The Lost Art of Mixing

November 19, 2012
In her sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients, Bauermeister picks up the threads of many of the characters first brought together in Lillian’s cooking classes, adding a few new stories to the mix. Here we follow Al, the restaurant’s accountant, soothed by numbers and flavors but unable to connect with Louise, his wife of 29 years; Chloe, the young sous-chef made timid by a failed relationship; Isabelle, the elderly woman with whom Chloe lives, struggling against the onset of Alzheimer’s; and Finnegan, the impossibly tall dishwasher taking his first stab at independence. Lillian remains a sort of mythic background figure, although her unexpected pregnancy tests her and the touchy relationship she’s having with Tom, a widower. Bauermeister weaves these individual stories in and among one another, but never stays with one character long enough for the reader to grow very attached, robbing each of depth. Still, Bauermeister’s prose is strong, particularly when it comes to food, and her novel brings to life the adage “be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.

November 15, 2012
A Seattle chef and her circle of friends cope with life's pivotal moments. In this follow-up to The School of Essential Ingredients (2009), Chef Lillian continues to run her small restaurant, which has become a hub for people in transition. In what is essentially a collection of linked stories, the following characters have their say: Al, Lillian's accountant; her sous-chef, Chloe; Isabelle, an elderly woman with whom Chloe is staying; the lanky and taciturn dishwasher, Finnegan; Louise, Al's tightly wound wife; Lillian's new boyfriend, widower Tom; and Isabelle's daughter Abby, a stickler for order. Chance dictates these characters' interactions, as does mutual attraction or dislike. Miscommunication is a major theme, at times blunted by almost farcical misunderstandings, as when Louise assumes Al is having an affair with Chloe, while Al assumes Louise no longer wants his affection. Lillian has just discovered she is pregnant and cannot bring herself to tell Tom, who later will take offense that Isabelle found out before he did. Isabelle knows that she is sliding into possible Alzheimer's, and Abby (one of the more realistic portrayals) is exasperated that her younger siblings aren't joining her in pressuring their mother to sell the family cabin to pay for her long-term care. At Isabelle's behest (when she's not forgetting things, she's a wise woman), Chloe goes out with Finnegan, who encourages her to keep a notebook. She's beginning to think he might be soul-mate material until she sees his trunk full of notebooks by other girlfriends, a disturbing find that Finnegan must explain in his own chapter. Lush descriptions of food, including the smells that provoke Lillian's telltale morning sickness, tie it all together. Although the art of uncrossing all these mixed signals (a bit too neatly) is not lost on Bauermeister, the narrative, carried by so many disparate points of view, never quite comes into focus. So robust and resilient are Bauermeister's characters that readers may wish she had challenged them with thornier dilemmas.

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August 1, 2012

In this sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients, Lillian is back, cooking on all four burners at her own restaurant. Best seller Bauermeister's book will benefit from both book club promotions and a reading group guide; with cooking such a hot topic, can fiction about cooking be far behind?

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2012
In the relative hush of the predinner rush, Lillian quietly assesses her surroundings. She needs to prepare for the evening's specials, and she needs to take inventory for the week's orders. Ever since she opened her own restaurant, her brain seems to be constantly buzzing, always planning for the busy hours ahead. Even the most careful preparations, however, couldn't have allowed Lillian to anticipate the twist her life is about to take. Using Lillian's restaurant as the hub for a cast of widely varied characters, Bauermeister explores the intersections of community, food, belonging, and memory. With Isabelle, the elderly matriarch whose faculties are rapidly fading; Chloe, the feisty sous-chef who's positive she'll never be able to trust a man; and other friends and acquaintances, an interconnected and heartfelt story unwinds. In her third novel, Bauermeister displays her admirable talent for ensemble fiction, allowing various characters to share narration duties. Fans of Deborah Copaken Kogan and Meg Waite Clayton will enjoy the novel's intertwined narratives and shared experiences. Warm, funny, and deeply comforting, The Lost Art of Mixing is a delight.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)