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awahle's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
shainabriley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
3.0
So badly wanted to rate this book higher, as I loved Fatima’s chapters retelling her version of her own story, as a memoir should be. But I could not get past the chapters written/read by her mother. Often her point of view was conflicting to Fatima’s, or her trying to justify choices she made that hurt Fatima. It felt like a cheap shot for her mother to use Fatima’s passing as a moment to get her own spotlight, rather than just letting Fatima have her full memoir postmortem. It’s worth listening to, but ultimately wished her mother did not participate.
indiarose8's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Beautiful written. Loved the descriptions of food.
eveak's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I have an affinity for engaging, well written, thought and evoking memoirs. This book has all this - from the introduction through the acknowledgements.
stephanieridiculous's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible memoir, easily one of the best I've ever read. Mom and daughter's narratives are expertly woven together, making each story richer for the other's perspective. Highly recommend!
It's been a long time since I was a cog in a kitchen-machine, and while food based memoirs have given me a generic since of nostalgia, Fatima's words about her time in kitchens rekindled that spark in me, at least a smidge. Her descriptions of her long days and sense of comradery highlighted the best of the industry and make me long to return, just a little. I'm far too old for that level of daily grind now, but I thoroughly appreciated being transported back to that passionate fervor. Her love of food and everything it entails is a profound loss for the rest of us, now that it is gone.
This is also a memoir of family and culture, and the hardships that come with both. Note there are TW's for sexual assault/child sexual assault, and obviously death, cancer, hospitals, and medical adjacent things. Walking through Fatima's end of life was also handled expertly, and was deeply touching - absolutely heart wrenching. No dry eyes here!
It's been a long time since I was a cog in a kitchen-machine, and while food based memoirs have given me a generic since of nostalgia, Fatima's words about her time in kitchens rekindled that spark in me, at least a smidge. Her descriptions of her long days and sense of comradery highlighted the best of the industry and make me long to return, just a little. I'm far too old for that level of daily grind now, but I thoroughly appreciated being transported back to that passionate fervor. Her love of food and everything it entails is a profound loss for the rest of us, now that it is gone.
This is also a memoir of family and culture, and the hardships that come with both. Note there are TW's for sexual assault/child sexual assault, and obviously death, cancer, hospitals, and medical adjacent things. Walking through Fatima's end of life was also handled expertly, and was deeply touching - absolutely heart wrenching. No dry eyes here!
j_m_alexander's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Young Pakistani coming of age, dealing with trauma and coming to terms with her identity, she pursues her dreams, and then her life is cut tragically short.
Chef Fatima Ali, along with her mother (Farezeh Durrani) and a ghost writer (Tarajia Morrell), tells the story of her life. Ali was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer right as her star was rising, coming off her performance on the Bravo cooking competition show Top Chef, and eventually was given a terminal prognosis. It was with the knowledge of her limited time left that she wanted to write a book, first a book about living her last year to the fullest, and then, when that became impossible, it became this book - her memoir.
Like many who will read this memoir, I came to it after having seen Fatima Ali's season of Top Chef, where she was voted that season's fan favorite. Ali came across as energetic, funny, and quick, while putting up some excellent looking/sounding food. Ali also seemed like a fierce competitor, respectful of and well liked by the other contestants. This book delves into her life before and after that show, reinforcing all the attributes she seemed to exemplify on the show, but it gets far more personal. Ali was savy about what she gave away on camera, where she wouldn't be able to frame the narrative herself, but took the opportunity to be thorough about who she was and where she came from now that it would be in her words (again with the assistance of Tarajia Morrell). She did not always have an easy path, but she was determined and was emphatic in her insistence that in many ways she was quite fortunate as well.
I can imagine some may not like the back and forth chapters, altering between Fatima Ali and her mother, Farezeh Durrani, sometimes recounting the same scenes, but I found the overlap an interesting way to see two points of view and given where we knew the story would inevitably lead, I think the perspective of someone that loved Fatima was additive. The audio format was performed well with a narrator for each of them.
This book is her love letter to food, her profession, her family, and her friends, but she also didn't leave out the tough bits and the things that she knew some would judge her for - such as finding love and exploring her sexuality.
Chef Fatima Ali, along with her mother (Farezeh Durrani) and a ghost writer (Tarajia Morrell), tells the story of her life. Ali was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer right as her star was rising, coming off her performance on the Bravo cooking competition show Top Chef, and eventually was given a terminal prognosis. It was with the knowledge of her limited time left that she wanted to write a book, first a book about living her last year to the fullest, and then, when that became impossible, it became this book - her memoir.
Like many who will read this memoir, I came to it after having seen Fatima Ali's season of Top Chef, where she was voted that season's fan favorite. Ali came across as energetic, funny, and quick, while putting up some excellent looking/sounding food. Ali also seemed like a fierce competitor, respectful of and well liked by the other contestants. This book delves into her life before and after that show, reinforcing all the attributes she seemed to exemplify on the show, but it gets far more personal. Ali was savy about what she gave away on camera, where she wouldn't be able to frame the narrative herself, but took the opportunity to be thorough about who she was and where she came from now that it would be in her words (again with the assistance of Tarajia Morrell). She did not always have an easy path, but she was determined and was emphatic in her insistence that in many ways she was quite fortunate as well.
I can imagine some may not like the back and forth chapters, altering between Fatima Ali and her mother, Farezeh Durrani, sometimes recounting the same scenes, but I found the overlap an interesting way to see two points of view and given where we knew the story would inevitably lead, I think the perspective of someone that loved Fatima was additive. The audio format was performed well with a narrator for each of them.
This book is her love letter to food, her profession, her family, and her friends, but she also didn't leave out the tough bits and the things that she knew some would judge her for - such as finding love and exploring her sexuality.