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royce_mussman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Book on CD narrated by the author.
I don’t read a lot of celebrity memoirs, but when a friend recommended this one I had to see what the fuss was about. I’ve never seen Top Chef but I know of its existence. And I’d heard of Lakshmi, though I was completely unaware of her personal drama. (Don’t follow celebrity news outlets either.)
I liked the portions of the book that took us back to her childhood in India, to the cultures, foods, sights, sounds and smells that helped form her. I was much less interested in her marriage, divorce, new relationship(s), and pregnancy. From what she relates of her early adulthood (into her 40s), I got the impression that she identified herself by the man she was attached to. This irritated me and I didn’t really like her all that much as a result.
However, I still found her story compelling, and I kept listening and came to appreciate the woman she is today more than I did at the beginning.
Lakshmi narrates the audiobook version herself. I cannot imaging anyone doing a better job of it. The CD has a bonus PDF file with all the recipes that are included in the book.
I don’t read a lot of celebrity memoirs, but when a friend recommended this one I had to see what the fuss was about. I’ve never seen Top Chef but I know of its existence. And I’d heard of Lakshmi, though I was completely unaware of her personal drama. (Don’t follow celebrity news outlets either.)
I liked the portions of the book that took us back to her childhood in India, to the cultures, foods, sights, sounds and smells that helped form her. I was much less interested in her marriage, divorce, new relationship(s), and pregnancy. From what she relates of her early adulthood (into her 40s), I got the impression that she identified herself by the man she was attached to. This irritated me and I didn’t really like her all that much as a result.
However, I still found her story compelling, and I kept listening and came to appreciate the woman she is today more than I did at the beginning.
Lakshmi narrates the audiobook version herself. I cannot imaging anyone doing a better job of it. The CD has a bonus PDF file with all the recipes that are included in the book.
tiarala's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved Lakshmi's stories of India, of her youth and her family as she grew up. The book became weaker as I went on and by the end I was kind of over it, which made me sad because I really do adore Padma. I love her cookbooks and use them often. I think the story of her complicated love life is intriguing and while many seem to be writing her off as a gold-digger, those are the circles she runs in, and she seems to genuinely have loved the much older men in her life. It's not my place to judge that or any part of her life. That said, those parts of the book became muddled and often dull. Lakshmi is at her best when talking about food, cooking, and her Indian culture.
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciated the compassion in this memoir - both to others and to herself. So often memoirs feel very self obsessed and whiney or so much name dropping however this one is neither. I loved the theme of food that weaves it together.
heidihaverkamp's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful - I became fascinated with Lakshmi after watching her series "Taste the Nation." I had no idea she was married to Salman Rushdie, or what a great writer she is. And what a great leader and human being she is.