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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Just an amazing start to the year. God I love great food writing! Loved the format, loved the exploration of different formative gastronomical moments - it made me want to think of my own.
Premier livre français de l'année - que j'ai lu volontairement au moins! La manière d'écrire (et surtout de décrire) de Barbéry me plaît beaucoup, même si la verbosité du protagoniste me rendait ce bouquin un peu inaccessible des fois. J'ai quand même hâte de bientôt lire L'Elégance du Hérisson!
As a food nerd I really enjoyed the overblown, verbose descriptions of so many different foods and their emotional associations. I also really enjoyed the unique structure of the book. This probably would have been 4 stars if it weren't for the let-down of an ending. The culmination of the main character's search for that one flavor that is the pinnacle of his existence was disappointingly void of meaning and left me dissatisfied. Too bad. It was a neat idea.
I initially wrote 3.5, not worth rounding up, but the more I reflect on it and talk about the book with others, the more I think it's a 2.5, rounded up to 3.
I loved the structure of the novel, alternating chapters between the perspective of a dying man and those who were in his circle. I loved the premise - the man has spent his life as a food critic and is trying to recapture the experience of one particular flavor before he dies, but he is not sure which flavor that is, so he must go on a journey through his food memories in search of that elusive bite of perfection. As someone who lives with two amateur chefs whose family movie night preferences stretch from Ratatouille to Babette's Feast, who have watched every episode of every Anthony Bourdain show, Food Truck Nation, The Chef Show, and other culinarily-inspired shows, this book should have been absolutely perfect for me.
And yet, it wasn't. The protagonist was simply too arrogant, the food a too sublime. There was nothing redeemable about him, nothing less than perfect about the food, and so the novel failed to touch the human. When the chapters that come closest to making you relate to the protagonist are narrated by an inanimate object and a cat, that might be a sign that you haven't quite captured the people.
I loved the structure of the novel, alternating chapters between the perspective of a dying man and those who were in his circle. I loved the premise - the man has spent his life as a food critic and is trying to recapture the experience of one particular flavor before he dies, but he is not sure which flavor that is, so he must go on a journey through his food memories in search of that elusive bite of perfection. As someone who lives with two amateur chefs whose family movie night preferences stretch from Ratatouille to Babette's Feast, who have watched every episode of every Anthony Bourdain show, Food Truck Nation, The Chef Show, and other culinarily-inspired shows, this book should have been absolutely perfect for me.
And yet, it wasn't. The protagonist was simply too arrogant, the food a too sublime. There was nothing redeemable about him, nothing less than perfect about the food, and so the novel failed to touch the human. When the chapters that come closest to making you relate to the protagonist are narrated by an inanimate object and a cat, that might be a sign that you haven't quite captured the people.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is my all-time favorite book, so I knew going into this to lower my expectations. However, the writing - as expected - was gorgeous, especially the sections about food. I got a little confused about how all the characters were connected to the dying man, but that didn't hinder my joy of reading this. Barbery also did a good job distinguishing all the characters' voices from each other. I didn't like the main character, but you were not supposed to. Overall, this was an effective contemplation on the nature of death and one's legacy. I can't wait for Barbery's next book!
I didn’t like this book. I only gave it 4 starts because I love all other books by Muriel Barbery and the writing was amazing as always. However, I don’t care about food with such depth and enthusiasm. I think the story is complex and I just wanted more from the characters. I was very excited to read it but it just wasn’t for me.