I’m not sure what I expected from this book, maybe more of a philosophical treatise on the way that women, food and God intersect? Instead, this is a I’m not sure what I expected from this book, maybe more of a philosophical treatise on the way that women, food and God intersect? Instead, this is a self-help book for compulsive eaters who have replaced God with food.
I read it fast, skimmed parts of it that seemed to repeat themselves and came to the conclusion that I’m not really a compulsive eater. I can eat compulsively and out of loneliness or boredom but it’s not always my biggest cross to bear. Given that, I think Roth writes very compassionately for women who do bear this cross. She has a lot of grace and kindness for them and I think there’s a lot of truth in what she says about how people eat to avoid thinking or feeling or listening or healing.
What I took away from this book is the lesson about leaning into discomfort. I realized how much I look ahead to an imagined future where things are better than they are now and in the process, I disregard everything that’s happening in the present. Instead, my life is where I am right now. What I’m doing right now. How it’s all working.
It’s a fine line to walk between accepting the present tense and working to change it if it’s uncomfortable and unsatisfactory. I think Roth’s attitude and advice is that we only learn how dissatisfied we are once we stop working so hard to ignore or cover up our dissatisfaction. Peace and contentment and change come from seeing the truth of our present tense and working with it accordingly. ...more
Glorious. Easy. Skilled. Practiced. Clearly this man writes for a living.
However, it’s all very polished and presentable. I suspect that the real FraGlorious. Easy. Skilled. Practiced. Clearly this man writes for a living.
However, it’s all very polished and presentable. I suspect that the real Frank is funnier, wittier, crasser and more spiteful than this book allows. While this writing is so adult and presentable and Emily Post, I wish for a little more spice.
But maybe he has the best of both worlds? He writes for other people in a way that pleases them, he makes a living and it doesn’t affect his real life. His real life and writing don’t intersect. He’s managed to make writing a polished sanitized echo of his life instead of a dirty upheaval of his innermost soul. This way he can write and live and have them be separate. Is that good? I can’t tell.
I loved the book. It’s very professional and evocative and smart. I wish I could meet the real Frank because I only see his ghost in these pages and the difference between him and this book is the difference between his grandma’s pasta and gravy and Babbo’s linguine with marinara. ...more
Judith Jones is a food editor who published every important chef’s cookbook from the mid 20th century – James Beard, Julia Child, Marzella Hazen, MadhJudith Jones is a food editor who published every important chef’s cookbook from the mid 20th century – James Beard, Julia Child, Marzella Hazen, Madhur Jaffery etc. She has a huge love of food and I’m envious of her association with all these people who love to cook and eat.
Her writing is ok. I drift off every now and then but it’s not personal. I just don’t see as much of her personality in her writing as I’d like. Or maybe she’s putting it all in there and it isn’t enough? Hard to tell. It’s fine. Not great. Not sparkling. But fine. I’ll take it over Jason Epstein any day…
I love the way she writes about her relationship with her husband and the way they loved food. ...more
I love this mix of story, history and the subject matter. And the setting in Africa.
Overall, I like his story telling voice but the book is kind of anI love this mix of story, history and the subject matter. And the setting in Africa.
Overall, I like his story telling voice but the book is kind of an awkward blend of historical anecdotal information and travelogue. Parts of it worked better than others.
The latter part of the book where he’s traveling across the US looking for American coffee was pretty awful and it doesn’t feel real. I'm guessing the real story was prosaic and boring so he made things up to make it more exciting. It’s a stark contrast to the rest of the book, which feels legitimate.
But, I’d read another book by him and I’d definitely travel with him.
Loading...
