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rachelellyn's review against another edition
4.0
I wavered between 3.5 and 4 stars, so I bumped it to the 4.
Let's say I liked it, but I didn't love it. Maybe I expected more. I'm still debating my felling on the stories, but I found the lives of Eva Braun and Helen Gurely Brown to be my favorites.
Let's say I liked it, but I didn't love it. Maybe I expected more. I'm still debating my felling on the stories, but I found the lives of Eva Braun and Helen Gurely Brown to be my favorites.
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
This was something I probably never would have picked up unless I'd had it recommended so highly by another inveterate audiobook listener. During #quarantine2020 I've been having trouble getting into much of anything in print or audio, but the six stories told here were just interesting enough and just right length to keep my interest. It doesn't hurt that I also love history told from an odd angle. Those looking for a coherent reason why these six women's food histories were chosen to be told together will be disappointed, but the stories themselves are wonderful on their own, so I'm glad she collected them together into one book.
tessisreading2's review against another edition
I got through the first two stories - Dorothy Wordsworth and Rosa Lewis - and enjoyed them, but found them less enjoyable than the author's note; and generally, while the conceit is interesting, there were moments where I disagreed with the author's interpretations or wondered what on earth she was basing them on. In Rosa Lewis's case, it doesn't seem that she left her own papers, so the author is left to reconstruct her from other people's anecdotes and Lewis's own newspaper interviews - which Lewis disavowed afterwards. In Dorothy Wordsworth's case, there were times when it seemed Shapiro was really stretching to find meaning - Wordsworth had some sort of irritable bowel problem, had been taking opiates for years (which affects the digestive system), are you so sure that her complaints about food are all emotionally-based or might she have been feeling genuinely physically ill?
I didn't really have any interest in listening beyond those two - there are plenty of excellent and far more comprehensive biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt, I have zero interest in learning anything about Eva Braun, and Helen Gurley Brown doesn't seem to have been very interested in food - which actually raises a question for me, because Roosevelt and Braun weren't big on eating either, which makes the choice of them as subjects here somewhat odd. (The author's note also said she didn't enjoy writing about Braun. So... why did she?) Overall this was just a big "meh" for me, unfortunately. Too speculative in some respects and a poor choice of subjects in others.
I didn't really have any interest in listening beyond those two - there are plenty of excellent and far more comprehensive biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt, I have zero interest in learning anything about Eva Braun, and Helen Gurley Brown doesn't seem to have been very interested in food - which actually raises a question for me, because Roosevelt and Braun weren't big on eating either, which makes the choice of them as subjects here somewhat odd. (The author's note also said she didn't enjoy writing about Braun. So... why did she?) Overall this was just a big "meh" for me, unfortunately. Too speculative in some respects and a poor choice of subjects in others.
mollysticks's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun and interesting way to read about these women's lives. My food story would be interesting and probably a little bit boring.
asurges's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book and feel bad giving it three stars. It is well researched, Shapiro is a thoughtful and engaging writer, and the book's concept is a unique one.
However, I felt it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. The first two stories worked well, but after that, I lost interest, since the stories weren't so much about food as I would have liked--instead, they were more like stories with some food. The Eva Braun chapter left--no pun intended--a terrible taste in my mouth. Why give time to someone who 1) was a terrible human being; and 2) didn't seem to eat all that much anyway? The inclusion of Braun was a death knell to the book for me, as I lost faith in Shapiro to follow up on the concept and to continue in good faith.
However, I felt it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. The first two stories worked well, but after that, I lost interest, since the stories weren't so much about food as I would have liked--instead, they were more like stories with some food. The Eva Braun chapter left--no pun intended--a terrible taste in my mouth. Why give time to someone who 1) was a terrible human being; and 2) didn't seem to eat all that much anyway? The inclusion of Braun was a death knell to the book for me, as I lost faith in Shapiro to follow up on the concept and to continue in good faith.