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lamom77's review against another edition
2.0
The writing was beautiful in places with descriptions of California and Switzerland in the 1930s, but that is about the only good thing I can say, slow, mostly unlikable characters.
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
3.0
I read a digital ARC from NetGalley.
I requested this title because I adore food and all the aspects of it, and wanted to know more about MFK Fisher, not having read any of her work. That and I was hoping for a juicy love triangle tale.
On that front, I was disappointed. There are a couple of scenes of passion, hunger, and lust, yet they are just moments. The bulk of the story depicts the slow unraveling of a marriage, which I found painful and awkward. Still, though I don't know how true to life it is, I enjoyed learning how Fisher got her start in food writing.
The writing style is more literary than light; I found myself rereading passages from time to time. That's not a complaint, just an observation.
Finally, the author abruptly jumps from the present time to the far future, where a much older Fisher is packing up her writing. One paragraph would feature the present, and the next this elderly Fisher, which I found jarring and confusing. It is highly likely that this is a result of the formatting of my early copy, and I assume it will be corrected to flow more elegantly in the final copy.
Worth reading and finishing, though it wasn't what I expected.
I requested this title because I adore food and all the aspects of it, and wanted to know more about MFK Fisher, not having read any of her work. That and I was hoping for a juicy love triangle tale.
On that front, I was disappointed. There are a couple of scenes of passion, hunger, and lust, yet they are just moments. The bulk of the story depicts the slow unraveling of a marriage, which I found painful and awkward. Still, though I don't know how true to life it is, I enjoyed learning how Fisher got her start in food writing.
The writing style is more literary than light; I found myself rereading passages from time to time. That's not a complaint, just an observation.
Finally, the author abruptly jumps from the present time to the far future, where a much older Fisher is packing up her writing. One paragraph would feature the present, and the next this elderly Fisher, which I found jarring and confusing. It is highly likely that this is a result of the formatting of my early copy, and I assume it will be corrected to flow more elegantly in the final copy.
Worth reading and finishing, though it wasn't what I expected.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
Carolina Southern author, Ashley Warlick, infuses fact with fiction with the exquisitely evocative THE ARRANGEMENT, Mary Frances Fischer (M.F.K)— legendary food writer and storyteller. From the classic front cover, a timeless story of a complex talented woman, her love of food and literature, her desires, passions, a love triangle, and life in the 1930s-40s.
M.F.K. Fisher books deal primarily with food, considering it from many aspects: preparation, natural history, culture, and philosophy. Fisher believed that eating well was just one of the "arts of life" and explored the art of living as a secondary theme in her writing.
Set in Depression -era California and prewar Europe, this sweeping literary tale is all about hunger — both for food and love. A wife, a lover, and an independent talented woman with desires.
Cassandra Campbell was the "perfect voice" for the audio book, delivering a magical and spellbinding performance-- for Mary Frances, the extraordinary food critic/author, and the secondary voices. (Highly recommend audio version). The sensual adventures of food writer M.F. K. Fisher will keep readers turning the pages (or glued to your listening device).
From 1934, Hollywood, Mary Frances Kennedy is married to Al Fisher, a college professor and poet. She is restless and bored. The Great Depression - times are tough. Her husband resents Mary Frances, whose talent as a writer is moving forward, and she resents Al for his lack of passion in and out of the bedroom. His writing is not going well. She wanted to make her marriage work; however, it does not seem possible.
She becomes involved in an affair with Dillwyn “Tim” Parrish, a painter, and writer--a great supporter of her work. Tim was older, a mentor and encourages her passion for writing—he taught her pleasure. A perfect match for her passion of romance and food.
Mary Frances wants more she wants to be successful, wants to be loved. Of course, in these times, divorce was unacceptable and the affair seemed to be the only logical choice. Tim, also married to a much young aspiring actress, Gigi. After she leaves him for another man, Mary Frances and Tim reconnect. However, the timing is off—Al is depressed, unable to write, perform, and suffering from the death of his father.
Torn, a love complex triangle. Scandalous. An entanglement. Pain and pleasure. Mary Frances struggles to choose between her husband and his friend, and decides instead to write--leaving behind Mary Frances, she becomes MFK Fisher.
A talented woman struggling to find a voice; a place in her world; illustrating the force that drives us to feed ourselves when we are hungry, in many ways. Spanning time and space, from California, France and the Swiss Alps--Rich in history, art, charm, travel, culture, cuisine, and epicurean delights, THE ARRANGEMENT —will make you appreciate the simple sensual pleasures of food and cooking.
In addition to the passion of food and wine, literary, and a sensuous love affair, the novel also reiterates how difficult it was during this era for a woman, both personally and professional.
Provocative, seductive, and sensuous –an ideal read for valentines, transporting readers to another place and time, assured to please culinary, foodies, literary, and historical romance fans. The characters come alive on the pages, and the author’s passion shines through—one to be savored.
Author Ashley Warlock, no stranger to food, knows her way around a kitchen. She calls herself “a passionate, obstinate home cook, as happy to read a cookbook as a novel.” The editor of the South Carolina quarterly food magazine Edible Upcountry.
A Charlotte, NC native, with hotel clients in the Charleston, SC area, so excited to discover this Southern author---my first book by Warlick, and look forward to reading more!
Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher is not just the greatest American food writer who's ever played the game, she's one of our greatest writers, period. She was, variously, a travel writer, an essayist, a chronicler of American idylls, an observer of decline, of lack, of old fashioned custom and manners, a social critic, and a historian.
Other Reading Fans of MFK Fisher, will want to read, The Theoretical Foot Feb 9, 2016. When Robert Lescher died in 2012 an unpublished manuscript of M.F.K. Fisher’s was discovered neatly packed in the one of the literary agent’s signature red boxes. Inspired by Fisher’s affair with Dillwyn Parrish -- who was to become her second husband. (currently reading). This book accounts the latter days of the romance between Fisher and Parrish. The novel itself never saw publication while Fisher was alive. Recommend reading both--a fascinating woman!
“Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.” ― M.F.K. Fisher
JDCMustReadBooks
M.F.K. Fisher books deal primarily with food, considering it from many aspects: preparation, natural history, culture, and philosophy. Fisher believed that eating well was just one of the "arts of life" and explored the art of living as a secondary theme in her writing.
Set in Depression -era California and prewar Europe, this sweeping literary tale is all about hunger — both for food and love. A wife, a lover, and an independent talented woman with desires.
Cassandra Campbell was the "perfect voice" for the audio book, delivering a magical and spellbinding performance-- for Mary Frances, the extraordinary food critic/author, and the secondary voices. (Highly recommend audio version). The sensual adventures of food writer M.F. K. Fisher will keep readers turning the pages (or glued to your listening device).
From 1934, Hollywood, Mary Frances Kennedy is married to Al Fisher, a college professor and poet. She is restless and bored. The Great Depression - times are tough. Her husband resents Mary Frances, whose talent as a writer is moving forward, and she resents Al for his lack of passion in and out of the bedroom. His writing is not going well. She wanted to make her marriage work; however, it does not seem possible.
She becomes involved in an affair with Dillwyn “Tim” Parrish, a painter, and writer--a great supporter of her work. Tim was older, a mentor and encourages her passion for writing—he taught her pleasure. A perfect match for her passion of romance and food.
Mary Frances wants more she wants to be successful, wants to be loved. Of course, in these times, divorce was unacceptable and the affair seemed to be the only logical choice. Tim, also married to a much young aspiring actress, Gigi. After she leaves him for another man, Mary Frances and Tim reconnect. However, the timing is off—Al is depressed, unable to write, perform, and suffering from the death of his father.
Torn, a love complex triangle. Scandalous. An entanglement. Pain and pleasure. Mary Frances struggles to choose between her husband and his friend, and decides instead to write--leaving behind Mary Frances, she becomes MFK Fisher.
A talented woman struggling to find a voice; a place in her world; illustrating the force that drives us to feed ourselves when we are hungry, in many ways. Spanning time and space, from California, France and the Swiss Alps--Rich in history, art, charm, travel, culture, cuisine, and epicurean delights, THE ARRANGEMENT —will make you appreciate the simple sensual pleasures of food and cooking.
In addition to the passion of food and wine, literary, and a sensuous love affair, the novel also reiterates how difficult it was during this era for a woman, both personally and professional.
Provocative, seductive, and sensuous –an ideal read for valentines, transporting readers to another place and time, assured to please culinary, foodies, literary, and historical romance fans. The characters come alive on the pages, and the author’s passion shines through—one to be savored.
Author Ashley Warlock, no stranger to food, knows her way around a kitchen. She calls herself “a passionate, obstinate home cook, as happy to read a cookbook as a novel.” The editor of the South Carolina quarterly food magazine Edible Upcountry.
A Charlotte, NC native, with hotel clients in the Charleston, SC area, so excited to discover this Southern author---my first book by Warlick, and look forward to reading more!
Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher is not just the greatest American food writer who's ever played the game, she's one of our greatest writers, period. She was, variously, a travel writer, an essayist, a chronicler of American idylls, an observer of decline, of lack, of old fashioned custom and manners, a social critic, and a historian.
Other Reading Fans of MFK Fisher, will want to read, The Theoretical Foot Feb 9, 2016. When Robert Lescher died in 2012 an unpublished manuscript of M.F.K. Fisher’s was discovered neatly packed in the one of the literary agent’s signature red boxes. Inspired by Fisher’s affair with Dillwyn Parrish -- who was to become her second husband. (currently reading). This book accounts the latter days of the romance between Fisher and Parrish. The novel itself never saw publication while Fisher was alive. Recommend reading both--a fascinating woman!
“Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.” ― M.F.K. Fisher
JDCMustReadBooks
moviebuffkt's review against another edition
1.0
3rd DNF of 2017. I love MFK Fishers writing. This is a fictional account of an affair Fisher has while living in California with 2nd husband Al.
I found it on a whim, gave it 50 pages, and decided I'd be much better off actually just reading Fisher's own work.
I found it on a whim, gave it 50 pages, and decided I'd be much better off actually just reading Fisher's own work.
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
Full disclosure: I almost gave up on this book several times. The writing felt uneven—I’d go back and reread sentences, thinking my focus was the problem, but they weren't any clearer upon rereading. The lack of rhythm kept me distanced from the main character, a fictionalized MFK Fisher, and her two love interests, her husband and his best friend. Despite the tantalizing love triangle, a conflict of which I am usually a fan (in literature, anyway!), I wasn’t sure I knew any of the three characters well enough to care who ended up with whom.
But something made me keep reading. I’d open my Kindle and decide it wouldn't hurt to read a few more pages. And then an hour would go by, and while I still wasn’t entirely sold, I couldn’t quite bring myself to set The Arrangement aside and leave it there.
If I had to guess, I’d say it was the descriptions of food that hooked me. MFK Fisher eventually became a well-known food writer, and the joy and comfort she found in the kitchen are evident on every page of Warlick’s novel. Perhaps what felt odd to me was that the food was more sensual than the sex. Fisher (or at least her novelized self) was more sure of her love of the culinary arts than she was of her feelings towards the men in her life. I did, however, appreciate her dedication to improving her writing, even in the face of her husband’s jealousy and competitiveness. It couldn’t have been easy for a woman in that era to so unapologetically pursue professional goals instead of domestic ones, especially with a husband who positioned himself as a rival instead of a supporter.
With regards to Penguin Viking and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale today, February 9!
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
But something made me keep reading. I’d open my Kindle and decide it wouldn't hurt to read a few more pages. And then an hour would go by, and while I still wasn’t entirely sold, I couldn’t quite bring myself to set The Arrangement aside and leave it there.
If I had to guess, I’d say it was the descriptions of food that hooked me. MFK Fisher eventually became a well-known food writer, and the joy and comfort she found in the kitchen are evident on every page of Warlick’s novel. Perhaps what felt odd to me was that the food was more sensual than the sex. Fisher (or at least her novelized self) was more sure of her love of the culinary arts than she was of her feelings towards the men in her life. I did, however, appreciate her dedication to improving her writing, even in the face of her husband’s jealousy and competitiveness. It couldn’t have been easy for a woman in that era to so unapologetically pursue professional goals instead of domestic ones, especially with a husband who positioned himself as a rival instead of a supporter.
With regards to Penguin Viking and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale today, February 9!
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
mgoodbbc's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
impalalove's review against another edition
1.0
I cannot even begin to tell you about The Arrangement. Simply put, I'm confused. The plot just seemed tangential in thought, and I don't like books like these because it makes it more confusing to understand the plotline. (So it's probably just me.)
Other than that, I got the general impression of the novel and the theme: that food had always been there for Fisher, and through the good times and the bad, it had always been comforting for her.
Other than that, I got the general impression of the novel and the theme: that food had always been there for Fisher, and through the good times and the bad, it had always been comforting for her.
suannelaqueur's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. Not everyone will. But I am this book's audience. It is my book. And I ate every word.
kidsleepy's review against another edition
1.0
Particularly terrible in audio. I want to make a supercut of the narrator breathlessly whining the word "Al" over and over again.