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outoftheblue14's review against another edition
4.0
Mi ha fatto tornare la voglia di mettermi ai fornelli :)
rndmltrs's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
kimmaloo's review against another edition
The author of the book narrates on the audio version. I'm not sure if it's her monotone voice that has me uninterested or the story itself.
bhnmt61's review
4.0
This book was not at all what I was expecting. On her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein takes a bite of the cake her mother made for her and discovers that she can taste the emotions of whoever has cooked her food. This book is the story of how she comes to understand her gift/curse and how to live with it. It is not a cozy book about how home cooking solves people’s problems, and I am grateful for that (although maybe I would also like that book). I thought it could have been about 20% shorter, but I think that about most books I read.
heathercottledillon's review
2.0
The story of "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" revolves around the narrator's ability to taste people's feelings in the food they make. It's a unique idea, and there's a mystery that kept me interested in the story right up to the end. I don't like the ending, though, in more ways than one, and the more I think about the book, the less I like it. I also don't like that there aren't any quotation marks because it was difficult for me to follow the dialogue. For some reason, it didn't bother me in the Cormac McCarthy novels that I've read ("The Road" and "No Country for Old Men") because it seemed to fit with the sparse environment and abrupt, no-frills writing, but in "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" I simply found it distracting. Those who like weird, "what-the-heck" stories and don't mind things not being wrapped up will probably enjoy this book, though.
bookishmornings's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
curiouslyjade's review
4.0
Surreal, compelling, beautiful. With narrator Rose who knows everyone but herself, the ambiguity throughout should not be surprising but is no more satisfying.
decie's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
hot take apparently, but I actually liked the writing style (at least on audio). but the plot....just wasn't there. at all. and instead of tying things together it took a bizarre turn and just ended and I have no idea what we were supposed to get out of that. but! she captured the experience of childhood – and being way too sensitive to the emotions of the adults around you – /perfectly/.
callmeash's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
If I didn’t listen to the audiobook version, this most definitely would have been a DNF. This book is about a well off, privileged family that just does nothing. They take no action, they don’t do anything for each other or themselves. It was so incredibly boring and I was really hoping that this was going to be something more magical. All of the characters felt so disconnected and the brother could have been left out entirely and the story wouldn’t have changed! It’s very telling when an author tries to write about something they’ve clearly never experienced - if you’re going to write about the restaurant industry, get it right.