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French novelist Barbery's sensuous first novel, being released here after the phenomenal success of her second novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, encompasses a series of witty reflections on the life and career of famous, unlovable French food critic Pierre Arthen, as he lies on his death bed desperate to recapture a forgotten flavor. Lapsing through chapters into nostalgic memories of early, formative tastes, women and pets, Arthens reveals himself as a man driven by gastronomic ecstasies, from his childhood impressions of eating grilled meat in Tangiers to summers gorging on fresh fish in Brittany. Alternating with these splendid remembrances are decidedly more salty commentary by his resentful children (Die in your silk sheets, in your pasha's bed, in your bourgeois cage, die, die, die); long-suffering wife, Anna; the exultant tramp outside his Paris apartment building whom he ignored for 10 years; even his faithful cat, Rick (named for the character in the film Casablanca). Barbery's debut, occasionally rough-edged and uneven in structure, showcases her lush and satisfying prose and sets the stage for what has come. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --From Publishers Weekly
Amazon Best of the Month, September 2009: Proust's infamous madeleine cannot hold a candle to the lush, winsome memories of meals past that you'll find in Muriel Barbery's Gourmet Rhapsody. M. Pierre Arthens is France's premier restaurant critic so premier in fact that he's simply called the Maître and we meet him as he lies in bed, waiting to die. Fervently he mines years of gastronomic delights and discoveries in search of one single flavor, one that he says is 'the only true thing ever accomplished.' What unfolds in vignettes narrated by him and by a chorus of his familiars (most human, some quite comically not) is a portrait of a man in thrall to the very ingredient that makes French cuisine so inescapably, ecstatically, seductive: It's not cream, nor cognac, but the cook who defines those glorious tastes. 'The only true work of art, in the end,' he says,' is another person's feast.' --Amazon.com Review - Anne Bartholomew
In the pages of this book, Barbery shows off her finest gift: lightness. --La Repubblica
Amazon Best of the Month, September 2009: Proust's infamous madeleine cannot hold a candle to the lush, winsome memories of meals past that you'll find in Muriel Barbery's Gourmet Rhapsody. M. Pierre Arthens is France's premier restaurant critic so premier in fact that he's simply called the Maître and we meet him as he lies in bed, waiting to die. Fervently he mines years of gastronomic delights and discoveries in search of one single flavor, one that he says is 'the only true thing ever accomplished.' What unfolds in vignettes narrated by him and by a chorus of his familiars (most human, some quite comically not) is a portrait of a man in thrall to the very ingredient that makes French cuisine so inescapably, ecstatically, seductive: It's not cream, nor cognac, but the cook who defines those glorious tastes. 'The only true work of art, in the end,' he says,' is another person's feast.' --Amazon.com Review - Anne Bartholomew
In the pages of this book, Barbery shows off her finest gift: lightness. --La Repubblica
Product Description
France's greatest food critic is dying, after a lifetime in single-minded pursuit of sensual delights. But as Pierre Arthens lies on his death bed, he is tormented by an inability to recall the most delicious food to ever pass his lips, which he ate long before becoming a critic. Desperate to taste it one more time, he looks back over the years to see if he can pin down the elusive dish. Revealing far more than his love of great food, the narration by this larger-than-life individual alternates with the voices of those closest to him and their own experiences of the man. Muriel Barbery's gifts as an evocative storyteller are put to mouth-watering use in this voluptuous and poignant meditation on food and its deeper significance in our lives. A delectable treat to savour.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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This little book is beautiful to look at, and beautiful to read. It's been cooked up so delicately, with such exquisite attention to detail, that surely Muriel Barbery must be one of the best authors writing anywhere in the world today - and this is in translation.
The Gourmet is the first book Ms Barbery wrote, although she is far better known for her second, the bestselling Elegance of the Hedgehog - which I haven't read but will do now. The main ingredient of the story is France's most famous and celebrated restaurant critic Pierre Arthens. He is dying and he sets a slight but intriguing mystery on the second page of the book, he is trying to recall a flavour that is 'the key to my entire life'. Much of the rest of the book is concerned with him reliving particularly exquisite meals, or taste experiences as he searches his memory for this lost flavour and as he does so he tells his life story.
Interspersed with Pierre's chapters, are brief chapters from other characters, his long-suffering wife, the children who can't stand the pompous, unloving old man, and his mistresses. We even have one chapter told from the point of view of a statuette on his desk, and another from a cat. This isn't as twee as it sounds, and each gives us a different perspective on the man.
The descriptions of place and food are as good as any I've ever read, simply superb. Ms Barbery, in the voice of Pierre Arthens, describes simple things like orange sorbet in such an amazingly three dimensional way that she actually made me begin to 'taste' them in my mouth, as well as in my mind. And as well as the food, there is one chapter in which a dog is described (I'm very fond of dogs) that's the best description of a dog I've ever read too.
It's difficult to find any fault with this perfect, elegant and lovely little book. The only point that slightly spoiled the perfection was the fact that, when the forgotten taste is revealed it's not something which which most readers outside France will recognise. That said, Ms Barbery makes its symbolic significance absolutely clear (can't say more without giving it away) so it's certainly not enough of a quibble to lose a star.
I reckon anyone who loves food, loves John Banville's style of writing, or is just looking for something fresh and delightful to read, should try this book.
The Gourmet is the first book Ms Barbery wrote, although she is far better known for her second, the bestselling Elegance of the Hedgehog - which I haven't read but will do now. The main ingredient of the story is France's most famous and celebrated restaurant critic Pierre Arthens. He is dying and he sets a slight but intriguing mystery on the second page of the book, he is trying to recall a flavour that is 'the key to my entire life'. Much of the rest of the book is concerned with him reliving particularly exquisite meals, or taste experiences as he searches his memory for this lost flavour and as he does so he tells his life story.
Interspersed with Pierre's chapters, are brief chapters from other characters, his long-suffering wife, the children who can't stand the pompous, unloving old man, and his mistresses. We even have one chapter told from the point of view of a statuette on his desk, and another from a cat. This isn't as twee as it sounds, and each gives us a different perspective on the man.
The descriptions of place and food are as good as any I've ever read, simply superb. Ms Barbery, in the voice of Pierre Arthens, describes simple things like orange sorbet in such an amazingly three dimensional way that she actually made me begin to 'taste' them in my mouth, as well as in my mind. And as well as the food, there is one chapter in which a dog is described (I'm very fond of dogs) that's the best description of a dog I've ever read too.
It's difficult to find any fault with this perfect, elegant and lovely little book. The only point that slightly spoiled the perfection was the fact that, when the forgotten taste is revealed it's not something which which most readers outside France will recognise. That said, Ms Barbery makes its symbolic significance absolutely clear (can't say more without giving it away) so it's certainly not enough of a quibble to lose a star.
I reckon anyone who loves food, loves John Banville's style of writing, or is just looking for something fresh and delightful to read, should try this book.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Legendary food critic Pierre Arthens is dying, but he doesn't want his family or friends at his deathbed. No, he wants to isolate the food that he needs to taste one more time before he goes. And so he searches his memories of his life, trying to find that moment which is eluding his grasp. Meanwhile, his friends and family reflect on him, his attitude towards them, and their feelings, and it becomes clear that this book isn't really about food, after all.
One thing is certain; this book will make you very, very hungry. Unfortunately I don't have it with me as I'm writing this review, but its descriptions of the food that Pierre has eaten are lush and amazing, and he eats everything from huge rustic meals to the most refined fare at restaurants. I was wondering if food critics really examined their food in such detail, but then I figured they must. I enjoy Barbery's writing, assuming my translation is fluid, and so reading this book was very pleasant for me.
I didn't think it was as good as The Elegance of the Hedgehog, though. There were no insights that I felt applied to my own life outside the book, if that makes sense, aside from maybe showing love towards people that I love, which I think most normal people do anyway. Pierre's character just never rose above his neglect of family and friends in search of food, and it becomes clear that he's deprived himself of all the love that he could have had, and deprived his children and wife of a proper husband and father. He's extremely self-absorbed and the only thing he really loves is food. His realizations all came a little too late for me to appreciate them, and I found I enjoyed the other characters' chapters more than his, even if I did enjoy reading about his culinary delights. I could really feel for the other characters and it was fun to see a few from Hedgehog turn up to talk about Pierre, since he's the one that dies early on in that book.
The Gourmet is so short, however, that it's probably worth a read even if you don't like Pierre. I'd definitely recommend it for food lovers in particular, and for anyone who has already enjoyed Barbery's work.
One thing is certain; this book will make you very, very hungry. Unfortunately I don't have it with me as I'm writing this review, but its descriptions of the food that Pierre has eaten are lush and amazing, and he eats everything from huge rustic meals to the most refined fare at restaurants. I was wondering if food critics really examined their food in such detail, but then I figured they must. I enjoy Barbery's writing, assuming my translation is fluid, and so reading this book was very pleasant for me.
I didn't think it was as good as The Elegance of the Hedgehog, though. There were no insights that I felt applied to my own life outside the book, if that makes sense, aside from maybe showing love towards people that I love, which I think most normal people do anyway. Pierre's character just never rose above his neglect of family and friends in search of food, and it becomes clear that he's deprived himself of all the love that he could have had, and deprived his children and wife of a proper husband and father. He's extremely self-absorbed and the only thing he really loves is food. His realizations all came a little too late for me to appreciate them, and I found I enjoyed the other characters' chapters more than his, even if I did enjoy reading about his culinary delights. I could really feel for the other characters and it was fun to see a few from Hedgehog turn up to talk about Pierre, since he's the one that dies early on in that book.
The Gourmet is so short, however, that it's probably worth a read even if you don't like Pierre. I'd definitely recommend it for food lovers in particular, and for anyone who has already enjoyed Barbery's work.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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This is a slight but enjoyable book. The publisher pulls a trick three-quarters of the way through by inserting book club questions and a chapter from the author's other book. Beware if you're particularly enjoying the book: it ends before you expect it to!
It is a typically French book: familiar and bourgeois and yet foreign. The prose is assured, elegant, rich even, yet there is nothing particularly obscure or difficult to understand. The descriptions of food are, as you would hope, excellent.
The unattractive central character (yet is he really so bad?) is revealed through the voices of those who know him. He has devoted his life to a cause, a pursuit of excellence, with utter single-minded selfishness. There is the inevitable comparison to Proust (here, though, Proust is turned on his head: rather than a taste setting off memories, the Gourmet is in search of a flavour and has no shortage of memories) yet it is a much slighter book, without being lighter weight.
Good stuff.
It is a typically French book: familiar and bourgeois and yet foreign. The prose is assured, elegant, rich even, yet there is nothing particularly obscure or difficult to understand. The descriptions of food are, as you would hope, excellent.
The unattractive central character (yet is he really so bad?) is revealed through the voices of those who know him. He has devoted his life to a cause, a pursuit of excellence, with utter single-minded selfishness. There is the inevitable comparison to Proust (here, though, Proust is turned on his head: rather than a taste setting off memories, the Gourmet is in search of a flavour and has no shortage of memories) yet it is a much slighter book, without being lighter weight.
Good stuff.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A bit of a disappointment
I loved the Elegance of the Hedgehog and so had high hopes for this one. However, I didn't sympathise with any of the characters, most of whom were selfish and self-seeking, and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Barcelonadweller
a treat
The Gourmet is the first novel by Muriel Barbery. Pierre Arthens, France's greatest food critic, is dying. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Cloggie Downunder
Taste ... or maybe not.
Well, yes, France's top food critic is dying and struggling to remember the finest taste that has ever passed his lips. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gareth Smyth
Beautiful writing but not as good as I'd hoped, unfortunately...
I'm a big fan of food writing so this was a must read as far as I was concerned. My lasting impression of `The Gourmet' is that it is actually a bit of an odd book and it's hard to... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Nicola F (Nic)
Very different from The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Well-known food critic Pierre Arthens is dying, and before he goes he wants to remember the food that he needs to taste for the last time. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Gabrielle O
Determinedly literary
The jacket of this book proclaims this is from the author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog and indeed that's what drew me to it. Read more
Published 16 months ago by R. Lawson
A nice 'food' book
This is a nice book, which I choose not for the writer, who I did not know but for the title and the topic. I was keen to try something different and different it is. Read more
Published 16 months ago by M. A. Lely
The Gourmet
Excellent book - quirky and unusual - makes you want to research your own food loves. Not as stunning a book as the one which follows it - The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Published 18 months ago by Ms. Janice C. Booth
The Gourmet
Although I had read the review of this book and knew that it did not completely excite the critics, I wanted to read it as
I had read and admired "The Elegance of the... Read more
I had read and admired "The Elegance of the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Renaissance
An amusing read for someone who enjoys food
I enjoyed reading this amusing canter through gourmet meals, experienced through the reminiscenes of gourmet Pierre Arthens who languishes on his death-bed. Read more
Published 20 months ago by A Common Reader
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