Hmmm, so I said I would try not to review the books on here and that I would avoid negative comments. If someone somewhere didn't like the book, it wouldn't have been published, right? Well...I just can't sit here and praise a book that horrified me without at least touching on why I won't be rating this one high on my reread list. {sigh} Sorry, it can't be helped.
With spring break right around the corner, I still have to survive this quarter's "paper season" first and crank out two term papers of decent intelligence in the next two weeks. So I figured I would give some lighter, more vacation style books a chance. And this is what I came up with. Stats:
Title: Chasing Harry Winston
Author: Lauren Weisberger
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date: 2008
My start date: 2/28/10
My finish date: 3/1/10
I picked this one up at the grocery store, thinking I would give it a chance because a) I had read Weisberger's previous novel, The Devil Wears Prada, and had absolutely loved it for six months, b)the back cover indicated potential, and perhaps most importantly, c) it was cheap. I only wish I had remembered before the check out line that after those initial six months I reread it and saw the movie and concluded that I hated it. But the fact that I had liked it initially meant something, right?? I should know that those don't necessarily add up to a good recipe.
There are many of you out there who will love this novel. Just because I don't, doesn't mean you won't. It simply isn't my style. I never got into the whole Sex in the City craze and found the whole concept rather disgusting honestly. However, fans of that show may well find a lot to love here. My biggest problem was simply a distaste for, and complete inability to identify with the characters. The story revolves around three best friends who are possibly the most unabashedly pathetic women I have ever read. Now, I apologize to all of you out there who are going to find me "lame", but seriously, when did we decide that caring about ourselves and having a little pride and self-respect made us losers?? When did it become ok to promote disgusting habits as cool?? Come on people!! Let me think back on some of the "fun" here. Well, the main precept is to scorn one of the characters who has, heaven forbid, only slept with three men. Good grief, if you want to sleep around, I certainly won't judge you. However, I do resent the fact that society has deemed it appropriate now to scorn those who do try to maintain some kind of sanctity to their body and have a modicum of respect for themselves by being choosy with the decision of intimacy. This character is having trouble finding herself in life and the solution presented, in all seriousness, is to start a "Tour de Whore" and sleep with as many people as possible. And this isn't some cute little lesson setup, there is no moral at the end in which it is discovered that utter whoredom is not the solution. Continuing on with the list, there are recurring passages in which the delicious wonder (heavy sarcasm on my part) that is smoking is extolled. Again, I won't judge smokers here, but do we really want or need to tempt new and potentially young readers into a habit that is proven to be deadly?? STDs are laughed at, drugs are celebrated and at one point it is concluded that one of the girls is an uptight loser because she uses sunscreen. Sheesh. I was offended again and again, and as previously mentioned in my other posts, I am not easily offended.
My last complaint is more structural. Again, I try to avoid this, because I am not (at least, not yet) an editor or literary agent, so perhaps I don't always know best, but the flow here is lacking, especially as I have read Weisberger's other attempt and know she is capable of better. There are jumps in the plot and between characters that just leave the scenes feeling incomplete and hurried.
Ok, that being said, and considering how much I distained the characters, this book was, admittedly, hard to put down. Obviously, seeing as I finished it in a day and it is nearly four hundred pages. Although, granted, I still have a terrible cold and can't do much else besides read mindless chick lit. The story was cute enough and, horrifying habits and assertions aside, it was kind of fascinating to follow the lives of these New Yorkers living the high life. And I will say that the job Emmy takes sounds infinitely cool. Of the characters, Emmy was the one I came closest to liking. Anyway, if you are heading to the beach or the slopes this spring break (or this spring in general for all of you out there who actually work normal jobs...)and you were, or are a fan of these types of books, you won't be disappointed here. Although not as good as Weisberger's previous novel, she still delivers more or less the same formula here.
Anyway, on to the next. For better or worse, I am sticking to the same formula in continuing on with paper season and choosing another cult popular vacation read, only this time more in the category of a guy read mabye? Anyway, this one is a James Patterson thriller with his Alex Cross character, who I take it has featured in many a book. We will see how much better this one interests me.
Happy reading!
Sarah
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
2 Months gone and only 10% read...
Yikes! The end of the second month already! February did not see as many books read as I would like at all, but I will have to write that off to it being a shorter month and an especially busy month. Not to mention the extensive class reading. If I could count required reading on this list we would be talking about a whole different story, but then it would miss the point of encouranging pleasure reading, right? And, anyway, spring break is around the corner and I have set aside the vast majority of those two weeks for nothing but reading...ahhhh...
But, at least I have finished book #10 and thus achieved 10 percent of my goal! And what a delightful book it was! Let's check out the stats:
Title: The Forbidden Daughter
Author: Shobhan Bantwal
Publisher: Kensington Books
Date: 2008
My start date: 2/18/10
My finish date: 2/27/10
This book was another success for Bantwal. As mentioned a couple of posts ago, I had read this author's previous book and loved it. Well, Bantwal has shown her consistency and produced yet another winner. Her strength: great characters. She writes stories about young Indian or Indian-American women in tough situations and they are so believable and real. You want them to succeed right from the beginning. Unlike other books that I read, which have characters with whom I can't at all identify, even if their lives are theoretically much closer in nature to mine, these women draw me in and make me understand them even though their lives are galaxies away from mine. That is really a talent on Bantwal's part. And her male leads are so lovable!! In both books I have come away completely taken with the male character and cheering for the two to get together. But perhaps best about Bantwal's characters is their realism and personal strength. I am talking about a lot of aspects here, but what I want most to highlight is the fact that Bantwal doesn't have her couples chasing a typical cheesy ending. Her women are strong and learning to be independent, against the odds of a society that really hasn't let them stand on their own before. As mentioned in the beginning, I try really hard not to give things away about the plots of these books, so there won't be spoilers for people who want to read them, but let's just say that I love how the women don't just fall into the arms of the men. They want to stand on their own and make sure that any relationship is on their own terms. But that doesn't mean you won't find a good love story!
On that note, my other praise is for Bantwal's talent at seamlessly weaving a thrilling mystery or adventure story with a sweet love story. She really writes the best of both worlds. It is almost like two seperate plot lines which effortlessly dovetail together in the end. And don't let the early tendency to put the romance on the front burner deceive you. By the time you reach the last third of the book, the suspense is so high that you will not be able to put the book down. Total page turner. Like I said, the best of both worlds.
Bantwal specializes in confronting social issues which haunt traditional Indian society and she does her research. This book confronts the issue of selective female abortion in societies which cherish male children over females. She provides some chilling facts. I think it is great that she is using what is clearly an excellent literary talent and her ability to tell a captivating story to spread the word that there are still things going on in the world that most of us don't know about. This book definitely enlightens you.
So, yet another winner from Shobhan Bantwal! As already said, she has another book out that looks great and also announced this week that her fourth book will be out in August. You can expect to see both of them on this blog eventually.
Ok, a horrible cold prevented me from posting as soon as I had finished yesterday and it still hasn't relinquished its hold on my head, so that about wraps things up for today and I plan on falling directly in to bed to sleep this thing off. However, I have started another book, so look for more soon on Lauren Wiesberger's Chasing Harry Winston.
In the meantime...
Happy reading!
Sarah
But, at least I have finished book #10 and thus achieved 10 percent of my goal! And what a delightful book it was! Let's check out the stats:
Title: The Forbidden Daughter
Author: Shobhan Bantwal
Publisher: Kensington Books
Date: 2008
My start date: 2/18/10
My finish date: 2/27/10
This book was another success for Bantwal. As mentioned a couple of posts ago, I had read this author's previous book and loved it. Well, Bantwal has shown her consistency and produced yet another winner. Her strength: great characters. She writes stories about young Indian or Indian-American women in tough situations and they are so believable and real. You want them to succeed right from the beginning. Unlike other books that I read, which have characters with whom I can't at all identify, even if their lives are theoretically much closer in nature to mine, these women draw me in and make me understand them even though their lives are galaxies away from mine. That is really a talent on Bantwal's part. And her male leads are so lovable!! In both books I have come away completely taken with the male character and cheering for the two to get together. But perhaps best about Bantwal's characters is their realism and personal strength. I am talking about a lot of aspects here, but what I want most to highlight is the fact that Bantwal doesn't have her couples chasing a typical cheesy ending. Her women are strong and learning to be independent, against the odds of a society that really hasn't let them stand on their own before. As mentioned in the beginning, I try really hard not to give things away about the plots of these books, so there won't be spoilers for people who want to read them, but let's just say that I love how the women don't just fall into the arms of the men. They want to stand on their own and make sure that any relationship is on their own terms. But that doesn't mean you won't find a good love story!
On that note, my other praise is for Bantwal's talent at seamlessly weaving a thrilling mystery or adventure story with a sweet love story. She really writes the best of both worlds. It is almost like two seperate plot lines which effortlessly dovetail together in the end. And don't let the early tendency to put the romance on the front burner deceive you. By the time you reach the last third of the book, the suspense is so high that you will not be able to put the book down. Total page turner. Like I said, the best of both worlds.
Bantwal specializes in confronting social issues which haunt traditional Indian society and she does her research. This book confronts the issue of selective female abortion in societies which cherish male children over females. She provides some chilling facts. I think it is great that she is using what is clearly an excellent literary talent and her ability to tell a captivating story to spread the word that there are still things going on in the world that most of us don't know about. This book definitely enlightens you.
So, yet another winner from Shobhan Bantwal! As already said, she has another book out that looks great and also announced this week that her fourth book will be out in August. You can expect to see both of them on this blog eventually.
Ok, a horrible cold prevented me from posting as soon as I had finished yesterday and it still hasn't relinquished its hold on my head, so that about wraps things up for today and I plan on falling directly in to bed to sleep this thing off. However, I have started another book, so look for more soon on Lauren Wiesberger's Chasing Harry Winston.
In the meantime...
Happy reading!
Sarah
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Far Pavilions
Ok, I am not quite finished yet with Bantwal's excellent tale of love and mystery, The Forbidden Daughter, but I hope to be by tomorrow. In the meantime, after my last post I have been thinking a lot about my favorite book, which I mentioned, M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions. I usually read it annually, but probably won't be able to do that this year due to the extensive size of it. As I had said, it is nearly as long as Clarissa and takes two or three weeks to read, which obviously isn't condusive to this little project I have going. So, I thought I would dedicate one post to thinking about such a great book anyway.
From the very first time I read this book, when I was thirteen, it took my breath away. I should mention that I grew up on stories of India as my fairytales, which definitely helped. In her school years, my mom had spent some time in India and loved it. So I have thought of India in romantic and adventurous terms since early childhood. However, Kaye's epic saga really doesn't even need any prepping to love it. Yes, it is long, but so is Harry Potter and do we really notice it? When a novel pulls you in so thoroughly, you don't even register the fact that you are churning through hundreds of pages.
The setting is colonial India, mid 19th century to be exact, and spans around thirty years. You might say this is a sort of Bildungsroman, but I am not sure that category truly fits. The story follows the life of Ashton/Ashok Pelham-Martin, a young British man born to a wandering British professor and his young inexperienced wife. However, immediately in the first pages, events necessitate his being carried away and hid by his Hindu nanny, who then raises him disguised as her own son. Although the plot runs the course from birth to adulthood, Kaye's writing is brilliant enough and so completely full of passion, intrigue and adventure that every stage of life sucks you in. You will fall completely in love with the main character and experience his ups and downs of love and battle just as passionately as the characters themselves. The one thing you must remember when reading this is to just surrender to it. Allow the vivid imagery Kaye provides to draw you in, forgive yourself for dreaming that the characters might just be real and simply live this book.
Speaking of realistic characters, many of them are just that. I don't mean just believable, but rather, I mean they are real. Kaye did TONS of research and the plausibility of this work does not just stem from the details her early life lived in colonial India allowed. One of the main characters in Ash's life was in fact her actual relative. In fact, with the exception of the two main characters, a great many of the people and facts are based in reality. If you ever wanted to know more of India/Pakistan/Afghanistan's history during this period, this is a great way to take it in. In fact, in light of our current American engagement in the area (Afghanistan and to an extent, Pakistan) I think more people should read this. The details of the Second Anglo-Afghani War as described here are pretty truthful. In my readings since 9/11 I have found this book has actually made me understand the situation over there somewhat better. Also, when reading, keep in mind that many of the main areas discussed in this work and labeled as India, are actually in Pakistan today. It was all the same thing in the 19th century. If you can, try to get ahold of a copy with the map in the front, although I think those are harder to get these days.
This epic was so beloved in its heyday that multiple attempts to dramatize it have been made. To my knowledge, there has been a mini-series/film made as well as a Broadway style play which ran in London for awhile. Although I have heard that the play was somewhat better, to my understanding, neither comes close to the greatness of the book. I know the film at least, and I suspect the play as well, only works with the first half of the book up through the culmination of the love story and completely disregards the part dealing with the war. While that first part happens to be my favorite, you must read the whole thing once. I admit to not having seen either (both hard to come by), but seriously, just give in and surrender yourself to the book. I mean, really, has any filming of a book really done it justice??
So, that is my one post tribute to the greatest literary work to come across my path. If you read nothing else from my blog this year, read this one. It is truly one of the greats. If you didn't catch it earlier, the link to this book is located in the previous post. Go find yourself a copy and set aside some time to plunge headfirst into Kaye's India.
Happy reading!
Sarah
From the very first time I read this book, when I was thirteen, it took my breath away. I should mention that I grew up on stories of India as my fairytales, which definitely helped. In her school years, my mom had spent some time in India and loved it. So I have thought of India in romantic and adventurous terms since early childhood. However, Kaye's epic saga really doesn't even need any prepping to love it. Yes, it is long, but so is Harry Potter and do we really notice it? When a novel pulls you in so thoroughly, you don't even register the fact that you are churning through hundreds of pages.
The setting is colonial India, mid 19th century to be exact, and spans around thirty years. You might say this is a sort of Bildungsroman, but I am not sure that category truly fits. The story follows the life of Ashton/Ashok Pelham-Martin, a young British man born to a wandering British professor and his young inexperienced wife. However, immediately in the first pages, events necessitate his being carried away and hid by his Hindu nanny, who then raises him disguised as her own son. Although the plot runs the course from birth to adulthood, Kaye's writing is brilliant enough and so completely full of passion, intrigue and adventure that every stage of life sucks you in. You will fall completely in love with the main character and experience his ups and downs of love and battle just as passionately as the characters themselves. The one thing you must remember when reading this is to just surrender to it. Allow the vivid imagery Kaye provides to draw you in, forgive yourself for dreaming that the characters might just be real and simply live this book.
Speaking of realistic characters, many of them are just that. I don't mean just believable, but rather, I mean they are real. Kaye did TONS of research and the plausibility of this work does not just stem from the details her early life lived in colonial India allowed. One of the main characters in Ash's life was in fact her actual relative. In fact, with the exception of the two main characters, a great many of the people and facts are based in reality. If you ever wanted to know more of India/Pakistan/Afghanistan's history during this period, this is a great way to take it in. In fact, in light of our current American engagement in the area (Afghanistan and to an extent, Pakistan) I think more people should read this. The details of the Second Anglo-Afghani War as described here are pretty truthful. In my readings since 9/11 I have found this book has actually made me understand the situation over there somewhat better. Also, when reading, keep in mind that many of the main areas discussed in this work and labeled as India, are actually in Pakistan today. It was all the same thing in the 19th century. If you can, try to get ahold of a copy with the map in the front, although I think those are harder to get these days.
This epic was so beloved in its heyday that multiple attempts to dramatize it have been made. To my knowledge, there has been a mini-series/film made as well as a Broadway style play which ran in London for awhile. Although I have heard that the play was somewhat better, to my understanding, neither comes close to the greatness of the book. I know the film at least, and I suspect the play as well, only works with the first half of the book up through the culmination of the love story and completely disregards the part dealing with the war. While that first part happens to be my favorite, you must read the whole thing once. I admit to not having seen either (both hard to come by), but seriously, just give in and surrender yourself to the book. I mean, really, has any filming of a book really done it justice??
So, that is my one post tribute to the greatest literary work to come across my path. If you read nothing else from my blog this year, read this one. It is truly one of the greats. If you didn't catch it earlier, the link to this book is located in the previous post. Go find yourself a copy and set aside some time to plunge headfirst into Kaye's India.
Happy reading!
Sarah
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Chicken Curry Cravings
Well, I still only had a couple hours today in the end to read fun stuff, so I don't have much yet to say on Bantwal's The Forbidden Daughter. I can say so far that once you get started in it, it becomes a page turner and I nearly had trouble putting it down to go do my errands today. Also, I love her discussions, brief as they are, of the food her characters eat, which is typical to her native area and which always makes me hungry! Thinking about the Chicken Curry and Chapatis she describes nearly had me breaking my diet and heading to the nearest Indian restaurant! But alas, I was good and ate Subway instead...
One thing I can already note is the way in which Bantwal's books, both that I have read thus far, are excellent at bringing to life the culture, lifestyle, and especially the issues of her native country. I have been fascinated by India since childhood. My favorite book of all time takes place in colonial India and I have been obsessed with the country ever since. The book, M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions, is a breathtaking epic, nearly as long as Clarissa. But it is such a wonderful read, it hardly feels the length and you get totally swept up in the adventure and romance until you utterly forget that there is a real world. You absolutely must read it. However, this is India in a bygone century. Bantwal's books bring me into the country of my childhood obsession as it is today. I love it. She has a third book out as well that you can count on seeing on this blog at some point.
Anyway, school work calls. Although, let's be honest, I am probably going to go read fun stuff instead. ;-)
Happy reading!
Sarah
One thing I can already note is the way in which Bantwal's books, both that I have read thus far, are excellent at bringing to life the culture, lifestyle, and especially the issues of her native country. I have been fascinated by India since childhood. My favorite book of all time takes place in colonial India and I have been obsessed with the country ever since. The book, M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions, is a breathtaking epic, nearly as long as Clarissa. But it is such a wonderful read, it hardly feels the length and you get totally swept up in the adventure and romance until you utterly forget that there is a real world. You absolutely must read it. However, this is India in a bygone century. Bantwal's books bring me into the country of my childhood obsession as it is today. I love it. She has a third book out as well that you can count on seeing on this blog at some point.
Anyway, school work calls. Although, let's be honest, I am probably going to go read fun stuff instead. ;-)
Happy reading!
Sarah
It is done...
I am now in the elite group of people who have actually read all of Clarissa. Whew!
I plan on spending all (or most at least) of today pleasure reading to celebrate. I hope to post about that later. In the meantime...
Happy Reading!
Sarah
I plan on spending all (or most at least) of today pleasure reading to celebrate. I hope to post about that later. In the meantime...
Happy Reading!
Sarah
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Almost done...
No real progress this weekend on pleasure reading because I am in the final push of Clarissa!! Status update: page 1379 out of 1499. By this time tomorrow it will all be finished and I will be in the elite group of people who can claim to have read the whole thing.
However, I just looked at our next book for that class. It is only a little more than half as long (800ish pages), BUT we only have a little more than half as long to read it. Sigh. So, that will probably take some time too. However, it is a Henry Fielding work, (Tom Jones) and his novels are always hilarious and fun to read, so maybe it will be easier going.
Check back tomorrow for maybe a little introductory taste of my next book, Shobhan Bantwal's The Forbidden Daughter. I have been excited about this one for a while. I read another of Bantwal's books, The Dowry Bride, right before the new year, so I couldn't count it on here, but I LOVED it!! Bantwal writes novels about her native India and the issues that affect that country and she tells them beautifully. You won't be able to put it down. The one I read previously dealt with the issue of a dowry being exchanged for a bride and the practice of arranging an "untimely accident" for brides whose families fail to pay up. Yet, with all that mystery and intrigue, Bantwal still manages to weave in a great love story. I can't wait to see what the next one holds for me. So far, having read the prologue and first chapter, I doubt she will fail to impress me a second time. Check back later to find out!
Happy reading!
Sarah
However, I just looked at our next book for that class. It is only a little more than half as long (800ish pages), BUT we only have a little more than half as long to read it. Sigh. So, that will probably take some time too. However, it is a Henry Fielding work, (Tom Jones) and his novels are always hilarious and fun to read, so maybe it will be easier going.
Check back tomorrow for maybe a little introductory taste of my next book, Shobhan Bantwal's The Forbidden Daughter. I have been excited about this one for a while. I read another of Bantwal's books, The Dowry Bride, right before the new year, so I couldn't count it on here, but I LOVED it!! Bantwal writes novels about her native India and the issues that affect that country and she tells them beautifully. You won't be able to put it down. The one I read previously dealt with the issue of a dowry being exchanged for a bride and the practice of arranging an "untimely accident" for brides whose families fail to pay up. Yet, with all that mystery and intrigue, Bantwal still manages to weave in a great love story. I can't wait to see what the next one holds for me. So far, having read the prologue and first chapter, I doubt she will fail to impress me a second time. Check back later to find out!
Happy reading!
Sarah
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Life at Le Cordon Bleu
The days of Clarissa are winding down. I think I might actually miss it...
I finally finished my latest read last night, so let's talk about it. Here are the stats for The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry.
Author: Kathleen Flinn
Publisher: Penguin
Date: 2007
My start date: 2/12/10
My finish date: 2/17/10
Another one of those fun memoirs of someone deciding to change their life and jump free of the boring track, this is a story that will make you simultaneously hungry and travel-happy. After Flinn is laid off from a corporate job she didn't like, she decides not to mourn the loss and heads off to Paris to pursue her dream of learning to cook the French way. This is another one of those motivational books that will make you want to follow suit. However, in the fairness of full disclosure, there were some things I wanted to note. Most of us imagine these stories involving people like most of us, people who travel little (at least not anymore) and who spend their days in a boring cubicle job making just enough to pay bills. We have little or no exposure to the hobby we dream of pursuing. So running off to Paris would be a huge leap for the average person. I think it is only fair to point out that Flinn was already working in London when she was laid off from this job and that as a journalist, she had already spent a good amount of time in places throughout Europe and Asia. Further, her early career started as a line cook in a restaurant and she had once upon a time been a restaurant reviewer. So, this wasn't a huge jump out of her comfort zone. But the important thing to remember here, is that this is something she had dreamed of since childhood and something that she had the courage to go for, despite the financial burden. It doesn't matter if your dream is not that far out of your comfort zone, you need to just do it! And it doesn't hurt that her dream just happened to make a great read!
If you like or have ever liked food, you must read this. If you like or have ever liked Paris, you must read this. Flinn takes you through the three levels of certification at Le Cordon Bleu, interweaving her experiences in the kitchen, some hilarious, some touching, some flat out horrifying, with the lessons she is learning about herself at the same time. Again, this might not have been a huge leap for her, but pursuing this dream did allow her to learn some good stuff about herself. And her talent for juxtaposing food with people is great! The anecdotes can be quite funny!
One very small thing to keep in mind, however, is that some background knowledge in the world of all things culinary might be helpful. For a start, you should at least know that Le Cordon Bleu is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, cooking schools in the world and that Julia Child trained there. However, perhaps even a little more knowledge really might be assumed. I should confess that I am a HORRIBLE chef and actually shunned from our kitchen for fear that I might ruin another of my husband's expensive pots as I did previously by putting water on to boil (with salt) and then accidently falling asleep while waiting. No joke. I should not ever enter a kitchen. However, my husband was a professional chef and did study culinary arts at one point in time, so I had vicariously learned some of the things that seemed presumed knowledge in this book. For example, George Escoffier is mentioned, but not explained. If I wasn't married to a chef, I wouldn't have known that Escoffier is basically the father of French cuisine. I don't think it would have totally ruined the book for me had I not known that, but it certainly didn't hurt either. When in doubt, don't be afraid to wikipedia it. And I just love that wikipedia has somehow become a verb, don't you?
As mentioned, I am not culinarily inclined, but nonetheless, by the end of this book I was literally looking up prices to attend myself. (NOT cheap, by the way) I would not want to pursue Flinn's same course, as stuffing varying process meats and organs into various fatty wrappings is really not my taste, but they do have a tempting patisserie program that involves chocolate making... I wonder how much damage I could do with melted chocolate in a pot?
One last note. In my ongoing effort to recommend "if you like this book, you might like this book" type things, I was often reminded in reading this book of the self discovery and dream pursuing tales of Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love. Might be fun too. Of course, you might not want to read both back to back, because I can not be held responsible if you suddenly quit life and head off for the exotic to eat and think about life.
Happy reading!
Sarah
I finally finished my latest read last night, so let's talk about it. Here are the stats for The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry.
Author: Kathleen Flinn
Publisher: Penguin
Date: 2007
My start date: 2/12/10
My finish date: 2/17/10
Another one of those fun memoirs of someone deciding to change their life and jump free of the boring track, this is a story that will make you simultaneously hungry and travel-happy. After Flinn is laid off from a corporate job she didn't like, she decides not to mourn the loss and heads off to Paris to pursue her dream of learning to cook the French way. This is another one of those motivational books that will make you want to follow suit. However, in the fairness of full disclosure, there were some things I wanted to note. Most of us imagine these stories involving people like most of us, people who travel little (at least not anymore) and who spend their days in a boring cubicle job making just enough to pay bills. We have little or no exposure to the hobby we dream of pursuing. So running off to Paris would be a huge leap for the average person. I think it is only fair to point out that Flinn was already working in London when she was laid off from this job and that as a journalist, she had already spent a good amount of time in places throughout Europe and Asia. Further, her early career started as a line cook in a restaurant and she had once upon a time been a restaurant reviewer. So, this wasn't a huge jump out of her comfort zone. But the important thing to remember here, is that this is something she had dreamed of since childhood and something that she had the courage to go for, despite the financial burden. It doesn't matter if your dream is not that far out of your comfort zone, you need to just do it! And it doesn't hurt that her dream just happened to make a great read!
If you like or have ever liked food, you must read this. If you like or have ever liked Paris, you must read this. Flinn takes you through the three levels of certification at Le Cordon Bleu, interweaving her experiences in the kitchen, some hilarious, some touching, some flat out horrifying, with the lessons she is learning about herself at the same time. Again, this might not have been a huge leap for her, but pursuing this dream did allow her to learn some good stuff about herself. And her talent for juxtaposing food with people is great! The anecdotes can be quite funny!
One very small thing to keep in mind, however, is that some background knowledge in the world of all things culinary might be helpful. For a start, you should at least know that Le Cordon Bleu is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, cooking schools in the world and that Julia Child trained there. However, perhaps even a little more knowledge really might be assumed. I should confess that I am a HORRIBLE chef and actually shunned from our kitchen for fear that I might ruin another of my husband's expensive pots as I did previously by putting water on to boil (with salt) and then accidently falling asleep while waiting. No joke. I should not ever enter a kitchen. However, my husband was a professional chef and did study culinary arts at one point in time, so I had vicariously learned some of the things that seemed presumed knowledge in this book. For example, George Escoffier is mentioned, but not explained. If I wasn't married to a chef, I wouldn't have known that Escoffier is basically the father of French cuisine. I don't think it would have totally ruined the book for me had I not known that, but it certainly didn't hurt either. When in doubt, don't be afraid to wikipedia it. And I just love that wikipedia has somehow become a verb, don't you?
As mentioned, I am not culinarily inclined, but nonetheless, by the end of this book I was literally looking up prices to attend myself. (NOT cheap, by the way) I would not want to pursue Flinn's same course, as stuffing varying process meats and organs into various fatty wrappings is really not my taste, but they do have a tempting patisserie program that involves chocolate making... I wonder how much damage I could do with melted chocolate in a pot?
One last note. In my ongoing effort to recommend "if you like this book, you might like this book" type things, I was often reminded in reading this book of the self discovery and dream pursuing tales of Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love. Might be fun too. Of course, you might not want to read both back to back, because I can not be held responsible if you suddenly quit life and head off for the exotic to eat and think about life.
Happy reading!
Sarah
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