Gourmet Rhapsody

June 8, 2009
French novelist Barbery's sensuous first novel, being released here after the phenomenal success of her second novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog
, encompasses a series of witty reflections on the life and career of famous, unlovable French food critic Pierre Arthen, as he lies on his death bed desperate to recapture “a forgotten flavor.” Lapsing through chapters into nostalgic memories of early, formative tastes, women and pets, Arthens reveals himself as a man driven by “gastronomic ecstasies,” from his childhood impressions of eating grilled meat in Tangiers to summers gorging on fresh fish in Brittany. Alternating with these splendid remembrances are decidedly more salty commentary by his resentful children (“Die in your silk sheets, in your pasha's bed, in your bourgeois cage, die, die, die”); long-suffering wife, Anna; the exultant tramp outside his Paris apartment building whom he ignored for 10 years; even his faithful cat, Rick (named for the character in the film Casablanca). Barbery's debut, occasionally rough-edged and uneven in structure, showcases her lush and satisfying prose and sets the stage for what has come.

September 15, 2009
This follow-up to the best-selling "The Elegance of the Hedgehog", also expertly translated by Anderson, alternates chapters about a famous food critic, on his deathbed in a Paris hotel as he searches his past for a very particular taste, with chapters about his life and work from the various viewpoints of his acquaintances, family, employeeseven the cat. While his own children certainly despise him the most, they are not alone, and yet some find the self-absorbed epicure delightful, warm, and brilliant. This multifaceted study of one man's life is at times charming and astute and at others merely painful or contradictory, depending on the chapter's narrator. Barbery's latest book works more as a culinary tour de force than a substantive novel with well-developed characters or interesting plot. VERDICT This work will delight foodies with a love of language but may disappoint readers looking for a novel they can really sink their teeth into.Gwen Vredevoogd, Marymount Univ. Lib., Arlington

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.