Dinner with Edward

February 22, 2016
Vincent, a journalist for the New York Post, employs the rich language of a novelist and the economy of a reporter in this food-focused memoir. She buckles momentarily under the strife of life and the hurdles of divorce but opens her palate to a new relationship when Edward, a 93-year-old widower, teaches her to appreciate the art of living. Food lovers will swoon from the first chapter and opening menu as Vincent begins to relish their weekly tête-à-tête and Edward’s handwritten French recipes. In addition to the subtleties of cooking, she discovers what a fairy tale marriage Edward had with Paula, his wife of 69 years. She sees photos of Paula all over the apartment, and especially feels her presence in the kitchen where Edward fashions his delicate meals. It is easy to fall deeply for Edward’s tender heart as Vincent learns how he has savored his life, and over time, begins to create a life that’s more inviting and full for herself. Readers will finish the book satisfied, yet wanting more.

April 1, 2016
In shape, size, and spirit, the latest from New York Post reporter Vincent (Gilded Lily: Lily Safra: The Making of One of the World's Wealthiest Widows, 2010, etc.) is like Tuesdays with Morrie with gourmet dinners. The setup finds the author befriending the father of a friend, a recent widower in his 90s who saw no reason to go on living since the death of his beloved wife. Vincent was also in the middle of a personal crisis, with her marriage "unraveling, despite my best efforts to pretend that nothing was wrong." She had joined the Post as an investigative reporter in hopes that a geographical change might benefit her family, but neither the job nor the move had been satisfying. Edward began cooking for the author once a week, giving them each something to look forward to, as "he was still mourning his beloved Paula and I was starting to see how unhappy I was in my marriage." Preparing elaborate meals largely without recipes, the self-taught chef taught the middle-age journalist something about cooking but even more about appreciating life. "He was teaching me the art of patience, the luxury of slowing down and taking the time to think about everything I did," she reflects, continuing, "I realize he was forcing me to deconstruct my own life, to cut it back to the bone and examine the entrails, no matter how messy that proved to be." The meals sound mouthwatering, but the food metaphors for the life well lived wear thin. Vincent's life did change, in pretty much every respect, and her relationship with her host deepened, but there's a limit to how much inspiration one can receive from even the best of meals. Vincent fills her pages with accounts of her life and Edward's past, but for readers, the narrative becomes lighter on epiphany than calories.

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Starred review from February 1, 2016
Vincent was at a difficult time in her life. Her marriage was crumbling, and although a recent move to New York had come with its own stresses, in truth the cracks in the relationship had already been there. She was challenged by her reporting job at the New York Post and the aggressive brand of journalism it demanded. Asked by a friend to look in on her ninetysomething father, whose wife had recently died, Vincent agrees, but she certainly didn't expect that her dinners with the grieving man would act as a salve during this tough time. Edwarda devoted host and self-taught chef with a penchant for dispensing advice and dabbling in poetryinsists on preparing his multicourse feasts for the two of them without assistance. And what feasts they are! Vincent's descriptions of food, written with the sumptuous detail of a restaurant review, are something to savor, as are her recollections of Edward and the way he dedicated himselfto living after having lost the love of his life. Delightfully combining the warmheartedness of Tuesdays with Morrie with the sensual splendor of Julie and Julia, this is a memoir to treasure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)