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kateburstein31's review against another edition
3.0
My favorite part of this book, and for which I give the book 3 stars, is the openness and vulnerability of the author as she shares personal anecdotes from throughout her life. I like the premise of having an anecdote for each recipe she introduces. However, I didn’t love the writing itself consistently, and as a mostly non-meat eater, the recipes were not usually appealing to me. That being said, if you love cooking and want to make some meals from the heart, this book is an excellent resource.
doritobabe's review against another edition
4.0
Full review to come.
Though I had issues with some of this collection, it ended on such a good note that I couldn't stop myself from giving it four stars.
Though I had issues with some of this collection, it ended on such a good note that I couldn't stop myself from giving it four stars.
jesstele's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
3.75
amlane16's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the recipes, but I did not care for the author's writing style ... Repetitive, non linear, and an anticlimactic conclusion.
samsambamalam's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book more than I thought I would, perhaps because I could really connect with Hood's love of all things food. This collection of essays and recipes left me feeling a lot of feelings. Mostly it left me wondering what the recipes in my story would be, the dishes and delights that would paint my life's story. Loved it (and left with a few new and interesting food ideas too!)
herbiehickmott's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Ann Hood's ability to weave memories, themes, and recipes into each essay or chapter. It felt intimate and personal. I'm interested in following up on some of these recipes and testing them out.
What became extremely apparent as the book went on (and was confirmed by a note at the end) - many of the essays had appeared in other publications and made for an often stilted and structure/flow. Mentions of family members, recipes, and parts of Hood's past were introduced and re-introduced and mentioned again in almost identical ways throughout. We read roughly the same description of Ann's brothers passing a few times; or reading about her grandmother's meatballs. These frequent (re)-introductions felt awkward in this format of mini essays wrapped up in one book. They certainly work if each essay is presented on it's own - in Gourmet or for another publication.
In general, it was a warm and easy book to dive into.
What became extremely apparent as the book went on (and was confirmed by a note at the end) - many of the essays had appeared in other publications and made for an often stilted and structure/flow. Mentions of family members, recipes, and parts of Hood's past were introduced and re-introduced and mentioned again in almost identical ways throughout. We read roughly the same description of Ann's brothers passing a few times; or reading about her grandmother's meatballs. These frequent (re)-introductions felt awkward in this format of mini essays wrapped up in one book. They certainly work if each essay is presented on it's own - in Gourmet or for another publication.
In general, it was a warm and easy book to dive into.
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Truly, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it took me FOREVER to get my hands on it because my library system only ordered a physical copy in Large Print (NO GO for me) and I had to wait for the digital copy to be available.
.
And......well.....let’s just say that I really loved the individual essays. But. Well. Most of them were previously published in other publications and rather than heavily editing to eliminate redundancies, they just.....plopped them all in a book. So, for beautiful food writing, it’s great. For a book to sit down and read straight through like I did? Just okay.
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Overall I’ll give this 3 ⭐️, and recommend it to people who love to read about food and want to just dip in and out. I anticipated more of a memoir, and it’s actually a cookbook with essays
.
And......well.....let’s just say that I really loved the individual essays. But. Well. Most of them were previously published in other publications and rather than heavily editing to eliminate redundancies, they just.....plopped them all in a book. So, for beautiful food writing, it’s great. For a book to sit down and read straight through like I did? Just okay.
.
Overall I’ll give this 3 ⭐️, and recommend it to people who love to read about food and want to just dip in and out. I anticipated more of a memoir, and it’s actually a cookbook with essays
laurasullivan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
4.0
greerh29's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so precious and heartwarming to read! Each essay ends with a recipe and details a memory associated with that recipe. It has been such a healing experience to see how people can associate positive memories with food and use it as a way of cultivating culture, family, and so much more. I highly recommend this book, especially if you would like to grow a more positive relationship with food (however there are two brief mentions of diets in the book, but the book itself was overall fairly safe, otherwise).