The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
Audio CD 5 discs 6 hours
published by Penguin Audio in 2009
ISBN-13: 9780143144366
Type: {Weekend Read: a book to curl up on the couch with.}
Rating: {Me Likey: Enjoyable! Particularly for fans of this genre.}
Why You’re Reading It:
- You like interwoven short stories made into a novel.
- You love food and the way it relates to our lives.
- You enjoy comforting, sweet stories.
What I Thought:
I started The School of Essential Ingredients in my kitchen; listening while cooking. That was the perfect place to listen to it! The nice rythym of the reader’s voice, the easy to follow story – slow but in a comforting way. However, once I took it on the road with me (either while walking or driving) I found that I always got hungry! So, maybe this is a better one to read curled up on your couch with a glass of wine and a plate of yummy food.
Each character in the cooking school, which is held at a restaurant that I wish actually existed — tell me if you don’t think it sounds like the most delightful place to have nearby, has a short part featuring their story. Each of these shorter stories leaks into other stories to bring all of the characters together with a well-written thread. Though the plot is not fast moving, Bauermeister takes as much care and thought with her writing as the characters do with their cooking. The book is easy to swallow in one or two gulps. It is the epitome of a comfort read for a slow summer evening. If I could have, I would have read this short, lovely book while sitting on the back porch, wine or sweet tea in my hand – a pot of something delicious on the stove and then curled up in a hammock with someone to cuddle with after. That is the kind of book this is. The reading won’t require much thought, and you’ll feel peaceful and hungry afterwards.
Buon appetito!
I love your recommendation on how to read this book. I still haven’t read this one and as you know, it’s the one I was looking for when we hooked up in Pasadena. However, I WON Joy for Beginners so it is on its way to me.
BTW..how is Game On going? I can’t imagine you reading this book while being in that game.
Haha, I was just on your blog catching up and commenting and then I come here and here you are!
Lucky you to win it! I haven’t read that one yet, I needed an audio – so decided to start with this one. Maybe we could read Joy at the same time if it works out… might be fun. This one was really hard to read while on a diet. Not fun at all. It made me want to cook and play in the kitchen, which is not an option when following strict rules.
Mmmm… I’ll e-mail you about Game On — not loving it.
I love books about cooking, like probably some of my favorite sub genre ever, yet I haven’t read very much this year. I need to get to this one!
Oh, you’ll love this one then. It’s all about how cooking and food relates to our lives (great one for foodies) and it’s really short. And, of course, it’s fiction so it moves fast.
It sounds like something Maeve Binchy might have written. Your description reminded me of her book Quentin’s – have you read it?
Yes! Very much like Maeve Binchy does hers… only this one is tied together a little more, in a shorter, neater package. Perhaps she’ll explore more in her next books… in this one it comes together at the end of each section whereas Binchy weaves her characters together in a bit more of a subtle way.
I LOVE Binchy. I was introduced to her a couple of years ago by a friend. I haven’t read Quentin’s (it’s waiting on my shelf), but I’ve read several of her others. Did you enjoy Quentin’s?