Gourmet Rhapsody
by Muriel Barbery
also published as The Gourmet; translated from the French
ABOUT
"Revered by some and reviled by many, Pierre Arthens has been lording it over the world’s most esteemed chefs for years, passing judgment on their creations, deciding their fates with a stroke of his pen. But now, during these his final hours, his mind has turned to simpler things. Thus begins a charming voyage that traces the career of Monsieur Arthens from childhood to maturity across a celebration of all manner of culinary delights." (from Goodreads)
MY THOUGHTS
Barbery is also the author "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," which is one my favorite books. Though "Gourmet Rhapsody" pales in comparison to that masterpiece, both books are evidence that Barbery is an extraordinarily talented author.
The way she uses words to describe food in "Gourmet Rhapsody" is utterly brilliant and profoundly eloquent.
"Yes, it is like a fabric: sashimi is velvet dust, verging on silk, or a bit of both, and the extraordinary alchemy of its gossamer essence allows it to preserve a milky density unknown even by clouds."
"If bread suffices unto itself, it is because it is multiple, not because it is exists in multiple variants but in its very essence: bread is rich, bread is diverse, bread is a microcosm. Bread contains such stunning diversity; it is akin to to a miniature world which reveals its inner workings if consumed."
"Oh, Mephistophelean whisky, I loved you from the first swig, and betrayed you from the second - but nowhere else did I ever find, amidst the tyranny of flavors imposed upon me by my position, such a nuclear expansion capable of blasting my jaw away with delight."
"No one was the least bit hungry anymore, but that is precisely what is so good about the moment devoted to pastries: they can only be appreciated to the full extent of their subtlety when they are not eaten to assuage our hunger, when the orgy of their sugary sweetness is not destined to fill some primary need but to coat our palate with all the benevolence of the world."
*sigh* Isn't that just wonderful?
Pierre is pompous, supercilious, arrogant...and just altogether unlikeable. But I thought Barbery excelled at revealing the underlying cause for his attitude. Pierre has been on a lifelong quest for...something...and this is shown through his childhood memories and his philosophical musings about food.
Using a "It's A Wonderful Life" tactic, Barbery shows Pierre's life through the eyes of others - his wife, his lovers, his children, his servants, even his cat. All of their view points are different and it portrays Pierre as a complicated multifaceted individual.
RATING
It's a profound beautiful read, most notable for the strength and quality of writing. If you haven't read "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," I recommend you read that instead.
2 1/2, rounded up to a 3.
I read this book for the Paris In July blog event.
I am glad I read your review, although I'm still not going to read it after my experience with The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I loved that book until that horrible ending. Perhaps you can give me your thoughts about that to redeem it for me.
ReplyDeleteThe Elegance of the Hedgehog was one of my favourites last year and this sounds equally as good. Sadly it's not in my library.
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so hungry now. The bf always laughs at books with random titles and calls them 'Lucy Books' so I'd been toying with 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' for a while now. I'll add it to the TBR list on your recommendation. We have such similar taste in books! :-)
ReplyDelete@Ms. L - I'll give Elegance a quick re-read and get back to you. :)
ReplyDelete@Cat - I couldn't get Gourmet Rhapsody at the library either, but I was eventually able to purchase a relatively inexpensive copy from an online shop.
@Relish - Do try Elegance! I look forward to hearing what you think about it, because, yes, we do seem to like a lot of the same books! :)