conjured long-lost memories. But then, Ambrosio said, things had gone horribly wrong . By the time the two men exited the telling room that evening, Paterniti was hooked. Soon he was fully embroiled in village life, relocating his young family to Guzman in order to chase the truth about this cheese and explore the fairy tale like place where the villagers conversed with farm animals, lived by an ancient Castilian code of honor, and made their wine and food by hand, from the grapes growing on a nearby hill and the flocks of sheep floating over the Meseta. What Paterniti ultimately discovers there in the highlands of Castile is nothing like the idyllic slow-food fable he first imagined. Instead, he s sucked into the heart of an unfolding mystery, a blood feud that includes accusations of betrayal and theft, death threats, and a murder plot. As the village begins to spill its long-held secrets, Paterniti finds himself implicated in the very story he is writing. Equal parts mystery and memoir, travelogue and history, "The Telling Room" is an astonishing work of literary nonfiction by one of our most accomplished storytellers. A moving exploration of happiness, friendship, and betrayal, "The Telling Room" introduces us to Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras, an unforgettable real-life literary hero, while also holding a mirror up to the world, fully alive to the power of stories that define and sustain us." Review Citations: Booklist 06/01/2013 pg. 11 (EAN 9780812994544, Open Ebook) Library Journal 12/01/2013 pg. 59 (EAN 9781480541047, Compact Disc) New York Times Book Review 08/24/2014 pg. 32 (EAN 9780385337014, Paperback) Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2013 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 05/20/2013 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Kirkus Bea Big Book Guide 05/15/2013 pg. 33 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Booklist 06/01/2013 pg. 11 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Outside 08/01/2013 pg. 24 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 08/02/2013 pg. 70 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) New York Times Book Review 08/04/2013 pg. 10 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 08/09/2013 pg. 9 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) New York Times Book Review 08/11/2013 pg. 22 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Shelf Awareness 08/13/2013 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Kirkus Best Nonfiction 12/01/2013 pg. 33 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 12/13/2013 pg. 61 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 12/27/2013 pg. 94 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Bookpage 08/01/2013 (EAN 9780385337007, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Paterniti, Michael Michael Paterniti is the New York Times bestselling author of Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein s Brain. His writing has appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Harper s, Outside, Esquire, and GQ, where he works as a correspondent. Paterniti has been nominated eight times for the National Magazine Award and is the recipient of an NEA grant and two MacDowell Fellowships. He is the co-founder of a children s storytelling center (www.tellingroom.com) in Portland, Maine, where he lives with his wife and their three children. Contributor Bio:  Ganser, L J L. J. Ganser is the winner of three AudioFile Earphones Awards and the 2005 Nonfiction Audie for his work in "The Island at the Center of the World. "He has appeared onstage in New York and in regional productions, has several episodes of" Law & Order" in his list of credits, and has recorded over two hundred audiobooks. Before becoming an actor, he was a ship s cook in Maine, a roofer, a painter, and a swim team coach.