Recipes for Life

July 11, 2011
In brief, entertaining chaptersâmany capped with a favorite recipe taken from celebrity chefs, restaurants, friends, and cooking classesâ68-year-old Evans (The Linda Evans Beauty & Exercise Book) and stepdaughter Derek give readers an off-camera view of the high and low points of Evans's acting career, love life, and spiritual quest. They relate incidents of serendipity that led to her roles as Audra Barkley in The Big Valley and Krystle Carrington in Dynasty, crediting them to providence and reflecting on the gifts Evans has found in setbacks, disappointments, and divorce. Evans presents much of her life as a madcap fairy tale filled with magical moments, romantic adventures, friendships with the rich and famous, and personal challenges (wrangling with a leopard for Circus of the Stars, flying with a member of the aerobatic Blue Angels), but in later chapters, she discusses confronting aging and depression, enjoying later-life romance with New Age musician Yanni and setting new career goals (acting on the stage and participating in the cooking show Hell's Kitchen). While some of Evans's offered wisdom might seem superficialâshe illustrates her belief in holding on to a dream with a story of obtaining a long-coveted classic Mercedesâmuch of it is deceptively simple and has applications far beyond Hollywood and the kitchen.

April 15, 2011

Hollywood Walk of Fame actress Evans (Linda Evans Beauty and Exercise Book, 1983) tells her story through food.

She can eat like a horse and never get fat, but the Dynasty star's amazing metabolism isn't the only thing on display in this memoir punctuated with attention-grabbing anecdotes, glossy photos and delectable recipes. With a warm, friendly tone, Evans gently guides readers through the seminal moments of her life and career, spanning from the 1940s to her recent work on the British show Hell's Kitchen. Each story is followed by one or more recipes that complement its theme. In recounting her mother's battle with polio in a particularly poignant passage, Evans offers up recipes for family favorites like Mom's Hot Dog Stew. Those looking for juicy behind-the-scenes Hollywood gossip will not be disappointed. The author doesn't hold back when writing about how she made the difficult transition from lover to friend with her first husband, famed actor and director John Derek, after he left her for the then-15-year-old (and perfect "10") Bo Derek. Evans also details her relationship with Yanni and friendship with mystic channel JZ Knight, which that led to her spiritual awakening. While spare as a cookbook, among the nearly 50 recipes included are John Wayne's Crab Dip Omelet, Tony Curtis' Lemon Souffle with Raspberry Sauce and Julie Forsythe's Sesame Chicken. 

A mouthwatering blend of memoir and cookbook.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)