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Bon Appetempt: A Coming-of-Age Story
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Food & Cookbooks (2015)When Amelia Morris saw a towering, beautiful chocolate cake in Bon Appétit and took the recipe home to recreate it for a Christmas day brunch she was hosting, it resulted in a terrible (but tasty) mess that had to be served in an oversize bowl. It was also a revelation. Both delicious and damaged, it seemed a physical metaphor for the many curious and unexpected situations she's found herself in throughout her life, from her brief career as a six-year-old wrestler to her Brady Bunch-style family (minus the housekeeper and the familial harmony) to her ill-fated twenty-something job at the School of Rock in Los Angeles.
As a way to bring order to chaos and in search of a more meaningful lifestyle, she finds herself more and more at home in the kitchen, where she begins to learn that even if the results of her culinary efforts fall well short of the standard set by glossy food magazines, they can still bring satisfaction (and sustenance) to her and her family and friends.
Full of hilarious observations about food, family, unemployment, romance, and the extremes of modern L.A., and featuring recipes as basic as Toasted Cheerios and as advanced as gâteau de crêpes, Bon Appetempt is sure to resonate with anyone who has tried and failed, and been all the better for it.
As a way to bring order to chaos and in search of a more meaningful lifestyle, she finds herself more and more at home in the kitchen, where she begins to learn that even if the results of her culinary efforts fall well short of the standard set by glossy food magazines, they can still bring satisfaction (and sustenance) to her and her family and friends.
Full of hilarious observations about food, family, unemployment, romance, and the extremes of modern L.A., and featuring recipes as basic as Toasted Cheerios and as advanced as gâteau de crêpes, Bon Appetempt is sure to resonate with anyone who has tried and failed, and been all the better for it.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2015
21 people are currently reading
2082 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
February 6, 2015
Honestly, I'm usually not one for online reviews, but this book was firing on all cylinders!! EVERY CYLINDER!!
February 5, 2015
I avoid memoirs as a rule of thumb, but I was intrigued by BON APPETEMPT because it promised cooking misadventures and author Amelia Morris's "ill-fated twenty-something job at the School of Rock in Los Angeles." I think I shall continue avoiding memoirs, because they make me feel like I'm judging someone's life in a bad way.
If you came for the School of Rock story, it lasts about a chapter and can be summed up thusly: Aging musicians rarely show up to work on time, bum money from people, and eventually Morris was fired for someone with the administrative and accounting experience to keep people in line. Fascinating. As for the cooking, Morris doesn't reach that life interest until halfway through the memoir. I can't even imaging that fans of her book-turned-blog Bon Appétempt are that interested in a litany of jobs she worked for a bit in her twenties while she and her boyfriend to find something steady to make ends meet.
It doesn't help that BON APPETEMPT is so very dry. Morris is find at expressing when she's angry at someone, like her mother and grandmother for not immediately supporting her impending marriage. She's less good at other emotions, which lends little vibrancy to the central relationship of the memoir, that of her and her husband. She's led a fairly normal life, which doesn't give the memoir much color, and doesn't have the voice or perspective to make that life compelling.
The recipes are awesome, and their connection to the chapters goes stronger and better integrated as BON APPETEMPT goes on. However, she sometimes doesn't even say if a recipe turned out well. Why describe how you made something if you're not going to include the best part, the delightful food porn of flavors and texture and deliciousness that made this recipe a must have in your life story? Maybe I should just look it up on the blog?
This one if for die-hard fans of Amelia Morris's blog. For everyone else, just check it out from the library and photocopy the recipes that appeal to you.
If you came for the School of Rock story, it lasts about a chapter and can be summed up thusly: Aging musicians rarely show up to work on time, bum money from people, and eventually Morris was fired for someone with the administrative and accounting experience to keep people in line. Fascinating. As for the cooking, Morris doesn't reach that life interest until halfway through the memoir. I can't even imaging that fans of her book-turned-blog Bon Appétempt are that interested in a litany of jobs she worked for a bit in her twenties while she and her boyfriend to find something steady to make ends meet.
It doesn't help that BON APPETEMPT is so very dry. Morris is find at expressing when she's angry at someone, like her mother and grandmother for not immediately supporting her impending marriage. She's less good at other emotions, which lends little vibrancy to the central relationship of the memoir, that of her and her husband. She's led a fairly normal life, which doesn't give the memoir much color, and doesn't have the voice or perspective to make that life compelling.
The recipes are awesome, and their connection to the chapters goes stronger and better integrated as BON APPETEMPT goes on. However, she sometimes doesn't even say if a recipe turned out well. Why describe how you made something if you're not going to include the best part, the delightful food porn of flavors and texture and deliciousness that made this recipe a must have in your life story? Maybe I should just look it up on the blog?
This one if for die-hard fans of Amelia Morris's blog. For everyone else, just check it out from the library and photocopy the recipes that appeal to you.
January 9, 2015
Amelia Morris writes a food blog called Bon Appetempt, which is a little play on words about attempting recipies that seem pretty fancy. It was something that she fell into doing while struggling to find a career in her mid-late twenties, and she's been doing for more than five years now.
I had never heard of the blog. I'm just a sucker for a good memoir about young women finding themselves and I love cooking, so I thought this would be interesting.
The thing is, though, this book is probably more interesting to regular readers of Morris's blog who have some sort of investment in her life and her story. But as someone who had never heard of the blog before I got approved for the book on NetGalley, I was struck by how...humdrum the book was.
Morris is a spectacularly engaging writer. She's very conversational and relatable and thoughtful and coherent. But she doesn't really have enough story to fill up 250+ pages of ebook. Everything addressed here is very ordinary: her parents went through a rocky divorce that left her with an odd assortment of stepsiblings and family members who occasionally refuse to speak to each other; she pursued a liberal arts degree with very little idea of how put it to good use long-term and ultimately struggled to find gainful employment through much of her twenties; her childhood friend-turned-husband gave the entertainment industry a shot but struggled to break through; they worried a lot about money without every really becoming close to destitute or seeming to sacrifice a significant amount. These coming-of-age stories, which take up more than the first half of the book, might hold significance to Morris and the people who love her, but this newcomer to her world would have appreciate a bit more of a hook. It's not until roughly the 60% mark that Morris begins cooking and subsequently blogging -- and even then, it only takes up a tiny bit of the finding herself.
Still, I can't give this a bad rating because she does do a pretty good job of actually writing what she wants to say. She conveys her story very well. But like a nice vegetable stew, there's just no meat to it.
I had never heard of the blog. I'm just a sucker for a good memoir about young women finding themselves and I love cooking, so I thought this would be interesting.
The thing is, though, this book is probably more interesting to regular readers of Morris's blog who have some sort of investment in her life and her story. But as someone who had never heard of the blog before I got approved for the book on NetGalley, I was struck by how...humdrum the book was.
Morris is a spectacularly engaging writer. She's very conversational and relatable and thoughtful and coherent. But she doesn't really have enough story to fill up 250+ pages of ebook. Everything addressed here is very ordinary: her parents went through a rocky divorce that left her with an odd assortment of stepsiblings and family members who occasionally refuse to speak to each other; she pursued a liberal arts degree with very little idea of how put it to good use long-term and ultimately struggled to find gainful employment through much of her twenties; her childhood friend-turned-husband gave the entertainment industry a shot but struggled to break through; they worried a lot about money without every really becoming close to destitute or seeming to sacrifice a significant amount. These coming-of-age stories, which take up more than the first half of the book, might hold significance to Morris and the people who love her, but this newcomer to her world would have appreciate a bit more of a hook. It's not until roughly the 60% mark that Morris begins cooking and subsequently blogging -- and even then, it only takes up a tiny bit of the finding herself.
Still, I can't give this a bad rating because she does do a pretty good job of actually writing what she wants to say. She conveys her story very well. But like a nice vegetable stew, there's just no meat to it.
April 2, 2015
Perhaps someone with NO life or cooking experience whatsoever might find this whiny, narcissistic drivel interesting- I did not. I continued as it was kind of entertaining wondering what forehead-smacking thing she'd say next, but I was relieved when it was over.
March 10, 2015
I was disappointed, and I SO did not want to be! I love the voice behind the blog, though I've read only it a few times. Reading this has caused me to add another shelf to my goodreads: Blogger. I have realized that when the publishers are publishing blogger books, the standards for the book are somehow lower than standards for the blog. That said, the writing is quick and light, in short chapters, for when that is what fits best. I know she will keep writing and I will read the next book. By her 3rd book, I may love her! I will check in more often on the blog; I like the recipes she chooses and I like her voice when she is positive. In her good moods, she is funny and smart and interesting. The book will be inspiring for folks who are intimidated by cooking; Amelia is absolutely clueless about food & cooking & feeding to begin with, and does a beautiful job finding her way.
BUT MAN she is whiny, sometimes! I definitely give her credit for showing us her struggles; it is clear she has been hurt. She comes off, though, as hugely lacking compassion and perspective. It completely reminded me at points of Julie/Julia, the book I wanted to throw across the room due to the lame and irritating protagonist. (julie! get out of amelia's book!) She complains about only being a shop girl (she has a job at Heath Ceramics) several times, and in a way that makes me think she would be a huge drag to work alongside. When she includes a recipe belonging to one of her colleagues as a turning point- an example of finally learning/allowing herself to cook food that truly satisfies without being a showstopper, and doesn't even give the name of this person. This felt extremely rude and disrespectful. Who Are You, Rice and Black Beans Lady?
One of the jacket blurbs (Edan Lepucki) compared her to MFK Fisher and Laurie Colwin; I did not find a shred--a shadow of a shred-- of those women here. (Laurie Colwin is my hero, if anyone is). But she seems to be pretty darn Amelia, and not afraid of showing it, more accurate praise I think.
BUT MAN she is whiny, sometimes! I definitely give her credit for showing us her struggles; it is clear she has been hurt. She comes off, though, as hugely lacking compassion and perspective. It completely reminded me at points of Julie/Julia, the book I wanted to throw across the room due to the lame and irritating protagonist. (julie! get out of amelia's book!) She complains about only being a shop girl (she has a job at Heath Ceramics) several times, and in a way that makes me think she would be a huge drag to work alongside. When she includes a recipe belonging to one of her colleagues as a turning point- an example of finally learning/allowing herself to cook food that truly satisfies without being a showstopper, and doesn't even give the name of this person. This felt extremely rude and disrespectful. Who Are You, Rice and Black Beans Lady?
One of the jacket blurbs (Edan Lepucki) compared her to MFK Fisher and Laurie Colwin; I did not find a shred--a shadow of a shred-- of those women here. (Laurie Colwin is my hero, if anyone is). But she seems to be pretty darn Amelia, and not afraid of showing it, more accurate praise I think.
January 29, 2015
The title drew me in on Netgalley, so I requested a copy. I've never read the blog, but the book was easy enough to follow. I just found Amelia to be a rather unlikeable protagonist. (Reminiscent of Julie in Julie & Julia.)
I appreciate her honesty, but she came across as pretty harsh sometimes, especially to her grandma. And some of the mundane details about her schooling and her part time jobs were just dull. All in all, I'm not really sure why I finished it.
Although I may have to try toasting Cheerios like she mentions. Sounds quite yummy!
I appreciate her honesty, but she came across as pretty harsh sometimes, especially to her grandma. And some of the mundane details about her schooling and her part time jobs were just dull. All in all, I'm not really sure why I finished it.
Although I may have to try toasting Cheerios like she mentions. Sounds quite yummy!
abandoned
April 25, 2019I spent this evening waiting, and waiting for this book to get better. I have decided that Morris will continue to be self-centered (which is fine, it is her book) and I will continue not to care enough to keep reading.
August 8, 2016
I liked Amelia from the start. We meet her at 5 years old trying to get into wrestling because that is what her very adored brother loves and her less adored but still loved father. From there we go through her parents' divorce, custody arrangements, stepparents, high school, college, and discovering that life doesn't always turn out exactly how you expected. Through it all she manages to not take herself to seriously (looking back I mean, I have a feeling the young Amelia was pretty melodramatic) and is incredibly honest with her mistakes and missteps. I did really appreciate that she never fails to take responsibility for her actions even when she can understand why she reacted or did what she did she also doesn't take on unnecessary blame.
I ended up really enjoying this book. You never quite know what you're going to get from those impulsive book grabs but this was one ended up being a delightful and unexpected treat. While food is a big part of the book - especially in the last half - there is a lot about acceptance, perseverance, and really growing up. I'm so glad I listened when this book called my name. If you want to get a peek at Amelia's writing you can check out her blog here. My only complaint is there isn't a recipe index in the book which makes it a little harder to find the one I want but I can work with that!
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot...
I ended up really enjoying this book. You never quite know what you're going to get from those impulsive book grabs but this was one ended up being a delightful and unexpected treat. While food is a big part of the book - especially in the last half - there is a lot about acceptance, perseverance, and really growing up. I'm so glad I listened when this book called my name. If you want to get a peek at Amelia's writing you can check out her blog here. My only complaint is there isn't a recipe index in the book which makes it a little harder to find the one I want but I can work with that!
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot...
July 25, 2015
When Amelia's writing career was slow to take off, she decides to take up a food blog - and in the process finds her new found love of cooking.
This book follows Amelia from her childhood, the struggle with her parents' divorce, moving to LA, marriage and beyond. A typical, lighthearted memoir, this book adds yet another story in the category of food memoirs. I didn't all together hate the book, but it's not something I'm going to run out and recommend. It's one of those "I can't quite put my finger on why it wasn't the best but I know I didn't enjoy it that much." It has an audience for sure and I know fans of her blog will enjoy hearing her story. I almost felt that Morris is looking for pity and she whined a bit too much for my liking. It lacked a clear purpose or theme. She does tie in a few points of emphasis at the end, but the reader should be able to pick up a message from memoirs, and I didn't get one completely from this.
This book follows Amelia from her childhood, the struggle with her parents' divorce, moving to LA, marriage and beyond. A typical, lighthearted memoir, this book adds yet another story in the category of food memoirs. I didn't all together hate the book, but it's not something I'm going to run out and recommend. It's one of those "I can't quite put my finger on why it wasn't the best but I know I didn't enjoy it that much." It has an audience for sure and I know fans of her blog will enjoy hearing her story. I almost felt that Morris is looking for pity and she whined a bit too much for my liking. It lacked a clear purpose or theme. She does tie in a few points of emphasis at the end, but the reader should be able to pick up a message from memoirs, and I didn't get one completely from this.
July 20, 2015
This was somewhat disappointing. I love a good food memoir, but this one was pretty depressing. It was more about the author's constant dissatisfaction with her life and less about food. Food did factor in, more so as an adult, but overall it was kind of a downer. I liked the premise of the book that attempting to cook is important even if your results don't "match" the picture with the recipe and that is obviously a metaphor for life that it's more important to try new things than always take the safe route. There were a few recipes in the book, but not as many as you would expect for a book like this. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't recommend it.
February 20, 2015
I wanted to love this- the inaugural pick for my new book club- but I really didn't. I didn't connect at all with the author, her experiences, or her recipes. I feel like it either needed to be exclusively a memoir about family issues and her coming to terms with them, or exclusively a cutesy book about her courtship/marriage and learning to cook. As a hybrid, it felt unfocused and awkward. No idea if the recipes are good, as none of the dishes even appealed to me conceptually.
Maybe a good pick for devotees of her food blog, but not my cup of tea.
Maybe a good pick for devotees of her food blog, but not my cup of tea.
May 12, 2015
I spent like half this book wondering how something so middling ever got published. And then I stumbled across her starting her blog and it all made sense. Which isn't to say that great books can't come from blogs, but ... The writing and the experiences that Morris shares here are mediocre at best,and more often eye-rolling inducing navel-gazing. And I'm a gen-X-er - I *like* a bit of well-done navel-gazing. Too bad that doesn't apply.
And the recipes are sparing and largely unappealing, so.
And the recipes are sparing and largely unappealing, so.
November 23, 2015
I honestly don't understand why this book exists.
There's no real story here. Her life is just a normal life. She isn't all that interesting. She has had all the advantages and disadvantages of your normal rich girl growing up in the US. Some reviews call her whiny, and there's some of that. Mommy issues? Check. Daddy-doesn't-show-he-loves-me issues? Check.
Publishers, please, PLEASE stop giving every blogger a bloody book contract. This writer is pleasant but there's no book here.
There's no real story here. Her life is just a normal life. She isn't all that interesting. She has had all the advantages and disadvantages of your normal rich girl growing up in the US. Some reviews call her whiny, and there's some of that. Mommy issues? Check. Daddy-doesn't-show-he-loves-me issues? Check.
Publishers, please, PLEASE stop giving every blogger a bloody book contract. This writer is pleasant but there's no book here.
March 3, 2015
So much of this is just so mundane and boring. Not just what she ate for dinner but what she was watching on TV and then she went to the grocery store and argued with her mom about whether to buy olive oil or use canola. Thousands and thousands of people have food blogs, that's not enough of a plot for a memoir.
April 9, 2015
I often don't like memoirs, so this just might not've been the book for me. It felt sloppy, the recipes didn't always make sense where they were placed, etc. Some of the middle chapters about settling into LA and struggling with her career choices were nice, but MFK Fisher this is not.
Read
March 16, 2015This book is not what the tittle or blurbs lead one to expect. There is a lot of contempt but little bon appetit. I'm Not rating it because I don't know how much was true dislike and how much was disappointment.
January 3, 2016
A true hipster developing maturity (often the hard way), and although her struggles are sometimes amusing, I kept
asking myself if I cared about what happened to her along the way.. And the answer was always NO. Mediocre
recipes at best (and not many of them).
asking myself if I cared about what happened to her along the way.. And the answer was always NO. Mediocre
recipes at best (and not many of them).
July 29, 2015
How could I, foodie and book reader not get more than 100 pages into a food memoir? This is usually my jam! But this book.... This book just isn't good. Sorry to the author for saying this, but don't waste your time.
August 12, 2015
Meh. Not well written, choppy (poor editing?), and kind of annoying.
March 20, 2022
A deeply unpleasant woman who doesn't seem to understand what she is telling us about herself. Some warnings—She has massive unreflected on privilege and a raging eating disorder she passes off as “dieting”. She got the book deal off the back of her blog but doesn't start to cook until 3/4 in and what she does cook is pretty basic and uninspiring.
A few thoughts—
Her childhood, although quite financially privileged seemed challenging and I didn’t quite understand how some of what went on at her father’s house was allowed to happen. Her parents were highly educated and while her mom was problematic in her own way, seemed aware of the step moms issues and limitations because she sent child Amelia back with food.
Both parents and her grandmother sounds awful yet she stays in contact with her mom constantly. They vacation together every year. Yet she also ridicules her mother for the most innocuous things like trying to save money on gas and groceries.
Her grandmother made a dip from leftovers she kept in a car overnight and she warned her brother not to eat but no other guest at the party. It was smoked salmon and hot cream cheese off a half eaten bagel. So gross. Did she think that story made her grandmother look bad and not her??
She's very strange and critical of her nice and supportive step father (much better than either of her parents in his treatment of her) not drinking and his healthy and religious lifestyle. He doesn’t want unmarried couples sleeping together in the vacation house he rents for them. Which I can see being annoying but if you don’t like it, don’t go or rent an hotel room. I’m not religious myself but he seems to treat her the best out of any adult family member in her life. Give him a break.
I don't understand her money situation at any point in her adult life. Her husband is unemployed for over a year while she is in graduate school across the country for writing and doesn’t seem to be working. Her rent is cheap but he’s in LA paying their massive rent as well and working on a screenplay.
They fly frequently, she is working retail and stressing over a $100 necklace on a weekend trip with friends but her birthday/Christmas present from her husband that same year is a trip to Paris for two weeks? The place they rent is $800 and she gets some tickets with miles but still, that seems extreme for a retail worker and her marginally employed husband. She complains about money all the time yet they seem to spend a lot each month and she doesn’t ever seem to want to work a full time or higher paying job even after grad school. Which is fine but maybe someone should be working? How much money did they get in wedding gifts to subsidize their life? She makes it sound like that’s how they can afford everything but could that be possible? For years?
Her husband finally gets a job and right away she decides to only work 3 days a week at a ceramics store and teach writing one day a week and yet they are able to buy a house in Echo Park? They have a baby despite her complaining they don’t have much money because there is no good time to have a baby? I guess they do always manage despite her crying poor all the time so why not?
At one point on their trip to Paris she says she and her husband are two people who had hate to make other people, particularly strangers, uncomfortable and that is just a lie because she'd been making me deeply uncomfortable for 246 pages at that point.
She talks about wanting to be a comedy writer but this was one of the most deeply unfunny books I’ve read. Does she not realize how she comes across in the book? Does she think any of it makes sense?
I did read her novel Wildcat before this and I can see where she got the inspiration from. She also comes across a bitter, strange, underemployed, envious woman like the main character in that.
A few thoughts—
Her childhood, although quite financially privileged seemed challenging and I didn’t quite understand how some of what went on at her father’s house was allowed to happen. Her parents were highly educated and while her mom was problematic in her own way, seemed aware of the step moms issues and limitations because she sent child Amelia back with food.
Both parents and her grandmother sounds awful yet she stays in contact with her mom constantly. They vacation together every year. Yet she also ridicules her mother for the most innocuous things like trying to save money on gas and groceries.
Her grandmother made a dip from leftovers she kept in a car overnight and she warned her brother not to eat but no other guest at the party. It was smoked salmon and hot cream cheese off a half eaten bagel. So gross. Did she think that story made her grandmother look bad and not her??
She's very strange and critical of her nice and supportive step father (much better than either of her parents in his treatment of her) not drinking and his healthy and religious lifestyle. He doesn’t want unmarried couples sleeping together in the vacation house he rents for them. Which I can see being annoying but if you don’t like it, don’t go or rent an hotel room. I’m not religious myself but he seems to treat her the best out of any adult family member in her life. Give him a break.
I don't understand her money situation at any point in her adult life. Her husband is unemployed for over a year while she is in graduate school across the country for writing and doesn’t seem to be working. Her rent is cheap but he’s in LA paying their massive rent as well and working on a screenplay.
They fly frequently, she is working retail and stressing over a $100 necklace on a weekend trip with friends but her birthday/Christmas present from her husband that same year is a trip to Paris for two weeks? The place they rent is $800 and she gets some tickets with miles but still, that seems extreme for a retail worker and her marginally employed husband. She complains about money all the time yet they seem to spend a lot each month and she doesn’t ever seem to want to work a full time or higher paying job even after grad school. Which is fine but maybe someone should be working? How much money did they get in wedding gifts to subsidize their life? She makes it sound like that’s how they can afford everything but could that be possible? For years?
Her husband finally gets a job and right away she decides to only work 3 days a week at a ceramics store and teach writing one day a week and yet they are able to buy a house in Echo Park? They have a baby despite her complaining they don’t have much money because there is no good time to have a baby? I guess they do always manage despite her crying poor all the time so why not?
At one point on their trip to Paris she says she and her husband are two people who had hate to make other people, particularly strangers, uncomfortable and that is just a lie because she'd been making me deeply uncomfortable for 246 pages at that point.
She talks about wanting to be a comedy writer but this was one of the most deeply unfunny books I’ve read. Does she not realize how she comes across in the book? Does she think any of it makes sense?
I did read her novel Wildcat before this and I can see where she got the inspiration from. She also comes across a bitter, strange, underemployed, envious woman like the main character in that.
July 22, 2017
I picked this up used, not knowing what to expect other than the facts I liked the cover (yes, you often can tell a book by its cover) and that I love a good food memoir. I loved it! Not only could I relate to her culinarily adventures but to her relationships with her family as well. It's quick, well-written and has a Julie Powell tone. Unputdownable.
July 31, 2016
This is one of those books that I borrow from the library and then put on a list to one day buy for myself. I want to own a personal copy. And not just for the recipes (although I'm dying to try them all, with my own unique twist, of course).
I thought this memoir was going to be more food-centric, and while it's a very big part of the story and of Amelia discovering herself, it is not the substance of the book. And I loved that.
It's a complicated telling of a complicated life, filled with several very apt pearls of wisdom. Her stories reminded me that I'm doing perfectly fine with exactly where I'm at.
My only criticisms of the book are these: several times characters were mentioned with no back story. This left me feeling crazy, like I was supposed to know who these people were without having actually been introduced. Sometimes her writing was not very clear and I was left wondering what was really being said. I wished Amelia had gone more in-depth in some of the heart wrenching stories involving her family.
I really related to her relationships with her parents and found myself craving more explanation for things.
Overall, I loved this book and was sobbing by the end. I've checked out her food blog and will be trying her recipes (and many more!), thanks to this book rekindling my interest in cooking.
Plus, any book that mentions my hometown and state has to be pretty good, right? ;)
I thought this memoir was going to be more food-centric, and while it's a very big part of the story and of Amelia discovering herself, it is not the substance of the book. And I loved that.
It's a complicated telling of a complicated life, filled with several very apt pearls of wisdom. Her stories reminded me that I'm doing perfectly fine with exactly where I'm at.
My only criticisms of the book are these: several times characters were mentioned with no back story. This left me feeling crazy, like I was supposed to know who these people were without having actually been introduced. Sometimes her writing was not very clear and I was left wondering what was really being said. I wished Amelia had gone more in-depth in some of the heart wrenching stories involving her family.
I really related to her relationships with her parents and found myself craving more explanation for things.
Overall, I loved this book and was sobbing by the end. I've checked out her food blog and will be trying her recipes (and many more!), thanks to this book rekindling my interest in cooking.
Plus, any book that mentions my hometown and state has to be pretty good, right? ;)
July 28, 2021
There's nothing wrong with this book. I thought it was ok! I also do not understand the vagaries of the publishing system that let so many "fine" and "ok" books by upper and upper-middle class white people get published. I'm not knocking Morris. I'm sure she's a nice person. Her book is really fine. Just, there's no reason for it to exist?
Literally nothing in Morris's story is special. She has some complicated relationships with relatives. It takes her some time to find a path for her life. She goes on some vacations. She gets married. She works some jobs. She has a baby. All together, she has a bunch of pretty typical experiences that other folks have had and written about, and she writes about them, too.
Which is to say, I suppose, that Morris sort of doesn't have anything to say. She's not bringing together these stories to make a larger point. She doesn't have any great insights. She's just telling stories about some stuff that happened in her life, and doing so in a way that's moderately amusing. Also sharing some recipes which are all cribbed from other locations. Which, sure, they're edited and personalized- I'm not accusing her of plagiarism- it's just that they're random recipes, and there's no theme or internal logic to them either.
This book is fine. Another fine, totally ok memoir by a medium-wealthy white lady from somewhere near the East Coast.
Literally nothing in Morris's story is special. She has some complicated relationships with relatives. It takes her some time to find a path for her life. She goes on some vacations. She gets married. She works some jobs. She has a baby. All together, she has a bunch of pretty typical experiences that other folks have had and written about, and she writes about them, too.
Which is to say, I suppose, that Morris sort of doesn't have anything to say. She's not bringing together these stories to make a larger point. She doesn't have any great insights. She's just telling stories about some stuff that happened in her life, and doing so in a way that's moderately amusing. Also sharing some recipes which are all cribbed from other locations. Which, sure, they're edited and personalized- I'm not accusing her of plagiarism- it's just that they're random recipes, and there's no theme or internal logic to them either.
This book is fine. Another fine, totally ok memoir by a medium-wealthy white lady from somewhere near the East Coast.
March 31, 2015
I had not read Amelia's blog previous to starting this book so don't have a baseline to compare it to. I found the writing in this to be solid; sentences flowed well and there was no unnecessarily difficult vocabulary. The subject matter however was quite meandering, as someone who primarily read this book for the food/cooking aspect, it did not appear in earnest until halfway through and even then it felt almost secondary to the events occurring in the authors life. This book left me feeling quite unsatisfied in that respect, however as an overall memoir, it was much more successful. I enjoyed the portrayal of the significant player's in Amelia's life but I would have also enjoyed seeing segments from their point of view as I'm not convinced the portrayals were accurate. All in all, I did enjoy this but felt it to be a bit lacklustre as a whole. I feel the entire story would have benefited from photo insets as Amelia's blog was originally started to compare her finished product to the magazine photos of the meal.
I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in an exchange for a fair and honest review.
I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in an exchange for a fair and honest review.
August 2, 2019
Ms. Morris has a good balance of not bogging readers down with details, moving the story along, and relaying her struggles as a beginning writer. What bothered me was how the recipes seemed like an addition to make the book catchier to the growing foodie population, rather than really flow with the story. I also still am a little confused why she started with her wrestling career, albeit short-lived, as I didn't really feel it added to the book nor made a difference in my understanding the author. Unfortunately this major theme of recipes felt forced and a bit awkward. This doesn't mean I'm not interested in some of the recipes and may try making the lemon pasta (mostly because I happen to have most of the ingredients by odd chance) or one of the others, I just wouldn't read this book again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2015
for someone who wanted to be a comedy writer, i found this to be a strangely dry and straightforward account of this happened and then this happened in my life, without giving us some more emotional meat. her family life has been rocky, but her storytelling did not give me a reason to care. i felt unsurprised when she said she didn't get into a writing mfa program the first time around. also how did she suddenly buy a house in LA after years of being poor, without giving any explanation or attention to this huge step up in her life?
June 26, 2015
2.5 stars
I happened upon this book at the new-ish non-fiction shelf at the library and thought it looked excellent - just from the blurbs alone - but I ended up disappointed. I enjoyed the stories of the author's early life (and the reminder of toasting Cheerios in butter - yum!) but once she got to the place in her life where she threw a fit to get an engagement ring and then was so whiny about people who didn't think she should get married, I lost interest. I've not read her blog so I'm not sure if it is comparable to the book or not.
I happened upon this book at the new-ish non-fiction shelf at the library and thought it looked excellent - just from the blurbs alone - but I ended up disappointed. I enjoyed the stories of the author's early life (and the reminder of toasting Cheerios in butter - yum!) but once she got to the place in her life where she threw a fit to get an engagement ring and then was so whiny about people who didn't think she should get married, I lost interest. I've not read her blog so I'm not sure if it is comparable to the book or not.
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June 16, 2015(I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
For someone who loves books and foods I thought this would be perfect for me but it's not.
After seeing this up for grabs I quickly requested for it because it has an interesting cover and title that didn't realty equate to the content. Maybe I just didn't appreciate the life of the author that much but the only thing I enjoy are the recipes and the cover.
For someone who loves books and foods I thought this would be perfect for me but it's not.
After seeing this up for grabs I quickly requested for it because it has an interesting cover and title that didn't realty equate to the content. Maybe I just didn't appreciate the life of the author that much but the only thing I enjoy are the recipes and the cover.
May 27, 2016
Found this very, very dry, with hardly anything compelling me to read on. I grabbed this book thinking it was going to be about food and being an undomestic goddess in the kitchen, but there is so much doldrum to wade through before we even touch onto the topic of food. Many a time, I dropped this book to do something else, and then was reluctant to get back into it, because it just didn't have that 'something' to make me want to read on. Disappointing, really...
March 17, 2015
I have no doubt that this was realistic (or fairly, since everything's exaggerated somewhat). But the tone is so melancholy at times that it starts to drag on, and I just felt weighted down by the contents of the book.
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