Delicious!

A Novel

De: Ruth Reichl

Narrado por: Julia Whelan

In her best-selling memoirs, Ruth Reichl has long illuminated the theme of how food defines us, and never more so than in her dazzling fiction debut about sisters, family ties, and a young woman who must finally let go of guilt and grief to embrace her own true gifts.

Billie Breslin has travelled far from her California home to take a job at Delicious, the most iconic food magazine in New York and, thus, the world. When the publication is suddenly shut down, the colourful staff, who have become an extended family for Billie, must pick up their lives and move on. Not Billie, though. She is offered a new job: Staying behind in the magazine's deserted downtown mansion offices to uphold the "Delicious Guarantee" - a public relations hotline for complaints and recipe inquiries - until further notice. What she doesn't know is that this boring, lonely job will be the portal to a life-changing discovery.

Delicious! carries the listener to the colourful world of downtown New York restaurateurs and artisanal purveyors. And from the lively food shop in Little Italy where Billie works on weekends to a hidden room in the magazine's library where she discovers the letters of Lulu Swan, a plucky 12-year-old, who wrote to the legendary chef James Beard during World War II. Lulu's letters lead Billie to a deeper understanding of history (and the history of food), but most important, Lulu's courage in the face of loss inspires Billie to come to terms with her own issues - the panic attacks that occur every time she even thinks about cooking, the truth about the big sister she adored, and her ability to open her heart to love.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 Ruth Reichl (P)2014 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[Ruth Reichl is] the culinary scene queen...the most influential food person in America today." ( National Post)

"Reading Ruth Reichl on food is almost as good as eating it...Reichl makes the reader feel present with her, sharing her experience." ( The Washington Post Book World)

"[Reichl] is fair-minded, brave, and a wonderful writer." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Wonderful

Absolutely wonderful! I learned much about many things through this literary experience and could not put it down!!!

Delicious is delicious

While occasionally predictable, Delicious is a marvelous tale with characters you come to feel as if you know in real life. Always have a snack while reading.

Very interesting book!

Liked it a lot!
The story is so intriguing and tasty.
Overall book is highly recommended for all food lovers.

Delicious ! tasty but mellow by today's measure

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Would I recommend to a friend ? Answer: Depends on the friend. If the world of cooking and the values inherent thereof is the friend's idea of keen, then YES - otherwise, I am not sure. Some books make a major motion picture overnight because of the topic, but if this became a hit it would be because of the wonderful humane and not-perfect touches. Dearness. The heroine is starting adult life and finding her way, while , we learn, recuperating from a major loss. So the people she meets and their impact on her life can be really special - she looks for, and finds the best of what she needs to win thru and does.It may be a bit like shopping for ingredients for a favorite recipe, but it works!

If you’ve listened to books by Ruth Reichl before, how does this one compare?

I am unfamiliar with the author, but may go and read more - if it is easy and offered here. My days right now are unusually demanding and I got this book for relief - thank you thank you - it did that.

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Being an reader is not that easy - the right amount of objectivity or it is theater and not a book at all - and yet a certain amount of expression that clarifies the words - optimizes is a better word. FUN! To have a book read to one is fun. Thanksomuch

If you could take any character from Delicious! out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I'd like to be at table with the company- the ensemble is the thing - a fine Salamagundi - what a privilege!

Any additional comments?

It is nice that the book makes a statement on the gay topic, including a main character who is gay and most loved and treated with kindness; he is generous and good to others. I think this is important because cooking icon James Beard is referenced a lot in the book, and he suffered a number of times for his preferences. It makes a person think and see how the world has changed since Mr. Beard was expelled from college in 1922 for his romantic choices.

On a final topic:
I do not like books that do not support weddings, but in this story it is a temporary logic.
On this point the author or Billie or both are exulting in grief - celebrating it and riding on it, rather than healing it.

We leave the book hoping that our hero and heroine "get over it" and into weddings and wedding cakes before too long.

Other than that, the story was told with grand compassion, kindness, innovation , fun, brightness and warmth and pleasure pleasure pleasure.

Thanksomuch!

Well named

This isn't a book that I will read again and again, but it is a captivating book full of love able characters and a little mystery, It's helped make a bad cold more bearable and I'm sorry to have reached the end. As always, in a Ruth Reichl book, there were plenty of chances to indulge my culinary fancies without consuming any calories ..... And a few new ideas I can't wait to try once I'm back in the kitchen.

Love Reichl but her nonfiction is her strength

Would you consider the audio edition of Delicious! to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print edition. The narrator did a fantastic job though.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Many of the plotlines ended predictably, and were kind of too good to be true. The plotline with the sister seemed a little convoluted and the revelations seemed a little forced. I loved Lulu's plotline but the culmination also seemed a little unbelievable. There was so much potential in this story but I felt like it veered off in really strange ways a lot.

Which scene was your favorite?

Reichl is always at her best when describing food so any scene containing that was great (though once she had the characters boasting about how much they know about food it got kind of tiresome). The "Sal Test" was fun, and the whole section with the library and Lulu's letters were great. Interesting to learn about the treatment of Italians during the war.

Any additional comments?

Loved the character of Sammy. Surprisingly, I didn't find him over the top. I think that sort of affectation in an older gay man in NYC is totally on point and believable. Sal was good too, and Lulu. Billie got a little insufferable, her motives and reactions were often hard to understand. I wanted to like Mr. Complainer but once we got to see more of him he just came off like a snob. I know people like him in real life and I can't stand being around them. I love food and appreciate quality but he just seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't shut up about it. Billie's makeover was also eye-roll worthy. Seriously, is this a highschool movie? The heroine we're told over and over is plain and unattractive gets contacts, a haircut and some nice clothes and all of a sudden she's gorgeous? Come on. That is the laziest kind of character development.

A lot of the characters were just kind of hard to understand. Their reactions seemed either over the top, or not enough. A lot of things just were kind of dropped, and other things seemed rammed home to the point of disbelief (Sal's refusal to ever leave his store, Maggie's grudge-holding and meanness, etc).

Also, too much judginess about food and "the old ways were better" type of thing. I did enjoy this book, but I found my eyes rolling A LOT.

I expected better from Ruth, whose memoirs I ADORE, but I guess her strength isn't fiction.

A great get away...

This book took me to a far away place and wove a wondrous tale. I have always enjoyed Reichl's writing and this book did not disappoint.

Such a delight

While sure, the story is corny, Ruth had done a phenomenal job of bringing her characters to life. I loved her first books and I couldn’t stamp listening to this one. Sammy, while obnoxious, was utterly hypnotic with his vocabulary- I found myself wanting to meet him in real life. The research she had to put into this book was outstanding and by the end of the day I couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen. Literary classic? - by no means, worth the read, absolutely!

Such a good story

This was a fabulous story. I loved every character even Maggie. Was so sad when it ended.

Engaging story

Very well written and brilliantly read by Julia Whelan. Thoroughly enjoyable and well worth the listen!