The Fruit Hunters

A delightful mix of history, travel, adventure, and obsession, this unlikely story of fruit fanatics and the search for the world's most mysterious, rare, and lucrative fruit will leave listeners unexpectedly engrossed. Narrator Stephen Hoye, often bemused, sarcastic, or deadpan, does a superb job of recounting the author's extensive research into this eccentric subculture and convincingly demonstrates that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. He deftly recreates the interviews with the quirky personalities that populate the story and is equally adept at bringing the scholarly research to life. Similar to a ripe, luscious peach, this juicy performance will leave listeners wanting another bite. M.H.N. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from February 18, 2008
Journalist Gollner's debut is a rollicking account of the world of fruit and fruit fanatics. He's traveled to many countries in search of exotic fruits, and he describes in sensuous detail some of the hundreds of varieties he's sampled, among them peanut butter fruit, blackberry-jam fruit and coco-de-mer—a suggestively shaped coconut known as the “lady fruit” that grows only in the Seychelles. Equally intriguing are some of the characters he has encountered—a botanist in Borneo who spends his life studying malodorous durians; fruitarians who believe that a fruit diet promotes transcendental experiences; fruitleggers who bypass import laws; and fruit inventors such as the fabricator of the Grapple—which looks like an apple and tastes like a grape. The FDA and the often dubious activities of the international fruit trade, multinational corporations like Chiquita, come in for scrutiny, as does New York City's largest wholesale produce market, in a chapter with more information than one may want on biochemical growth inhibitors, hormone-based retardants, dyes, waxes and corrupt USDA inspectors. Gollner's passion for fruit is infectious, and his fascinating book is a testament to the fact that there is much more to the world of fruit than the bland varieties on our supermarket shelves.

August 18, 2008
The world is chockfull of fruits and Gollner's goal is not only to taste as many as possible but to interact and explore those fully immersed in "fruit culture." From fruitarians (fruit-eaters only) to fruit smugglers, Gollner reveals a side of fruits that many will find astonishing. He also succinctly educates listeners on the wide diversity and appeal of fruits and why so many cultures have such deep emotional-even erotic-relationships with these earthbound wonders. Gollner's world travels provide many interesting details and explanations about the relationship between fruit and culture. Stephen Hoye captures Gollner's excitement and energy quite well. Overall, his voice is relaxing, though he has an odd speech pattern of lingering a moment too long at the end of sentences. A Scribner hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 18).

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.