The Last Chinese Chef

Two-Book Day Alert: And what a scrumptious meal it was. THE LAST CHINESE CHEF was handed to Hillary by a friend who told her that, as a foodie, she would love it. Her reading completed, she handed the book to me and I devoured it after lunch. I just adored this novel.

We meet two characters, both at turning points, and watch as both history and food and family and a sense of "place" draw them closer and closer to each other. Mmmmm. It was a tasty book!

Nicole Mones is an author I've never read, but I'm familiar with "Lost In Translation" because of the evil that is Bill Murray (who I still hate hate hate; there's no getting around my utter contempt for him). I actually had a bad taste for a few pages because, well, I hate Bill. Luckily, my feeling passed as Mones transported me to the other side of the Pacific.

The book is like the great meals she describes: subtle, in tune with history and the present, and yet rich and bold. I particularly like that - even though I could sense the ending - I was more taken by the journey. Mones would likely say that the meal is kind of like that: you know that it is going to have to end, and that the end must satisfy the diners, but the last sweet taste is still something that should have its own surprises.

I could see the film in my mind, and - more than anything - this novel made me want to get to know the characters and their world. If I had the time, I'd board a jet to China just to live and breathe and DUH -- EAT -- in the world of this novel.

I RECOMMEND the novel to readers who love detail, who love food, and who can appreciate Guanxi (Mandarin readers have an edge on this detail, so read the book and catch up to them!).

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-7579015-7524053?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+last+chinese+chef