Wednesday

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

The School of Essential Ingredients is the story of eight individuals who come together for one Monday a month to participate in a cooking class. This class is hosted by Lillian who has quite the knack for making food bring the best out in a person. Each chapter focuses on a particular student and deals with topics/issues that can be considered deep and thought provoking.

I absolutely fell in love with Ms. Bauermeister’s writing. Her descriptions of food were so rich that I could actually envision and practically smell what was being cooked. Too bad there weren’t any actual recipes - some of the meals were just mouth watering. Each of the characters were interesting in their own way. Some of their stories were sad (yes, I admit it, I did shed a tear or two) and others were quite uplifting. And although the stories are short, they contain the "essential elements" of each character, and I found myself unexpectedly moved by their stories. For each character, food has had an impact on their lives and you enjoy getting to know these people and reinforcing the idea that food is much more than sustenance. This book is a celebration of the senses with the added beauty of personal growth of its characters.

I am definitely adding this to my list of favorite books in 2009. It was a quick, simple read that teaches you how to cook without a cookbook. My only complaint would be that it was too short. The story is beautiful and the writing is just lovely - this is one of those books that you just have to own.

10 comments:

Mary (Bookfan) said...

This has the distinction of being the first book I read on my Kindle several months ago. I absolutely loved it and it's on my 2009 Favorites list. I agree, it was too short : )

Tales of Whimsy said...

Wow. What a review. I have to check it out.

Vanessa said...

Nice review! I really enjoyed this as well.

I'll link your review from mine, if that's ok.

Missy B. said...

This one is in my TBR stack. Great review!

There is an award waiting for you at my blog:

http://missysbooknook.blogspot.com/2009/07/with-gratitude.html

Jessica said...

I like the sound of this book. I'll be adding this one to my wishlist. Thanks!

Ana S. said...

Most of the reviews I've seen so far mention how beautiful the writing is, and that's a strong selling point to me. Must get my hands on this one!

EricaB said...

Dear Nely -- thank you for a lovely review! And if you are interested in recipes, I have been posting some as guest blogs around the internet. They'll all be collected and put on my new and improved website in a couple months, so keep an eye out! (www.ericabauermeister.com)

The Reading Momster said...

ohhh wowwww! Mouth watering, tear-shedding ~~ has to be awesome.

I am adding it to my wish-list!

I wish the paperback would release here :)

Beth F said...

I have this sitting here -- I MUST get to it.

Darlene said...

I really enjoyed this book. It's one of my favorites of 2009 as well.

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