Two Reviews: The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff and The Pedant in the Kitchen by Julian Barnes

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

Hachette Books, 2008

364 pages

Hyperion Audiobooks, 2008

narrated by Nicole Roberts

13 hours and 6 minutes

Motivation for reading: Taming the TBR! This book has been on my shelf since 2008.

Publisher's summary:

In the wake of a disastrous affair with her older, married archeology professor at Stanford, brilliant Wilhelmina Cooper arrives back at the doorstep of her hippie mother-turned-born-again-Christian's house in Templeton, New York - a storybook town her ancestors founded that sits on the shores of Lake Glimmerglass. Upon her arrival, a prehistoric monster surfaces in the lake, bringing a feeding frenzy to the quiet town. And Willie learns she has a mystery father her mother has kept secret for Willie's entire life.

The beautiful, broody Willie is told that the key to her biological father's identity lies somewhere in her twisted family tree. She finds more than she bargained for as a chorus of voices from the town's past, some sinister, all fascinating, rise up around her to tell their side of the story. In the end, dark secrets come to light, past and present day are blurred, and old mysteries are finally put to rest.

My thoughts:

This was just an okay read for me. It's well-written and clever, but hard to follow at times... especially while listening.

The town of Templeton is actually Cooperstown, NY, thinly disguised, where Groff grew up. It's also close enough to our former NY home for me to recognize local landmarks and lore. The Temple family in the novel is supposed to represent that of author James Fenimore Cooper. 

Groff's text features many old photographs, drawings, and family trees... things I tend to love in a novel. Unfortunately, as a read/listen combination, I missed being able to refer back to the convoluted Temple family tree. The story itself was interesting enough, but the local references really kept me engaged.

My rating: Three stars, with an extra half for the familiar setting and pleasant audio narration.

The Pedant in the Kitchen

by Julian Barnes, narrated by Simon Vance

Recorded Books, 2021

2 hours and 29 minutes

The Pedant in the Kitchen is a perfect comfort for anyone who has ever been defeated by a cookbook. The Pedant's ambition is simple. He wants to cook tasty, nutritious food; he wants not to poison his friends; and he wants to expand, slowly and with pleasure, his culinary repertoire.

Who knew author Julian Barnes likes to cook? Ever since Audrey mentioned this book years ago, I've kept an eye out for a copy. Libraries, book stores, and used book sales repeatedly turned up nothing. This short collection of essays has been around since 2003 but an audio version (narrated by Simon Vance, no less)  was just produced last year.  I was shocked to discover it available for download via hoopla!

Barnes discusses everything from cookbooks (how many is too many?) and the size of an "average" onion to approved culinary shortcuts and his tendency to hoard kitchen gadgets.  I recognized my own culinary tendencies and hang ups in nearly every essay and often found myself nodding in agreement or laughing out loud. I highly recommend this short collection and am certain it's every bit as good in print.

Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin

"... an unstuffed turkey is like a jigsaw puzzle of the American flag with a piece missing right in the middle."  

- from "Stuffing: A Confession" in Home Cooking  by Laurie Colwin 

Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen
by Laurie Colwin
Open Road Media, 2014
(originally published, 1988)
193 pages
source: publisher via NetGalley for review consideration


For two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I am obsessed with the meal... to brine or not to brine, twice baked or mashed, how many sides, will four pies suffice, etc. Never mind the logistics of fitting everyone around the table or what time dinner should be served.

As I fussed with recipes, shopping, and planning, Laurie Colwin was like an old friend whose quiet presence reassured me it would all turn out just fine. During this time, I was too preoccupied to read much, but her short essays were the perfect diversion. I made time to read a few every evening.

 By 21st century standards, the essays in Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen  certainly feel dated, but Colwin's warmth and personality shine through, so I didn't mind one bit.

And that's really the point, anyway. We no longer discuss whether stuffing belongs inside the bird, but our feelings behind the stuffing are timeless. Doesn't every family take pride in their  special stuffing recipe?

Colwin, a prolific writer of both fiction and nonfiction, died suddenly in 1992 when she was only 48 years old. Last month Open Road Media released her work in ebook format, making it possible for a new generation of digital readers to discover her talent.

I hope they do.


More Quotes:

"... when the chips are down, the spirit is exhausted and the body hungry, the same old thing is a great consolation. When people who must provide meals are too tired to think of what to cook, those old standbys come to the rescue. They are things a person can cook half asleep."
- from "The Same Old Thing" 

"..this implies that I do not like to eat al fresco. No sane person does, I feel. When it is nice enough for people to eat outside, it is also nice enough for mosquitoes, horse and deer flies, as well as wasps and yellow jackets."
- from How to Avoid Grilling 

"A long time ago it occurred to me that when people are tired and hungry, which in adult life is much of the time, they do not want to be confronted by an intellectually challenging meal; they want to be consoled.
      When life is hard and the day has been long, the ideal dinner is not four perfect courses, each in a lovely pool of sauce whose ambrosial flavors are like nothing ever before tasted, but rather something comforting and savory, easy on the digestion -- something that makes one feel, if even only for a minute, that one is safe."
- from "Nursery Food"

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage
by Ann Patchett
narrated by Ann Patchett
Harper Audio, 2013
11 hours and 35 minutes
source: purchased

Publisher's summary:
Blending literature and memoir, Ann Patchett, author of State of Wonder and Bel Canto examines her deepest commitments: to writing, family, friends, dogs, books, and her husband in This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Together, these essays, previously published in The Atlantic, Harper, Vogue, and The Washington Post, form a resonant portrait of a life lived with loyalty and with love.

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage takes us into the very real world of Ann Patchett's life. Stretching from her childhood to the present day, from a disastrous early marriage to a later happy one, it covers a multitude of topics, including relationships with family and friends, and charts the hard work and joy of writing, and the unexpected thrill of opening a bookstore.

As she shares stories of the people, places, ideals, and art to which she has remained indelibly committed, Ann Patchett brings into focus the large experiences and small moments that have shaped her as a daughter, wife, and writer.

My thoughts:

As much as I've enjoyed reading Ann Patchett's novels over the years, I'm beginning to think nonfiction is her true calling. This is The Story of a Happy Marriage, her latest book, is a collection of essays. Most have been previously published and I'd even read a few, yet they seemed more powerful when collected.

From unhappy childhood Christmas memories to the obligatory advice for would-be writers, the book also includes Patchett's essays about opening an independent bookstore in Nashville and her controversial convocation address delivered at Clemson University. The piece about her grandmother's death had me literally sobbing on an early morning beach walk. {Thank God for sunglasses!} The same thing happened as she said goodbye to her beloved dog, Rose, a few essays later. Patchett also shares the story of her brief, disastrous first marriage, and recounts how her second marriage, the happy one, came to be.

The reader begins to know and understand Patchett through her essays, and listening to the author read her own work imparts an even greater sense of intimacy. Her voice is very pleasant, too. If you listen to audiobooks, I highly recommend choosing the audio version here.

All in all, this collection is a perfect blend of the writing life and life experiences. The essays are thought-provoking, interesting, and moving, and I would be hard-pressed to select a favorite. Patchett's Truth and Beauty  was a nonfiction favorite back in 2005 and I'm sure This is the Story of a Happy Marriage will be on my list this year.

My rating:

The Sunday Salon: Au Revoir, July

And so, Paris in July draws to a close. Karen and Tamara have hosted a month filled with French-themed books, movies, food, art, music, travel and more. My month has focused on French-themed reading - nonfiction, a novel, short stories and essays. There are still two books I won't finish before the end of the month, but would like to mention.

Paris Was Ours by Penelope Rowlands
The book opens with Rowland's own reflection on the city, "I'm a Parisian of the recurrent, revolving-door kind." Her essay is followed by the thoughts and observations of thirty-two other writers who made Paris there own. They write about money, fashion, dating, parenting, food, and more. My initial plan was to read the book cover-to-cover, but I've decided instead to space the essays out over the rest of the summer. This is a book to be savored.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
My current audiobook is proving to be the perfect follow-up to A Moveable Feast, adding further fuel to my Hemingway fixation. It's a fictionalized account of the Heminway's time in Paris, told from Hadley's perspective. I have to keep reminding myself this is fiction. Reading Hemingway's early stories concurrently is enriching the experience.

Preparations are also underway for next summer. Knowing I've been unable to find any of Colette's novels or short stories locally, my daughter brought this treasure home from New York. I wonder if I'll be able wait that long....

I'll close our trip with Ernest Hemingway's final paragraph of A Moveable Feast:

"There is never any ending to Paris and the memory of each person who has lived in it differs from that of any other. We always return to it no matter who we were or how it was changed or with what difficulties, or ease, it could be reached. Paris was always worth it and you received return for whatever you brought to it. But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy."

Thank you, again, Karen and Tamara. I've had a wonderful time in Paris this month.

Weekend Cooking: The Secret Ingredient by M.F.K. Fisher

For today's Weekend Cooking, I pulled out Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Wine, and read "The Secret Ingredient" by M.F.K. Fisher. This essay, at the beginning of the "Dining In" section, begins:

"It is common in small communities, especially if they are far from large towns, for one person or another to become known for a special power... At present, I myself, living less than a hundred miles from a big city and with about two thousand other townspeople, do not know of any witches or warlocks, but there are several people who seem to have an uncanny power over food. They manage to keep to themselves whatever it is that makes their creations subtly and definitely better than any attempts to approximate them. They are willing to make... clowns of themselves to protect their recipes."

The author goes on to describe one such person - Berite Bastalizzo. When Bertie made food for her friends or neighbors, she would include specific instruction on everything from how long to let the food "rest", suggested accompaniments, and even the type of bowl or tray to serve it on. But one thing Bertie would not share was her recipe. Oh, she may have given some instruction on how her dish could be recreated, but it was never the same. Her semi-literate scribbles always seemed vague or lacking. Occasionally, there was even an outright error.

Fisher muses, "I really cannot believe that a good cook will distort a prideful recipe."

Well, I can! The entire essay could have been about mother's friend Tina - also an Italian woman - who spoke with a heavy accent and loved to prepare food for her friends... but would not share her recipes.

Baked Italian Fish was one of her specialties. Tina and her husband loved to fish. Following one of their early morning expeditions, we would often get a late afternoon phone call. "I gotta some feesh for you. I'ma comin' now." What a treat!

Tina's Chicken Riggies were to die for, but it was a well-known fact the recipe she shared was not the recipe she used. Something was purposefully omitted.

Tina knew my particular favorite was her Eggplant Parmesan. She wouldn't share that recipe either but often, when she made it for her own family, she would bring my mother a small plate the following day. "I know JoAnna likes this one."

Fisher wrote this essay in 1968, just a few years before Tina started bringing me her Eggplant Parmesan. Bertie and Tina are both gone now. Maybe that "secret ingredient" mentality is gone, too. Maybe it was a quality particular to Italian immigrants. Either way, the essay made me wish for a glass of my grandfather's homemade wine so I could raise a toast to Tina.

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Visit her blog for links to more Weekend Cooking Posts.

Weekend Cooking: Secret Ingredients

Saturday means Weekend Cooking - a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Last week, I made Snickerdoodles before we traveled to a basketball tournament at Williams College (Daughter #1 and the girls loved them!). This week, I thought I'd share my book purchase.

Before Saturday's game, we had time to explore the lovely shops and cafes in Williamstown. My favorite was Water Street Books, which turned out to be the Williams College bookstore. There was quite a bit of activity that morning (kids making Christmas ornaments, books being gift-wrapped, hot chocolate and cookies offered) which, combined with the cozy atmosphere, made me wish I had hours for browsing.

My sole purchase (amazing will-power was exercised, believe me!) was Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink. This has been around for a while, but a paperback edition was recently introduced. Since I love cooking, eating, and The New Yorker, this collection looks like a sure winner!

The essays are grouped in sections including: Dining Out, Eating In, Fishing and Foraging, The Pour, Fiction, and more. Cartoons are also liberally sprinkled throughout the collection.

I sampled "Don't Eat Before Reading This" by Anthony Bourdain, originally published in 1999. It includes such pearls of wisdom as:

"In New York, locals dine during the week. Weekends are considered amateur nights - for tourists, rubes, and the well-done-ordering pre-theater crowds. The fish may be just as fresh on Friday, but it's on Tuesday that you've got the goodwill of the kitchen on your side."

"Most chefs believe that supermarket chickens in this country are slimy and tasteless compared with European varieties. Pork, on the other hand, is cool... Pork tastes different, depending on what you do with it, but chicken always tastes like chicken."

Most of this essay, and much more, was included in Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential. The audio version is read by the author and very well done. It offers a whole new perspective on dining out!

I hope to occasionally share other essays from this collection in future Weekend Cooking posts.