Welcome to my blog where I share my book reviews
and life along the winding road

Friday, November 18, 2016

Delicious by Ruth Reichl

Delicious by Ruth Reichl was a book club choice at our local library. I found it difficult to review this novel so instead I'll give you a brief overview of the book and leave it to the New York Times article to give you an in depth opinion.
Billie Breslin has moved from California to New York to work for a food magazine where she becomes immersed in the world of restaurants and food shops (she is immediately hired to work week-ends at a family only operated Italian deli). She instantly becomes friends with some of New York's top chefs along with most of the magazine staff, and discovers a hidden room in the magazine's library which leads to a hunt for mysterious letters from a twelve-year-old during WWII. Of course, there is some family tragedy thrown in.
I liked the camaraderie between restaurants and food stores that was reminiscent of my childhood in London before supermarkets and when shop owners knew your name. I always found it fun to visit the deli where, as a preschooler, they gave me a lump of cheese or buying my favorite sausages at the butchers. It's a shame that shopping is so impersonal these days.