Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Includes an exclusive conversation between Ruth Reichl and Emily Giffin
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 Delicious! “Compulsively readable . . . a treat for anyone who loves a warm, character-packed tale—a delectable mix of flavor, fantasy, and emotional comfort food.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “[Reichl’s] New York is a fairy-tale town where beautiful food abounds. . . . The novel presents a whole passel of surprises: a puzzle to solve; a secret room; hidden letters; the legacy of James Beard; and a parallel, equally plucky heroine from the past, who also happens to be a culinary prodigy.”—The New York Times Book Review “Fascinating characters . . . There’s romance, intrigue, food history, and the fictional appearance of a very real American culinary icon.”—The Austin Chronicle “Reichl’s vivid descriptions of food will have readers salivating, and an insider’s look at life at a food magazine is fascinating. Her satisfying coming-of-age novel of love and loss vividly demonstrates the power of food to connect people across cultures and generations.”—Library Journal (starred review) “This savory feast of a first novel blends the rich gifts that readers of Reichl’s memoirs and food writing have come to expect. To a tantalizing coming-of-age story about a budding chef and journalist she adds a bittersweet tale of separated sisters.”—More.… (plus d'informations)
I want to give this 3.5 stars. I'm not completely sure which way to round the figure -- I want to give it 4 because overall I feel good about the book but I'm settling on three because there is just too much stuff here. In the book they talk about a thing called snowball cookies -- and I think this book is the snowball cookie of books. Good ingredients, good intention, but not quite anything but sweet in the end.
There's a little bit of everything here: quirky characters, charming settings, romance, mystery, WWII history lessons, evocative food descriptions, even a recipe as a bonus. The trick, I think, is that the balance isn't exactly right.
The book starts out a little bit too twee but eventually gets into a mystery involving old letters and a secret room. The letters are nice but not as intriguing as the characters in the book find them so at first this section feels a little forced. Eventually, I was swept up into the mystery of the letters and the librarian who hid them.
I liked the people, I liked the story, I liked the romance but I feel like this needed a little something else to make it truly sing.
Worth reading when you're in the mood for a cozy and sweet book. ( )
4.5 - I know 5 says Amazing.... and I am not sure it was amazing, but it was more than really liked it! It had family, friends, food, character development, descriptions that made me feel as if I was in the library or the cheese shop. I liked that there was different twists and changes in focus. Although the romance was the only predictable part, it was a sweet touch. I'd read a part two.... although the letters mystery is solved, I want to hear more about the main characters lives! ( )
I listened to the audiobook and it's one of the best I've heard in awhile. From some reviews, this might be your better way to experience this title. The story is engaging and entertaining. In 3 parts, it gives variety and some surprises. It's about a woman named Billie, when asked to cook for an interview for an assistant's job for a food magazine, she has a panic attack. Hmmm, clue there, she's got issues with cooking. She does manage to overcome the attack and bake an unusual gingerbread cake. So as not to spoil any story lines, I won't tell any more. Suffice to say, there is mystery, romance, drama and yes, more than a few secrets! Well written secondary characters as well. I can't decide if I like Sammy or Sal. I highly recommend this title. ( )
I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars. The food! Especially in the first part of the book, the descriptions of the food were rich and mouth-watering. This book was all over the place - I thought I was reading about a food magazine and suddenly the story veered into a tiny mystery and historical fiction. not very realistic and kind of silly, but mostly fun and entertaining. I loved the descriptions of the issues people had with recipes from the magazine. The author was editor for Gourmet magazine for 10 years. The letters and phone calls Billie dealt with as part of the magazine's recipe guarantee were almost certainly inspired by real life reader reviews of online recipes. ( )
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Includes an exclusive conversation between Ruth Reichl and Emily Giffin
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 Delicious! “Compulsively readable . . . a treat for anyone who loves a warm, character-packed tale—a delectable mix of flavor, fantasy, and emotional comfort food.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “[Reichl’s] New York is a fairy-tale town where beautiful food abounds. . . . The novel presents a whole passel of surprises: a puzzle to solve; a secret room; hidden letters; the legacy of James Beard; and a parallel, equally plucky heroine from the past, who also happens to be a culinary prodigy.”—The New York Times Book Review “Fascinating characters . . . There’s romance, intrigue, food history, and the fictional appearance of a very real American culinary icon.”—The Austin Chronicle “Reichl’s vivid descriptions of food will have readers salivating, and an insider’s look at life at a food magazine is fascinating. Her satisfying coming-of-age novel of love and loss vividly demonstrates the power of food to connect people across cultures and generations.”—Library Journal (starred review) “This savory feast of a first novel blends the rich gifts that readers of Reichl’s memoirs and food writing have come to expect. To a tantalizing coming-of-age story about a budding chef and journalist she adds a bittersweet tale of separated sisters.”—More.
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Google Books — Chargement...
3
There's a little bit of everything here: quirky characters, charming settings, romance, mystery, WWII history lessons, evocative food descriptions, even a recipe as a bonus. The trick, I think, is that the balance isn't exactly right.
The book starts out a little bit too twee but eventually gets into a mystery involving old letters and a secret room. The letters are nice but not as intriguing as the characters in the book find them so at first this section feels a little forced. Eventually, I was swept up into the mystery of the letters and the librarian who hid them.
I liked the people, I liked the story, I liked the romance but I feel like this needed a little something else to make it truly sing.
Worth reading when you're in the mood for a cozy and sweet book.
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