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sarahanne8382's review against another edition
3.0
The opening section of the TV food personality's memoir was so beautifully crafted, and I think anyone who suffers from chronic illness can find a lot to identify with in her sections about suffering from endometreosis. However, even though Laksmi shows some talent for writing, her editor needed to use a stronger hand here. This book should have been shorter, and maybe then Lakshmi wouldn't have come off as quite so vapid. Sure, she's a woman in entertainment, so appearance has to matter to her in a professional sense, but for those of us not in the industry, she just comes off as incredibly vain, while also being a better than average writer. Still, her story has plenty of interesting parts (growing up in India, NYC, & California, modeling all around Europe, getting to travel around the world for her cooking shows) to it and she's a good enough writer that I stuck with it.
If you're a Top Chef fan, you'll probably want to check this out.
If you're a Top Chef fan, you'll probably want to check this out.
jess_vegasgirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
dayseraph's review against another edition
3.0
This is a lot of information! (Around 12 hours on audiobook)
nattyg's review against another edition
1.0
Had to put this down. It started off well and enjoyable. Then turned vapid with excuses why she wasn’t vapid. Her life is skewed (as is her right) in this book. Which why I choose to not finish this (as is my right)
emjay24's review against another edition
2.0
I used to love Top Chef, back when I was into reality shows. Over time, the concept got old to me, but I still always liked Padma, who always seemed like a cool cucumber while judging. What was her story? I’m always interested in memoirs but rarely get to them, so when I found an app that let me listen to free audio books, hers was the first to try. What’s better than a memoir read by the subject herself? I could not make it through the book. It may be just me and my short attention span. It may be me getting used to a new type of media. There were interesting parts to the book, most especially the part where she talks about her endometriosis, something a lot of people don’t know much about. I would have liked to have heard more about that, and maybe she did talk more about it at the end of the book I didn’t get to. Her life was not at all as I pictured it behind the scenes of those episodes! I never would have guessed everything that was going on. I enjoyed knowing everything in the book, I just could have used it in a more condensed fashion. I’m going to give it a 2 stars “OK” as I feel half of the reason I didn’t finish wasn’t the book or Padma’s fault, but my own.
barkylee15's review against another edition
4.0
3.75. The organization of her memoir was a bit tough for audio, but I still thought/think she has led a fascinating life!
lovesarahmae's review against another edition
5.0
[a:Padma Lakshmi|4543|Padma Lakshmi|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] may be a pretty face, but she is no fool. She opens this memoir with the dirt everyone was hoping for: intimate details of her failed marriage to [a:Salman Rushdie|3299|Salman Rushdie|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1440718419p2/3299.jpg], the infamous and brilliant writer. It was a torrid affair, start to finish, but wonderfully these are not even the most interesting chapters of [b:Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir|25816693|Love, Loss, and What We Ate A Memoir|Padma Lakshmi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1449997146s/25816693.jpg|45626006]. Lakshmi's story is that of an immigrant child, shuttling between India and New York or LA. It is a story of single motherhood and matriarchy. It is the dirty tell all that many hoped for out of the pen of a model turned television star. And it is the food memoir that everyone who pairs book-club and dinner parties was waiting on.
I expected behind the scenes footage of her public life- Top Chef, the food network, cook books, maybe even stories from within that often whispered about marriage to Rushdi. What I did not expect was the kind honesty and self reflection of a woman truly looking back on her life. Because Lakshmi takes blame for her actions, and is upfront about many of the mistakes she has made, readers are along for the emotional roller coaster found in the quiet moments of life she tenderly portrays - lying on the kitchen floor wrecked after a break up, trying to balance terminal illnesses with the joy of young childhood. These details could have easily been left out, along with all of the mentions of chutneys and street vendor hot-dogs, but that would not have been true to the experience, and Lakshmi clearly wanted to present an honest telling of her life- with the details no one else could. This memoir focuses not just on the facts, but the personal impact of each event - I literally had to pull over on the highway because I was sobbing for her so hard.
Written precisely in the best way for an audio adaptation- everything flows naturally as if these are stories being told by a new friend late into the evening. The audio-book is read by the author, and Lakshmi is well suited for this format. I felt as if she was in the room with me, telling the story, mimicking the voices of the Indian family and American friends, breathing life into characters who are all to often mocked rather than embraced for their cultural differences from mainstream media. AND she reads recipes aloud with commentary in the epilogue, sending us all back to the early years in our first apartments and college dorm-rooms calling home to our mothers when we wanted to make something familiar from home.
If you are a Food Network lover, a Padma Lakshmi fan, or a memoir reader- this is a great choice.
I expected behind the scenes footage of her public life- Top Chef, the food network, cook books, maybe even stories from within that often whispered about marriage to Rushdi. What I did not expect was the kind honesty and self reflection of a woman truly looking back on her life. Because Lakshmi takes blame for her actions, and is upfront about many of the mistakes she has made, readers are along for the emotional roller coaster found in the quiet moments of life she tenderly portrays - lying on the kitchen floor wrecked after a break up, trying to balance terminal illnesses with the joy of young childhood. These details could have easily been left out, along with all of the mentions of chutneys and street vendor hot-dogs, but that would not have been true to the experience, and Lakshmi clearly wanted to present an honest telling of her life- with the details no one else could. This memoir focuses not just on the facts, but the personal impact of each event - I literally had to pull over on the highway because I was sobbing for her so hard.
Written precisely in the best way for an audio adaptation- everything flows naturally as if these are stories being told by a new friend late into the evening. The audio-book is read by the author, and Lakshmi is well suited for this format. I felt as if she was in the room with me, telling the story, mimicking the voices of the Indian family and American friends, breathing life into characters who are all to often mocked rather than embraced for their cultural differences from mainstream media. AND she reads recipes aloud with commentary in the epilogue, sending us all back to the early years in our first apartments and college dorm-rooms calling home to our mothers when we wanted to make something familiar from home.
If you are a Food Network lover, a Padma Lakshmi fan, or a memoir reader- this is a great choice.
stefanicox's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't quite realize how much of the book is dedicated to Padma's relationships, which I didn't always find that interesting. However, the memories and musings on food and culture were wonderful, and it's fun that she sprinkles recipes throughout!
vkm13's review against another edition
3.0
The story was interesting and the reading by Padma Lakshmi was very well done. I had no idea her life has been so interesting, even though I am a fan of Top Chef (I'd never even noticed the scar on her arm!).
That said, the thing that holds this back is that I sometimes found that the story jumped around a lot. I think a little more editing was required to turn this from a three star to a four (or ever five) star book.
I do, however, really appreciate the recipes at the end, though I don't know that I would have bothered having her include them in the audiobook itself - a PDF to download is just fine for me.
That said, the thing that holds this back is that I sometimes found that the story jumped around a lot. I think a little more editing was required to turn this from a three star to a four (or ever five) star book.
I do, however, really appreciate the recipes at the end, though I don't know that I would have bothered having her include them in the audiobook itself - a PDF to download is just fine for me.
jamae's review against another edition
5.0
Padma’s story glows with vibrance and magnetism. She allows the reader to imagine the experiences she describes—the luscious food, the unfettered love, and the depth of heartbreak. An absolute must-read for anyone needing a reminder that they’re not alone in searching for their life’s purpose.