Gourmet Rhapsody
From Amazon
This book ended way too soon, and I only regret that the author hasn't published another book yet. Muriel Barbery's intelligence and awareness of the interconnectedness of all humanity infuses her writing, making it thought-provoking, fast-paced and entertaining. Please, Muriel, take up the pen soon! And, kudos to the translator, because we rely on accurate transference of nuance.
Sorry I bought it.
From Amazon
After loving the Elegance of the Hedgehog, I could not wait to get home and start reading Gourmet Rhapsody. I thought here is another book that I can really get into and get involved with the characters. I must say that having only 40 more pages to go, I have not made one connection with anyone in the book.
Yes, the food descriptions are wonderful, more so if you love mussels and oysters and his grandmother, while not lovable, certainly was capable of making people love her food. She is really the only character that stands out.
This book seems more philosophically oriented and has little appeal for the reader who is looking for the rich tapestry of personalities that appeared in The Elegance of the Hedgehog. i am only going to finish the book because i paid for is. Had it been a library book, it would have long since been returned.
There Are Very Good Reasons Why This is An Obscure Book
From Amazon
This is a tedious book about a tedious man and his mostly obsequious family. A famous food critic, on his deathbed tries to recapture a taste sensation that will bring him ecstasy once more. In his attempt to remember what he repressed, various vignettes are played out, relating ostensibly to food, but most likely to his relationships with people, whom he toyed with viciously.
Skip this book, and read "The Elegance of The Hedgehog", which should be started about halfway through.
I'm hoping the next go round, Barbery writes a novel as wonderful as the last half of "Hedgehog".
Deliciously written
From Amazon
Beautifully written, Gourmet Rhapsody is a joy to read. It is an unflinching examination of what's behind the pleasures of the sweet life.
"How can one betray oneself to such a degree?"
From Amazon
Muriel Barbery has done the impossible here - she has created a snobbish self-centered power-mad hero, the Supreme Monarch of the Table, the "greatest food critic in the world," and she has managed to make us like him in the end. At least, to make some of us like him - you will find many reviewers who did not like him!
Other reviews have pointed out other problems with this book - the grandiloquent (but appropriate) language of the critic's deathbed reflections, the preciosity of his search for "a flavor," the discovery of which will complete his oeuvre in some way. Most agree that the language is beautiful but often verbose; the verbosity can be irritating, I agree, but it conveys the critic's extreme aestheticism quite well. I might have given 5 stars if the language had been stripped down just a bit...
The story comes to life in the brief chapters in which his family, his colleagues and "friends," his animals, his servants, and his neighborhood tramp reflect on his life, his character, and how he has affected their lives. With very few words, Barbery has made these "secondary characters" quite real. Despite his negative qualities (or because of them) he is admired and/or loved by many of them, notably his cat and the tramp Gégène, who comments, "We are made of the same cloth, you and I."
As Pierre Arthens (we learn his name rather late in the book) searches for the elusive flavor, he relives his life, and discovers that although his developed gourmet tastes have been satisfying, they cannot compare to more basic pleasures which he could have enjoyed throughout his life...But then, as his mistress Marquet says, "he wouldn't have been the same man, would he?"