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Garlic and Sapphires

I decided to use this book as my final selection for the Armchair Traveler's Reading Challenge.  I finished listening to it at 8:00 p.m. EST on the 31st.   A lot of the action could not have taken place if the narrator was not in New York.  From this challenge, I have decided that I need to go to New York.   This book was also the selection for Planet Book's in November.

When I first started the book, I laughed a lot. I really enjoyed Ruth Reichl's disguises and the different personalities she took on as she ventured into various restaurants.  As the book progressed, I noticed a change in the tone.  It grew from figuring out how to survive and thrive in her job as the New York times food critic to deciding what she wanted from her career.  There is also a touching passage at the end about her friend who has ovarian cancer.  Each chapter begins with a recipe which makes your mouth water almost as much as the descriptions of the meals at the restaraunts she reviews.  There were a lot of metaphors about eating and life.  I loved reading about her process from going to the dream job to figuring out what made her happy.  We all have points in our lives when we have to take a hard look and decide if this is really where we would like to be; ultimately, she finds that she loves being in the kitchen.  At the end of the audiobook, there was an interview with Reichl.  She emphasized the importance of eating together and taking the time to prepare good food. It was also fun to hear her talk about her husband and kid (who is now 15, but in the book is much younger).  

Recommend to a friend: YES!

Other revies:

Care's Online Book Club

Posted on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 at 11:25AM by Registered Commenter[beastmomma] | Comments2 Comments

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Reader Comments (2)

I loved this book, too! A New York food trip would be fun. I'd want to try that sushi place.
January 2, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterCare
Oh yes, that would be tasty.
January 2, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterbeastmomma

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