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deniser821's review
4.0
I wasn’t a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain but enjoyed watching his shows when I happened to come across it. I, like many people, was shocked at the news of his suicide in 2018.
This definitive oral history features interviews by 91 different people who knew or were friends with Anthony Bourdain during his 61 years of life.
It covers his childhood all the way to the very end with the co-workers, who were on location filming an episode of his show, Parts Unknown, discovering he died the night before.
I was surprised at the amount of people that were interviewed, including both his ex wives. The only person not interviewed was his last girlfriend, Asia Argento, although her effect on his life was the main topic at the end of book.
I listened to the audio book which featured a full cast reading, which is my favorite. The very people interviewed were the ones reading their parts. It felt similar to watching a documentary and heightened the experience.
This definitive oral history features interviews by 91 different people who knew or were friends with Anthony Bourdain during his 61 years of life.
It covers his childhood all the way to the very end with the co-workers, who were on location filming an episode of his show, Parts Unknown, discovering he died the night before.
I was surprised at the amount of people that were interviewed, including both his ex wives. The only person not interviewed was his last girlfriend, Asia Argento, although her effect on his life was the main topic at the end of book.
I listened to the audio book which featured a full cast reading, which is my favorite. The very people interviewed were the ones reading their parts. It felt similar to watching a documentary and heightened the experience.
gretago's review
5.0
Spoiler and I don't need to tell you this, but the hero dies at the end. This is a story of the survivors, those left behind after someone takes their own life. It's about how one's pain and depression can hide and then manifest itself in terrible, horrible, irreversible ways. And yes, it's a totally selfish act, but that person thinks it the only way to end all their pain and suffering. But then everyone in their life is left holding that bag of pain and suffering, and not knowing really what to do with it or how to process it all, once that person has completed their act.
This was interesting read, to hear about Bourdain's early life and rise to fame. I had read his novels and Kitchen Confidential when they first came out then watched all the iterations of his shows from Food Network all the way thru CNN when they were all first airing. Reading the accounts from people closest to him about those years and the ones leading up to his death, gave me a deeper appreciation for his life.
I also read Tom Vitale's Book, In the Weeds, before I read this one. And now, on to watch The Road Runner documentary...
This was interesting read, to hear about Bourdain's early life and rise to fame. I had read his novels and Kitchen Confidential when they first came out then watched all the iterations of his shows from Food Network all the way thru CNN when they were all first airing. Reading the accounts from people closest to him about those years and the ones leading up to his death, gave me a deeper appreciation for his life.
I also read Tom Vitale's Book, In the Weeds, before I read this one. And now, on to watch The Road Runner documentary...
seatonob's review
5.0
A gripping oral history of those who knew him best and yet seemingly didn’t know him at all. His gifts were remarkable as was the depth of his loneliness.
beths0103's review
4.0
Anthony Bourdain contained multitudes. He was equal parts
sensitive and badass
Quiet and brash
Introverted and confrontational
Narcissistic and empathetic
His life was full of contradictions. Which is what made him such a compelling writer and TV personality.
This biography is a collection of interviews of people who knew him well to help readers gain insight into the parts of Bourdain that his fans didn't know or didn't see.
sensitive and badass
Quiet and brash
Introverted and confrontational
Narcissistic and empathetic
His life was full of contradictions. Which is what made him such a compelling writer and TV personality.
This biography is a collection of interviews of people who knew him well to help readers gain insight into the parts of Bourdain that his fans didn't know or didn't see.
tiddybat's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
deirdrelistens2books's review
4.0
I don’t know much about Anthony Bourdain so this served as a bit of an introduction for me - it’s definitely gotten me more curious to learn more. I liked the style of the audiobook biography — it was a full cast of people in his life providing testimony of what he was like and sharing their experiences. It was interesting and I hope I come across this style again - I imagine it’s probably especially moving for those who closely followed his career.
elizabethsreads's review
4.0
Not a huge fan of the oral biography format but fascinated by the content and particularly by how different people experience the same events and have unique perceptions of the same person.
coldprintcoffee's review
5.0
Incredible. One of the few celebrities that made me really, truly cry when hearing about his passing. So much was said to piece together this portrait of a complex man and what isn't said, or known, or uncovered, resonates - because even with all this detail, you still can never truly know a person's depths.