Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
If I could add a sixth star, a heart emoji, and that gif of Kristen Bell ugly-happy crying because of a sloth on Ellen, I would do it. This memoir reached deep down into my (more battered and hungry than I realized) soul and woke some things up, banished others, and made me so ravenous for buttermilk biscuits that I can barely stand it. [a:Lisa Donovan|6485388|Lisa Donovan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has such a beautiful, resonant, and inspiring voice. And her tale, which she lays brutally naked for us to consider, is a remarkable one. I am torn between recommending this book to every single human I know and keeping it clutched privately to my chest so that I can keep it protected and sacred in my heart for always.
Long story short: read this book immediately and be all the better [if hungrier] for it.
Long story short: read this book immediately and be all the better [if hungrier] for it.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
This is 3.5 -4⭐️This was an audio book narrated by the author. I am on a bit of a kick right now listening to autobiographies that are self-narrated! Maybe it’s the isolation of this year but it’s like sitting down for coffee with someone and having them tell you their story!
Anyway- this was a really interesting glimpse into the restaurant world by a woman who had to take a number of detours to finally arrive at her calling. She was a writer first and you can tell - the book is very nicely written and I think it would be as nice of a read as a listen. She talks about the challenges of breaking into a male-dominated field, the ways which women and people of colour have created much that’s unique about American cuisine- but have no agency over it. And of the good and not so good ways family and others have influenced the trajectory of her life. A very good story- and a good listen.
Anyway- this was a really interesting glimpse into the restaurant world by a woman who had to take a number of detours to finally arrive at her calling. She was a writer first and you can tell - the book is very nicely written and I think it would be as nice of a read as a listen. She talks about the challenges of breaking into a male-dominated field, the ways which women and people of colour have created much that’s unique about American cuisine- but have no agency over it. And of the good and not so good ways family and others have influenced the trajectory of her life. A very good story- and a good listen.
Donovan, a renowned chef and pastry chef throughout the South, takes us on a rocky journey through her young-adulthood and, eventually a journey that's just as rocky through her times in Nashville kitchens. This memoir is slight only in length. It has, in fact, some of the best writing I've read in a long time, as she takes us through a life that was headed for a slow grind -- as a single mother working as a waitress in the Florida Panhandle -- as she finds legs to stand on. But take heart: It's uproariously funny nearly as often as it's tragic. "Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger" is more than just a feminist manifesto, though it is that as well. It's relatable to anyone whose felt confined by circumstances (gender, economic, familial) and whose first instinct is to punch out at those confines. Those looking for a lot of detail on her cooking experiences will be surprised to learn that she doesn't even start baking until midway through the book. And there's a little bit of person-and-place juice, this ain't "Kitchen Confidential". It is, however, wonderful and filled with wonderfully spun stories and just all-around strong wordswomanship. Here's an example, where she's speaking of restaurant investment teams whose primary concern is profit margin: "Rich men will do anything to get richer. Wars are fought, people killed, to make sure our barrels of oil don't go over fifty-five dollars and that when they do, the rich men don't make less, we just pay more. It's no different in the restaurant world."
Opening passage:
I had the kind of mango between my fingers that you really have to suck on before you can even start to bite the sinewy flesh, otherwise you risk losing all its juices down the length of your arm -- and, occasionally, into your armpit, depending on your position at the time.
Closing passage:
"Mija. Go wild."
Opening passage:
I had the kind of mango between my fingers that you really have to suck on before you can even start to bite the sinewy flesh, otherwise you risk losing all its juices down the length of your arm -- and, occasionally, into your armpit, depending on your position at the time.
Closing passage:
Spoiler
And then I kissed her and, before I fell asleep with her in my arms, whispered one last, real prayer into her ear."Mija. Go wild."