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Gordon Ramsay's Playing with Fire: Raw, Rare to Well Done
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Review
'A truly inspiring read that makes you realise if you want something enough, it's there for the taking.' The Sun
Praise for Humble Pie:
‘Gordon Ramsay’s Humble Pie – so exuberantly angry boastful, cliche-ridden, expletive-laden and touchingly sincere that I can’t believe that a single sentence has been written by anyone but the failed footballer, great cook, telly star and businessman himself. He’s the genuine bollocks, as he’s so fond of saying, and this is the tale of his personal class struggle.’ – The Observer
'Inspirational stuff.' Heat
‘I cannot recommend strongly enough that every BII member reads it. It's so refreshing and energising – and oddly the fact that every fifth word begins with 'F' adds to its charm, its passion and its delight…The book is an inspiration. Anybody running any kind of business will benefit from reading this.’ BII Business magazine
Product Description
Not a sausage. That is what Gordon Ramsay had when he started out as a chef, working 16-hour days, 6 days a week. When he was struggling to get his first restaurant in the black, he didn't think he'd be famous for a TV show about how to run profitable eateries, or that he'd be head of a business empire. But he is and he did. Here's how.
"In the beginning there was nothing.
Not a sausage - penniless, broke, fucking nothing - and although, at a certain age, that didn’t matter hugely, there came a time when hand-me-downs, cast-offs and football boots of odd sizes all pointed to a problem that seemed to have afflicted me, my mum, my sisters, Ronnie and the whole lot of us. It was as though we had been dealt the ‘all-time dysfunctional’ poker hand.
I wish I could say that, from this point on, the penny dropped and I decided to do something about it, but it wasn’t like that. It would take years before the lessons of life, business and money began to click into place - before, as they say, I had a pot to piss in.
This is the story of how those lessons were learned."
This is Gordon Ramsay at his raw, rugged best. PLAYING WITH FIRE is the amazing story of Gordon’s journey from sous-chef to superstar. In his no-holds-barred style, Gordon shares his passion for risk and adventure and his hard-won success secrets.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I like most had read the first book 'humble pie' which is the story of the man himself and was a fascinating read.
This second book 'playing with fire' is a book about his buisness ventures. ie. How he set up his restaurants, got the finance, expanded his empire and all the buisness dealings. I really enjoyed this book as the business side of things really interested me. However this second book is clearly going to appeal to a smaller market than his first. My wife who loved the first wasn't interested in reading this one for the same reasons that I liked it.
In summary a good read if you like books on successful business stories not so good if you are after another autobiography.
This second book 'playing with fire' is a book about his buisness ventures. ie. How he set up his restaurants, got the finance, expanded his empire and all the buisness dealings. I really enjoyed this book as the business side of things really interested me. However this second book is clearly going to appeal to a smaller market than his first. My wife who loved the first wasn't interested in reading this one for the same reasons that I liked it.
In summary a good read if you like books on successful business stories not so good if you are after another autobiography.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
You shouldn't be misguided into thinking that this is an autobiography follow up to Humble Pie. The book is about how to start, run and keep a business. In the book Gordon reveals ideas on how to run a successful business and maintain the high standards to keep it at the top. It is a great read and he also tells us a bit more about his staff which is good because, as Gordon says, he wouldn't be where he is today without them. I think that for this book to be enjoyable to you, you either have to be a Gordon Ramsay fan or are interested in the running of a business. If you're not, then it could get a bit boring for you. If you are a fan though, this is a great book and a good follow on from Humble Pie.
Format:Paperback
Couldn't help feeling that ole Gordie has some help with this one - there was so much of his writing that appeared too grammatically organised and air-brushed.
It was interesting in parts - particular the sections that dealt with the creation of the individual restaurants - with golden nuggets of wisdom dispensed on how to set up a business and run it profitably. It did get bit samey as the method was repeated across various restaurants. However, there was a lot that was very interesting and insightful and I felt I learned something about the restaurant trade. If I ever set up one of those babies - Gordon's book will be there close to my heart. as my guide and aide-memoire.
But there was a lot of annoying stuff too - for instance a whole chapter spent praising and glorifying ladies who had worked with Gordon. The praise and almost deification of some of these gals became sickly. They were all described in the most glowing terms - all supremely intelligent (yet sensitive and womanly) and gorgeous to boot. It really was horrible and if I was one of those women I would scratch my head and say "this is way too much.....and I am embarrassed by this stuff...what's Gordon after?"
Also - every mistake Gordon makes is relayed as some sort of triumph - even the stuff about the tax man was used as a tool to add martyrdom to Gordon's fine character traits.
There was even a whole section telling us about some bloody house that Gord' had purchased - my gawd - that was boring - tedious and empty. He summed himself up very well when he makes the comment that the house sent out a message to the world of where he and his family were at......in other words - "this is a big important house and we are big and important too.....world take note".
Does he really feel that insecure that he needs some sort of symbol of wealth to help him along life's way? I felt genuinly quite sad for him when I read that.
Finally we have the finale - the summing up chapter which synthesises all that is Gordon Ramsey - his pearls of wisdom - his conclusions on life, death and the universe, which was marginally interesting but was in essence a re-write and precise of all that had gone before in the book.
I like Gordon Ramsey (but not as much as Jamie Oliver) but I did not get a sense that he was writing this book - yes there were a few "f" words thrown in at intervals - but I fear that these were token gestures - or some sort of device to fool the reader into the thinking Gordon was writing this stuff.
I was not fooled.
It was interesting in parts - particular the sections that dealt with the creation of the individual restaurants - with golden nuggets of wisdom dispensed on how to set up a business and run it profitably. It did get bit samey as the method was repeated across various restaurants. However, there was a lot that was very interesting and insightful and I felt I learned something about the restaurant trade. If I ever set up one of those babies - Gordon's book will be there close to my heart. as my guide and aide-memoire.
But there was a lot of annoying stuff too - for instance a whole chapter spent praising and glorifying ladies who had worked with Gordon. The praise and almost deification of some of these gals became sickly. They were all described in the most glowing terms - all supremely intelligent (yet sensitive and womanly) and gorgeous to boot. It really was horrible and if I was one of those women I would scratch my head and say "this is way too much.....and I am embarrassed by this stuff...what's Gordon after?"
Also - every mistake Gordon makes is relayed as some sort of triumph - even the stuff about the tax man was used as a tool to add martyrdom to Gordon's fine character traits.
There was even a whole section telling us about some bloody house that Gord' had purchased - my gawd - that was boring - tedious and empty. He summed himself up very well when he makes the comment that the house sent out a message to the world of where he and his family were at......in other words - "this is a big important house and we are big and important too.....world take note".
Does he really feel that insecure that he needs some sort of symbol of wealth to help him along life's way? I felt genuinly quite sad for him when I read that.
Finally we have the finale - the summing up chapter which synthesises all that is Gordon Ramsey - his pearls of wisdom - his conclusions on life, death and the universe, which was marginally interesting but was in essence a re-write and precise of all that had gone before in the book.
I like Gordon Ramsey (but not as much as Jamie Oliver) but I did not get a sense that he was writing this book - yes there were a few "f" words thrown in at intervals - but I fear that these were token gestures - or some sort of device to fool the reader into the thinking Gordon was writing this stuff.
I was not fooled.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A good read
Bofriend loves it totally up his street humour, heart-warming and insight into the real Ramsay
Published on 5 May 2010 by Ms. Jennifer N. Burton
Gordon Ramsay's Playing with Fire
I like the book and I feel it is a good read for someone who is looking for a business insight to the food world.
Published on 13 Feb 2010 by Chris Ingram
or a damp squib..?
I agree with another reviewer when they says this book is lacking in the humility that Humble Pie displayed.. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2010 by blondebit
Interestingly different
In reading "Gordon Ramsay's Playing with Fire" I was given an interesting overview of the eponymous authors take on the business world. Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2009 by Hardeep
Misleading.
Having just read Marco Pierre White's superb autobiography (Devil in the Kitchen)I thought it would be interesting to read GR's as a cross reference. Read more
Published on 21 May 2008 by Mrs. Rebecca C. Turner
Good information
This could be any business. I am at the moment going through all sorts of emotions in buisness. One day things are up, one day things are down. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2008 by MAF
Much more illuminating than Humble Pie
I enjoyed this book, and found it offered greater insights into the character and values of the author than his previous title. Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2008 by Juliet Platt
Was expecting a follow up to Humble Pie ...
I really enjoyed reading Humble Pie, alright it was very easy to read but sometimes it's just nice to read a book you don't really have to think about. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2008 by A. Mosley
Frustrated
I found the book an easy read, but I did feel that it had been put together to make money rather than entertain. Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2008 by Elizabeth Kwantes
Mouthwatering
Unlike most other reviewers, I have not previously read Humble Pie.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the insight into the business end of restaurant ownership and was totally... Read more
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the insight into the business end of restaurant ownership and was totally... Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2007 by Bill Strachan
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