Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
In The Kitchen, 4 May 2009
Executive chef Gabriel Lightfoot runs the kitchen of the Imperial Hotel in London. He is under constant pressure to juggle the demands of the hotel management whilst secretly attempting to set up in business on his own. His kitchen staff consists of weird and wonderful characters from all over the world, he also has the added pressure of worrying about his Dad, back up north and dying from cancer.
When one of the hotel porters is found dead in the basement, Gabe's world starts to unravel drastically, the added appearance of Lena in his life doesnt help matters at all.
The opening chapters of 'In The Kitchen' appear a little confused and overwhelming - the vast array of multi-national characters make it a little difficult to keep up at times, however, after this initial burst of drama, the story slows down and events and characters are gently unfurled. There is a feeling of 'menace' running through the story, with some shadowy, dark secrets hidden away, with just a peek at what is to come every now and then.
Gabe is a fantastically well-drawn character, by no means perfect, but basically a sound guy who wants the best for everyone he is involved with. This gets him further and further into trouble; with hotel management, his glamourous night-club singer girlfriend and his family back home. When Gabe visited his dying father and senile grandmother back home, he re-visits his childhood. When Gabe and his sister Jenny talk about their long-dead Mother it is fascinating to see how their memories differ, and how Gabe's whole take on life changes when he realises that his Mum wasnt quite what he thought.
After initial difficulty with the first chapter or so, I was soon drawn into this story. The descriptions of place and character are wonderfully written and the story gently unfolds and kept me turning the pages wondering just what would happen next.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful evocation of postmodern Britain, 12 May 2009
Monica Ali's new book exposes some of the rotting timbers propping up postmodern British society in a subtle, refreshing, and thoroughly entertaining way.
The story centres on the breakdown and eventual personal redemption of an entrepreneurial chef (Gabe Lightfoot) as he struggles with multiple pressures: crazy work environment in a London hotel made up of a "staff of UN refugees", a complicated personal life (all of his own making...or is it?), and the death of his father and the Northern community that has surrounded him.
While it's the story of the search for the real 'him', it's ultimately about the search for the real 'us', ie. Britain at the start of a new century as the cosy post-industrial moral consensus comes under increasing pressure (from financial crises, endemic MPs' sleeze, gang masters and immigration, even celebrity chefs serving ready-meals in their restaurants!).
The great strength of the book is that it's both an easy read - the story is fast paced, with memorable characters and a mini cliffhanger at the end of each chapter - but also a stimulating one - there are many sections I benefitted from lingering on or returning to to appreciate some of the subtleties of what was being (not) said.
Gabe's 'executive sous chef', for example, is a late middle aged Jamaican lady with a thick accent and an irritatingly laconic approach to work. On a first reading you could be forgiven for thinking that, while an entertaining character, aspects of her are unnecessary stereotypical. But I felt that it was precisely her unfashionable personality and attitude, in contrast to Gabe's supposed go-getting dynamism, that was the more laudable. She, an unlikely figure, is perhaps the real hero of the book.
You need to give this book some space to breath in your mind. But if you do it'll keep you thinking for a lot longer than many other books.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A journey into another world, 1 Jun 2009
Monica Ali has a knack for summing up a time and place with a few, well chosen, words. After the first chapter of this book I had become immersed in the life and politics of the hotel kitchen, and was intrigued by the multitude of diverse characters. As soon as I read the phrase 'the chandelier, ugly as a bejewelled dowager' I knew exactly what the hotel restaurant was like. This book is both enlightening and entertaining - give it a whirl!
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