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lgmaxwell722's review against another edition
2.0
This book was all right. I found the writing style dense, and it took a while to get interesting. I kept confusing the two main characters, maybe as they were not well developed. The ending left me feeling I could have skipped the previous few hundred pages. It was empty and tired.
beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
I was excited to read this book when I found out I had won a copy. I like reading food related stories. Which is what the book cover and the summary indicate to. It does discuss food but that is about all. There are brief moments of food but not what I craved. I wanted to be immersed in the whole food experience with the three brothers. I thought with them being in the restaurant business that I would get to read about all of the yummy food that they served and my mouth would be watering. As I said none of this happened. This book is more about the relationship between the brothers, family, love, and growth. Which I had no problems with but the brothers were not that interesting. So if you are looking for a foodie related book to read this is not that book.
msmelinda's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved reading this book, but I also like to keep my menu after ordering at a restaurant simply because I want to read about all of the different dishes described on it. The character development could have been stronger - it was difficult to remember which brother was which for the first third of the book at least, plus lots of other named characters with no backstory but who you were expected to know when their names for dropped again chapters later.
nixieknox's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book! And I just happened upon it scanning the new fiction at the library. I appreciated that the three main characters were men, brothers, and I liked getting the emotional stuff from their perspective. None of them were perfect, but all ended well/not over the top. All the food & restaurant stuff was interesting background. I totally could see this as a movie (I did just watch Chef so that may be why.)
electricjuicebox's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Interesting setup but I felt like the plot and the relationships didn't really go anywhere. I enjoyed it but only *mildly*
kickpleat's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars really, because I often time wondered where this book was going. If you are into watching Top Chef, you'll probably like this book about a band of brothers getting older/coming into their own as one of them opens a new restaurant. The women characters are just two dimensional props that love their men, reassure them from their neurosis, and lend a helping hand when they can. Still, it's a decent read and had me hungry for most of the book. I hated the cover, by the way.
heather_g's review against another edition
3.0
lots of good food descriptions but characters needed more development. 3 brothers, 2 restaurants, typical hijinks ensue.
ciska's review against another edition
3.0
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*
Author
Michelle Wildgen is a writer, editor, and teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. She works as an executive editor at the literary journal Tin House. She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught fiction and nonfiction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.
Review
I fell in love with this cover the moment I saw it. Reading the synopsis I expected a fun read. With my brother being a chef I do know little bits about the intrigue, rivalry and hard work in the restaurant business and I was curious how it would all work out.
The first fifty pages you get introduced how things look behind your nice dinner in a restaurant quickly. The hard work, trying to get the best food and prettiest plates and biggest surprises for the customers. A lot of the risks of setting up your own restaurant business passing by and a lot of tasty food descriptions. This book made me very hungry. There was just one problem. I did not connect to the characters. Am not sure if that was because of the multiple point of view style or the speed of the story. But they did not really came alive for me. I did spend some fun time with the book though.
Author
Michelle Wildgen is a writer, editor, and teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. She works as an executive editor at the literary journal Tin House. She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught fiction and nonfiction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.
Review
I fell in love with this cover the moment I saw it. Reading the synopsis I expected a fun read. With my brother being a chef I do know little bits about the intrigue, rivalry and hard work in the restaurant business and I was curious how it would all work out.
The first fifty pages you get introduced how things look behind your nice dinner in a restaurant quickly. The hard work, trying to get the best food and prettiest plates and biggest surprises for the customers. A lot of the risks of setting up your own restaurant business passing by and a lot of tasty food descriptions. This book made me very hungry. There was just one problem. I did not connect to the characters. Am not sure if that was because of the multiple point of view style or the speed of the story. But they did not really came alive for me. I did spend some fun time with the book though.
maryrobinson's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting family drama involving three brothers in the food business. A great look inside their restaurants and fun story of their passion for food and complex relationships with each other.