Ruth Reichl is a born storyteller. Through her restaurant reviews, where she celebrated the pleasures of a well-made meal, and her bestselling memoirs that address our universal feelings of love and loss, Reichl has achieved a special place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers. Now, with this magical debut novel, she has created a sumptuous, wholly realized world that will enchant … you.
Billie Breslin has traveled far from her home in California to take a job at Delicious!, New York’s most iconic food magazine. Away from her family, particularly her older sister, Genie, Billie feels like a fish out of water—until she is welcomed by the magazine’s colorful staff. She is also seduced by the vibrant downtown food scene, especially by Fontanari’s, the famous Italian food shop where she works on weekends. Then Delicious! is abruptly shut down, but Billie agrees to stay on in the empty office, maintaining the hotline for reader complaints in order to pay her bills.
To Billie’s surprise, the lonely job becomes the portal to a miraculous discovery. In a hidden room in the magazine’s library, Billie finds a cache of letters written during World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the legendary chef James Beard. Lulu’s letters provide Billie with a richer understanding of history, and a feeling of deep connection to the young writer whose courage in the face of hardship inspires Billie to comes to terms with her fears, her big sister and her ability to open her heart to love.
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This book was totally unexpected and is perhaps one of my favorite books of the last few years. I was utterly charmed and captivated by the narrative voice, by the rich and deeply kind cast of characters, and most of all, by the history and the food and the simple, beautiful storytelling caught within the pages. This was one of those special books that finds you and refuses to let go, and I’m so glad to have stumbled upon it.
Easy read. Honestly make your mouth water as you read about some of the things that she makes. Love the thread from the perspective of a young woman writing to Charles Beard during the war.
Quite a page turner
Delicious
The title, Delicious, is more than the name of the gourmet magazine where Billie Breslin finds employment when she flees her West Coast home. Given her background, it comes as no surprise that Ruth Reichl’s descriptions of Billie’s encounters of the food kind are vivid to the point of making the reader’s mouth water. However, she serves up a delightful smorgasbord of characters that delight the imagination in the sauce of a plot that is both, piquant and engaging. The presentation of the story in a vividly depicted New York is intertwined with a fictitious World War II correspondence between James Beard and a young girl from Akron Ohio. This was a one sitting read that kept me up late into the night until I reached the end. Delicious, indeed!
I enjoyed this book – great characters and a little mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was disappointed when it ended. So much so that I started reading it again. So well written.
I loved every minute I spent in reading Ruth Reichl’s novel, Delicious! Centered around food – and not just any food — but the best, I realized that it was good that I’m vegetarian, otherwise I’d be tortured with every page of food described and left gnawing my wrist in absolute hunger. Who knew that there is a subtle but noticeable difference in summer cheese and winter cheese? Now I want to taste them side by side!
There is far more here than food, although spectacular as it sounds when lovingly described by the author. She has created a mystery and a handful of wonderfully unique characters involved in solving it. It isn’t an easy puzzle to solve and time is short. Really short!
I end with this and say no more —you won’t regret a single moment of putting the phone on silent and steeping yourself into this cappuccino of a tale: dark, complex roasted mystery with a warm, comfortable layer above, topped in fun and froth!
Great book!
I like anything by Ruth Reichl!
So well written, this was a joy to read. A great story about food, magazines, New York and love!
Loved this book = kept me interested to the end
I love this author and enjoyed all her books about being a food critic. This fiction book is full of charm and all the feel good parts one seeks in a good book.
I read “Delicious” many years ago and can still remember how much I loved it. It’s one of those books that stays with you and makes you sad when it ends. I keep looking for more books by Ruth Reichl. Enjoyed some of her cook books too.
I enjoyed reading about the various neighborhood grocers.
This was a delightful, unique read. The characters are quirky and likeable; there’s surprising twists, a bit of history, and emotional twists and turns. I would read more of this author’s stories.
I loved this one! It was beautiful and so fun!
Delicious, by Ruth Reichl, is a simply delightful book! I listened to the audiobook version, and the rendition of the characters is superb. After recommending this book to 2 of my friends who are avid readers, they let me know that they loved the ebook as well. Highly recommended!
I adored this book!
What fun having a sleuth who not only has the ability to detect obscure spices and enhance recipes, but sets out to identify and find the author of some discovered old letters. Those letters, written by Lulu to James Beard were beautiful and kept the story interesting. The letters from Billie to her sister also held mystique. I really enjoyed Lulu and Sal, and Mrs. Cloverly, a frequent caller on the Delicious! hotline. This book had flavor, and it really takes on life with the ever touted gingerbread recipe at the end, which just might be the icing on the cake. I hope the author writes another book as temptingly delicious!
This book makes you want to strive for your dreams. Even though there is a sadness to this story it is very interesting. Two very different sisters, one believes she is the unattractive lower achiever, while her sister is the shinning star. I think most people would enjoy this book.