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lostinwoolf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Rape
anigrrrl1978's review against another edition
2.0
I would have given it 2 and 1/2, if it was possible. I *almost* liked it, but it was too repetitive in the descriptions of food, place, and people, and it really dragged in a few places. It was a rich book to read - I love books with lots of food in them - and I generally liked it. I just wish the author had changed it up a bit with the vocabulary. Too many of the same words starts to feel unimaginative.
Worth reading, though.
Worth reading, though.
gzofian's review against another edition
3.0
Very well researched, but I tired of the number of chafing dishes! Until at least the midway point, I felt, (and indeed checked and rechecked) that I was reading a YA book. The characters lacked depth and complexity. John was too much the ‘wunderkind’, Lucretia too much the Disney-esque feisty princess. There were a few too many pantomime villains, and at points the text veered dangerously close to misogyny. I felt more engaged by the civil war pages but the ending was not a surprise.
wran's review against another edition
5.0
Ein grandioses Leseerlebnis! Kurzweilig, detailverliebt, spannend. Wie erwartet, handelt es sich um einen historischen Roman. Die Hauptfigur John wächst in einem kleinen, abgelegenen und furchtbar ärmlichen Dorf im Norden Wales in der ersten Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts allein mit seiner Mutter auf. Susan ist die Kräuterkundige und Hebamme des Dorfes. Sie wird solange akzeptiert, bis ein religiöser Eiferer das Dorf nach einer Epidemie gegen sie aufwiegelt und sie in die Wälder vertreibt. Erst jetzt wird das Hauptthema deutlich: Auf der Flucht erfährt John von seinem spirituellen Erbe. "Das Festmahl" ist eine heidnisch-gälische Vorstellung, deren Geheimnis John auf Anweisung seiner Mutter nachgeht. Die Suche nach seiner Identität verwickelt ihn in den englischen Bürgerkrieg, eine nicht standesgemäße Liebe und in die Intrigen und Künste, die eine herrschaftliche Küche der Zeit zu bieten hatte. "Das Festmahl des John Saturnall" ist damit eher ein Entwicklungsroman, in dem die historischen Ereignisse als Hintergrund für die innere und äußere Entwicklung des Helden dienen. Zu meinem Lesevergnügen hat beigetragen, dass John ein überaus sympathischer Protagonist ist, neugierig, engagiert, loyal, empathisch, ein bisschen hitzköpfig, dem ich auf seinem abenteuerlichen Weg gerne gefolgt bin. Norfolk gelingt es, sowohl das ärmliche Tal von Buckland als auch dessen Herrenhaus und seine Bewohner so lebendig zu beschreiben, dass man es gar nicht verlassen möchte. Details über die Kochkunst, die Organisation einer Großküche des 17. Jhs. haben mich fasziniert, könnten andere natürlich langweilen, vor allem, weil der Großteil der Handlung in der Küche von Buckland Manor angesiedelt ist und nicht auf den Schlachtfeldern des Bürgerkrieges. Für mich ein eindeutiges Plus! Ich bin vom Eintauchen in die Alltagsgeschichte, in diesen Mikrokosmos begeistert. Um jetzt nicht völlig unglaubwürdig zu wirken, will ich wenigstens einen problematischeren Punkt erwähnen. Manche Handlungsstränge lässt Norfolk ins Leere laufen, es gibt Fragen, die aufgeworfen werden und bis zum Ende offen bleiben. Aber auch das hat für mich das Leseerlebnis nicht geschmälert. Absolute Leseempfehlung für Freunde von historischen Entwicklungsromanen mit Schwerpunkt Alltags-/Küchengeschichte.
illijuna's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
berlydawn2's review against another edition
2.0
John is lucky to get a job in the kitchens in a manor. There we see him rise to head chef. Food is described in detail so if you are a foodie, you'll like this. Lots of other storylines, often abandoned. It felt like 3/4 of the book was lovingly cared for and the last 1/4 the publisher wanted the book.
apechild's review against another edition
4.0
Engrossing, detailed and living (yet slow paced) tale set in the 1600s. About cooking, about witch hunts, old pagan beliefs, the English Civil War and all the hardship that came with it - the starvation, the groups of bullies hiding under the cloak of religious extremist groups that felt they had a free reign to go about making other people's lives a misery. But the main thing has to be the food, about the flavours and experiences and how it all connects us back to the land.
John Saturnall grows up as an outsider with his mother in a little village in the vale of Buckland. Villagers are happy for his mother's help when they're ill, but when religious frenzy gets whipped up, the witch accusation is always pointed in her direction. They run away to Buccla's wood, the old original pagan who reputedly set up the orchards of the vale, to survive off the land, and John learns of the feast from his mother. He later winds up at the Fremantle's estate manor house as a kitchen boy in the years before the civil war, and works his way up to cook in the kitchen, learning his craft from Master Scovell. The civil war comes, Sir William is for the king and thus his staff are taken out to serve in the war... well, we all know how that worked out. Then the years beyond as the country struggles to settle in itself.
I feel like I've read my way through an entire life. This is such a descriptive book, and so detailed. A culinary tale of the times of the English Civil War.
John Saturnall grows up as an outsider with his mother in a little village in the vale of Buckland. Villagers are happy for his mother's help when they're ill, but when religious frenzy gets whipped up, the witch accusation is always pointed in her direction. They run away to Buccla's wood, the old original pagan who reputedly set up the orchards of the vale, to survive off the land, and John learns of the feast from his mother. He later winds up at the Fremantle's estate manor house as a kitchen boy in the years before the civil war, and works his way up to cook in the kitchen, learning his craft from Master Scovell. The civil war comes, Sir William is for the king and thus his staff are taken out to serve in the war... well, we all know how that worked out. Then the years beyond as the country struggles to settle in itself.
I feel like I've read my way through an entire life. This is such a descriptive book, and so detailed. A culinary tale of the times of the English Civil War.
lissajohnston's review against another edition
4.0
It's got orphans. It's got royalty. It's got war. It's got food. Lots and lots of food. A very enjoyable read.
mryjhnsn's review against another edition
3.0
It ended so much better than I could have hoped for. The beginning started so slowly and the writing was so flowery that it overwhelmed the story but as the story moved the words jumped to life. John Saturnall's Feast has one of the most satisfying endings that I have read in a long time. Wonderful read if you like food and romance in your historical fiction.