Delicious!
A Novel
Book - 2014
Ruth Reichl is a born storyteller. Through her restaurant reviews, where she celebrated the pleasures of a well-made meal, and her bestselling memoirs that address our universal feelings of love and loss, Reichl has achieved a special place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers. Now, with this magical debut novel, she has created a sumptuous, wholly realized world that will enchant you. Billie Breslin has traveled far from her home in California to take a job at Delicious!, New York's most iconic food magazine. Away from her family, particularly her older sister, Genie, Billie feels like a fish out of water--until she is welcomed by the magazine's colorful staff. She is also seduced by the vibrant downtown food scene, especially by Fontanari's, the famous Italian food shop where she works on weekends. Then Delicious! is abruptly shut down, but Billie agrees to stay on in the empty office, maintaining the hotline for reader complaints in order to pay her bills. To Billie's surprise, the lonely job becomes the portal to a miraculous discovery. In a hidden room in the magazine's library, Billie finds a cache of letters written during World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the legendary chef James Beard. Lulu's letters provide Billie with a richer understanding of history, and a feeling of deep connection to the young writer whose courage in the face of hardship inspires Billie to comes to terms with her fears, her big sister and her ability to open her heart to love. Praise for Tender at the Bone "While all good food writers are humorous . . . few are so riotously, effortlessly entertaining as Ruth Reichl."--The New York Times Book Review "A poignant, yet hilarious, collection of stories about people [Reichl] has known and loved, and who, knowingly or unknowingly, steered her on the path to fulfill her destiny as one of the world's leading food writers."--Chicago Sun-Times Praise for Comfort Me with Apples "The book's charm emerges through Reichl's writing, her observations and her amazing ability to capture people in a few memorable sentences. . . . You just have to read it."--USA Today "Reads not like life described but like life lived . . . Each story affirms [Reichl's] desire to get beyond the surface, even as she celebrates its unlikely depths."--The New York Times.
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Publisher:
New York : Random House, [2014]
Edition:
First Edition.
ISBN:
9781400069620
1400069629
1400069629
Branch Call Number:
REICHL R
Characteristics:
380 pages ; 25 cm
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readsalot80
Jul 18, 2014
Billie works for "Delicious" magazine. The magazine guarantees all recipes published and Billie helps those with problems. Billie has a perfect palate, but doesn't cook because of a tragedy in her past. You quickly guess part of the problem, but the author doesn't reveal the complete story until near the end. Billie finds a secret room in the magazine's library. She finds letters written to James Beard during World War II, from Lulu a young girl, who is learning to cook. She meets many interesting people including a man she met at the deli. The ending resolves all issues complete with love and finding Lulu.
Comment
Add a CommentA well-written and absorbing story with many layers - you unpack one plot arc only to again find another beneath it.
A nice piece of fluff. Reichl tried to lace her story of Billie, So Cal transplant to NYC, with some depth and pathos but.... naaah, it was fluff nevertheless. This book belongs to that genre of stereotypical female wish fulfillment porn: all beautiful people, spectacular settings, gorgeous clothes, sophisticated culture, perfect sex, and mind-blowing food. The mysterious James Beard letters plot went on quite a bit too long and felt pretty silly by the end, but an enjoyable read in all. I think Reichl should stick with memoirs, though. 'Tender at the Bone' was far superior to this.
I love novels based on food! Add an interesting collection of characters to the story, set it in New York City and give it a Cinderella spin and you’ve got me hooked.
This was not my favorite. It seemed promising with food, a library, and a little bit of romance however it was a bit challenging to get through as I lost interest about half way through the book.
This book is glorious, each rich lick of descriptive language eminently satisfying, each one of Reichl's kooky cast of characters funny and at once, wistful, the remembrance of by-gone acquaintances, a forgotten era of New York food. Read. Cry. Repeat.
A cozy read with nice culinary and architectural details.
The most food-centric book I've every read and the story continued to unfold in unexpected ways - like peeling the layers of an onion. Good read.
I'm an admitted foodie - over a hundred various herbs & spices cluttering my kitchen shelves, and too many fresh ingredients regularly slowing passing the "Best Before" date as I scramble to involve them all in my culinary plans. I was, therefore, thrilled to discover one of the English language's champion food writers, Ms. Ruth Reichel, was releasing a novel. I'd become addicted to her scrumptious prose in Gourmet magazine, as well as in "Tender at the Bone." The thumbnail plot noted here is a good overview. I will add I was a bit disappointed at how magically everything in Billie's life slid together as the novel opens and she ventures into NYC for the first time, and at the story's end, too - but this seemed a small argument to have with a truly yummy story. And, yes, I've made the gingerbread and it rocks!
Very readable book with an obvious appreciation for food, flavors and history. However, I think the author tried to mix too many characters into the batter rendering most of them half-baked and not very lifelike.
The rest of the time she spends much of the time tying the many underlying plot lines up with neat, pretty bows and I think that diluted the emotionality, drama and depth of the story.
Summary: Good reading for getting through a plane ride or passing time, but not a reason for a pastime.
Excellent book. Hard to put down. An interesting story about the interesting foods during World War 11, a mystery to solve, a love interest, and hurts to overcome. Deep characters and such a rich book. I can't wait to read her other novels.