Reviews

This was a very challenging book to get through. I had to take it an hour at a time or less because I couldn’t listen to it for long stretches.

I did like the ending after it arrived but it was tough going there for a while.

celiajanem's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

wkndstbl's review

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dark mysterious sad slow-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

2.0

Although the prose could be quite beautiful, it was often trying too hard to be poetic and as the book went on I grew tired of the repetitive comma-less descriptors that seemed to adorn each page.

Our main character is a strung out refugee line cook, struggling in a world gone grey, seeking a safe port during a climate change event. She finds sanctuary (and her appetite) at the top of a mountain- an exclusive and mysterious scientific retreat sponsored by the world’s wealthiest assholes. She lies about her experience and expertise but still wows them with her exquisite French cuisine. Other than naming a lot of ingredients I didn’t get the feeling the main character (and narrator!) knew much about cooking? Felt like a weak spot in the book, made it hard to identify with this character.

I kind of thought this book would play up the “plebes vs elites” that seemed tied to the premise and so was deeply disappointed by the ending. Our main character is a Democrat, I’m afraid, and once climate change is somehow fixed by money she cashes in in a bizarre time-skipping epilogue.

hailsreadz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

otherfancystuff's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

grayjay's review

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4.0

How far will one chef go to push the boundaries of flavour, love, and her own integrity?

This is a queer love story set over a background of climate disaster and the privilege of wealth.

I enjoyed it. I always like an examination of possibilities related to the climate crisis. It's a bit of a scathing critique of the privilege of the wealthy—the lengths the will go to satisfy outrageous desires, while ignoring or merely acknowledging with a pittance the suffering around them.

lilimei's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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