The Gourmet | 
so-soThe sections narrated by Arthens, which contain the titular rhapsodic descriptions of food, were beautiful (with the exception of a few ill-advised metaphors, such as comparing a ripe tomato to "plumpish" woman in a party dress). The alternating chapters were often too short for me to get invested. It felt like the book was arguing with itself over how much plot was needed.
The tomato sat "crimson in its taut silken finery, undulating with the occasional more tender hollow, with a communicable cheerfulness about it like a plumpish woman in her party dress hoping to compensate for the inconvenience of her extra pounds by means of a disarming chubbiness evoking an irresistible desire to bite into her flesh."
Yikes. I'm beyond "plumpish," but my goodness, I'm not a tomato! Definitely not trying to evoke that desire.
I‘m about halfway through this book and honestly I‘m not feeling the love.🙁. It‘s definitely not as good as Elegance of the Hedgehog.
so-soI didn't love this. It's a companion novel to the Elegance of the Hedgehog. The English title is Gourmet Rhapsody. It's about a food critic that lives in the same apartment building as the setting for the other book. Some of it is very good but I just don't think it was what I was looking for.
#BookSpinBingo square 5
@TheAromaofBooks
“....every day he would take great pains to cook himself a little mouthful of paradise, unaware of how refined his everyday fare was, a true gourmet; he lived every day as an authentic aesthete, where absolutely nothing was staged.”
I know they are all unhappy because nobody loves the right person the way they should and because they don‘t understand that it‘s really their own self that they are mad at.
How many old women in the countryside are gifted in this way with an extraordinary sensory intuition which they applied to their gardening, or to making herbal potions, or to cooking rabbit stew with time, old women who then die as unknown geniuses, their gift ignored by all....
“The real ordeal is not leaving those you love, but learning to live without those who don‘t love you.”
pickThis book about a dying food critic haunted by a craving for something he can't quite place suited my shelter in place reading tastes well. I can really relate to being trapped and not being able to eat what you want!
Long day at work, peanut butter & jelly sandwich and a glass of wine for dinner. Living the dream! 🍷😊🙋♀️
A complete contradiction between the stunning career as culinary critic and the failure in his personal life is the last taste he experiences before death
so-soI loved The Elegance of the Hedgehog so my expectations may have been a bit high. I liked the idea of the book and the structure of it with all the different perspectives. There were some excellent passages. Overall it was good but I didn't love it. The main character also discussed at length his love of raw tomatoes. I just can't relate 🚫🍅😂
A delicious two-hour read. The memories of tastes and the tastes of memories heat up the pages. Do not read when hungry
Who could be bigger #championsofredwine more than gourmet food critics?
I‘ll be honest, this one did nothing for me compared to The Elegance of the Hedgehog. My expectations were sky high and that led to disappointment.
#timbittunes
New day, new park, new Little Free Library find.
#riotgrams June 23, Pink
These are the only pink books I own, clearly, I need more! Also, fun fact, Hermione here was my weddingcake topper. My husband‘s was Stitch. We thought that was more fun than the traditional kind. 😅
so-soI finished this audiobook yesterday on my way to my yoga class.
There is really no plot to speak of, but the writing is decadent. It‘s a love letter to food, as well as a story of a dying food critic and his estranged family. It‘s short, a French novel in translation.
If you love words, long, descriptive, rambling sentences, and amazing diverse food, and don‘t mind a story in which nothing really happens, this might be for you.
Add these #foodie #litsycooks gems to your #TBR #ReindeerReads @jess7
In The Kitchen Daughter, Ginny focuses on cooking as a coping mechanism. Mouth-watering descriptions & recipes will draw you into this sensitive story of sisters, relationships, & a family secret. Check out the list
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/5-mouthwatering-books-joys-cooking/
http://americareads.blogspot.com/2017/11/five-top-books-about-joys-of-cooking.ht...
pickBeautiful writing for food lovers! Not as much of a fully developed story as her other books, but a lovely read overall.
This book is making me drool! Such beautiful writing too... what an eloquent way to capture the joy of eating a pastry even when one is too full to do so! 😍🥐
Another one from the #TBR mountain for #ReadJanuary. I have a feeling I'll be picturing the food critic from Ratatouille as I read this. #foodiefiction
pickThe Gourmet Rhapsody is debut novel and story focuses on another resident of the Rue de Grenellle apartment (the same building as in Elegance of the Hedgehog).Pierre Arthhens is a food critic, very articulate, unpleasant man on the deathbed and he is in search through his memories to find the ultimate flavor, taste that gives him the most pleasure. He describes his own life through taste with reach and lush descriptions of food, aromas and smells.
A new morning- a new month - a new book! This slim beauty has been sitting on my shelf literally for years! I got it after I enjoyed THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG so much & then simply never felt it's the right moment for this book. Sometimes I like to keep books around to savor the anticipation of a special delight 💎
And now after a kind of flat reading spell I think I'm ready for an exquisite treat 🎈📚🍁🍾
#mostanticipatedreads #booktober
pickIf you love food writing, you'll love this novella. A food critic suddenly learn he has a short time before he dies. Will he regret the choices he's made regarding friends and family or the foods he's chosen to eat?
pickA sumptuous quick read. I want to eat this book thanks to the descriptions of the delicacies food critic Pierre Arthens recalls on his deathbed, searching for the one flavor that would bring meaning to his fleeting life. He's a horrid person, a philanderer and worse. But I don't hate this book.
pickThis short novel about a restaurant critic longing for just the right taste before he dies is all about food. Since I've already used that square, I'll count this for "protagonist over 50." If there was a square for "made you salivate while reading" this would be perfect. #translation
