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tamaralgage1's review against another edition
5.0
A book that is based in the time of Slavery. We get a glimpse in the life of a prominent slave who severed a Cook to General Washington. Having an incredibly respected position for one of the most prominent in of the country. Why would he want to be free? I just kidding... Of course, like anyone capable of thinking, he wished to be free. This is a wonderful book that describes how he pursued his dream. But the quote that I have pulled from the is book that might be a spoiler ... but not too much ...
"Why do you want to learn to read?"
Hercules replied, "Reading ---knowledge --- it is power, is it not, Mrs. Harris? .. If a man can read he can manage his own affairs, he can learn the affairs of others, he can move through the world more easily."
I love this reference to the power of reading.
"Why do you want to learn to read?"
Hercules replied, "Reading ---knowledge --- it is power, is it not, Mrs. Harris? .. If a man can read he can manage his own affairs, he can learn the affairs of others, he can move through the world more easily."
I love this reference to the power of reading.
krismcd59's review against another edition
4.0
My review of this book appears in Historical Novels Review Issue 87, February 2019:
It’s no mystery why so many historical novels have featured cooks as protagonists – food is one of the most vivid windows into a culture, and culinary artists are granted privileged access to the rich and powerful of their worlds. The General’s Cook is a worthy entry into this sub-genre. Ganeshram, a celebrated food journalist, has concocted a feast of sensual storytelling in this depiction of Hercules, President George Washington’s chef.
Brilliant, perceptive, ambitious, and passionate, Hercules occupies a fascinating social niche in 18th-century Philadelphia. An African-American slave owned by Washington but granted rare privileges due to his master’s esteem for him, he commands a small army in the kitchen and benefits from lucrative side deals with his food suppliers. The City of Brotherly Love is both a haven and a hell for him, however, surrounded as he is by free people of color, including his lover, a refugee from Sainte-Domingue who is passing as white. When his master moves into his final years, Hercules struggles to secure a future for himself.
Fans of culinary art will adore the detailed descriptions of cookery, all based on historical documents, and there is plenty of drama in Hercules’ attempts to resist his fate by learning to read and making contact with the Philadelphia Abolitionist Society. As the net tightens over Hercules and the fellow slaves he tries to protect, readers will not be able to put down this entertaining adventure.
It’s no mystery why so many historical novels have featured cooks as protagonists – food is one of the most vivid windows into a culture, and culinary artists are granted privileged access to the rich and powerful of their worlds. The General’s Cook is a worthy entry into this sub-genre. Ganeshram, a celebrated food journalist, has concocted a feast of sensual storytelling in this depiction of Hercules, President George Washington’s chef.
Brilliant, perceptive, ambitious, and passionate, Hercules occupies a fascinating social niche in 18th-century Philadelphia. An African-American slave owned by Washington but granted rare privileges due to his master’s esteem for him, he commands a small army in the kitchen and benefits from lucrative side deals with his food suppliers. The City of Brotherly Love is both a haven and a hell for him, however, surrounded as he is by free people of color, including his lover, a refugee from Sainte-Domingue who is passing as white. When his master moves into his final years, Hercules struggles to secure a future for himself.
Fans of culinary art will adore the detailed descriptions of cookery, all based on historical documents, and there is plenty of drama in Hercules’ attempts to resist his fate by learning to read and making contact with the Philadelphia Abolitionist Society. As the net tightens over Hercules and the fellow slaves he tries to protect, readers will not be able to put down this entertaining adventure.
crystallyn's review
5.0
This book is the true juxtaposition of food and history, taking us back to the days of George Washington and into the world of his chef, a slave named Hercules. Told with vivid and delicious description about a little known part of our American history, The General's Cook is a book that food lovers really should not miss. Hercules was one of Washington's prized men, someone who found his favor through the delicacies that graced his plate. The story weaves us in and out of the cities of Philadelphia and Mount Vernon where Washington skirted a law that allowed slaves to become free if they spent more than six months in the city of Philadelphia--so he made sure that they didn't by swapping his slaves back and forth from his homes. Beautifully and thoughtfully told, Ramin Ganeshram's talents as a chef and cookbook writer translate perfectly to the page. Yum.
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