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Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites
That the greatly admired novelist Kate Christensen has turned to the memoir form after six novels makes this book an event. Readers of memoirs of high literary quality, particularly those with food themes—most conspicuously Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me with Apples and Gabrielle Hamilton's Blood, Bones, and Butter—as well as admirers of M. F. K. Fisher and Laurie Colwin will be
...more
Hardcover
,
368 pages
Published
July 9th 2013
by Doubleday
(first published January 1st 2013)
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22nd out of 115 books
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The main problem with this book I don't understand its purpose. Why does a 40-somthing author of average note need to write an autobiography? To be fair, I have not read any of Christensen's novels, so maybe her fans were clamoring to know more about her as a person. This book was suggested to me probably because of the subtitle "An Autobiography of My Appetites," and I generally like reading foodie books. However, I think to call this a foodie memoir is a stretch. She does talk about food some,
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My first run in with Kate’s work was back in 2008 when my innocent twenty seven year old self finally got to learn a thing or two about wine from reading The Great Man. I passed the simple yet creative cover at a bookstore and then traced back, took a peak and decided to read it. I was mesmerized by the language, the wording and the complex imagination and the cover that stopped me was of a simple paint brush, I do art and design for a living so it called me with its elegant simplicity. Perhaps
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Writing quality: 5 stars. That's the easy part.
The hard part is basically thus: You can't really "review" this sort of navel-gazing memoire without basically rating someone's life, and that's just plain uncomfortable, at least to me. I can now definitely assert that I much more enjoy memoires when they involve an historically significant event or period, or are put in a larger context of some greater social or historical upheaval. (See, for example, Madeline Albright's memoires.) This memoire, o ...more
The hard part is basically thus: You can't really "review" this sort of navel-gazing memoire without basically rating someone's life, and that's just plain uncomfortable, at least to me. I can now definitely assert that I much more enjoy memoires when they involve an historically significant event or period, or are put in a larger context of some greater social or historical upheaval. (See, for example, Madeline Albright's memoires.) This memoire, o ...more
... Just second-guessed my rating (again). It's not a one-star book ...
I didn't completely hate this, but I should stick with my standard Goodreads ratings and
give it one star
give it two stars
, because I
just didn't like the book
thought it was just okay
. Three problems for me, in no particular order:
[1] Though Christensen's novels are creative and witty and have a distinctive voice, the writing in this book was only functional. Sentence-level uninteresting, too. As if writing about herself ...more
I didn't completely hate this, but I should stick with my standard Goodreads ratings and
[1] Though Christensen's novels are creative and witty and have a distinctive voice, the writing in this book was only functional. Sentence-level uninteresting, too. As if writing about herself ...more
I was having a hard time settling for anything I picked up until this book. My advice? Get it as soon as possible. I'm not braggin' People, but my copy is an ARC. (Okay, I AM bragging.) I LOVED it! I made a list of her already published books that I must have! 'Blue Plate Special' is Christensen's memoir encompassing her early life on to her college and adult life with all her quirky family and her quirkier decisions. Not average in any way. The liet motif throughout is her enjoyment - her adora
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Sometimes a book arrives in your hands like a cosmic gift. Blue Plate Special was that gift for me.
I've been a fan of Kate Christensen's writing for years (Epicure's Lament is my favorite, which I'm now eager to go back and re-read), and this memoir draws back the curtain on the author's own life and the real inspiration for some of the stories and characters that populate her novels.
But more than that, I loved this book because I feel a great kinship to Kate Christensen. This is a woman who has ...more
I've been a fan of Kate Christensen's writing for years (Epicure's Lament is my favorite, which I'm now eager to go back and re-read), and this memoir draws back the curtain on the author's own life and the real inspiration for some of the stories and characters that populate her novels.
But more than that, I loved this book because I feel a great kinship to Kate Christensen. This is a woman who has ...more
I don't mind giving this five stars even though it is not a life-changing tome; it is insightful, reflective, healing, and incredibly honest. I love that Christensen makes such tough calls about her own life but makes no attempt to extend them to lessons for others. Sharp, incridibly sad, and funny.
Comfort food for mind and body
In "Blue Plate Special" Kate Christensen writes with a good measure of gusto and flare about the associations food has had with the events of her life. It's a memoir informed by the view that "to taste fully is to live fully."
It's a banquet of a book served up to be enjoyed - for the most part.
I found it to be what you would expect a memoir to be, a story at times heartwarming, funny, earthy, sad and even soulful.
It's written with obvious enthusiasm and flair. But ...more
In "Blue Plate Special" Kate Christensen writes with a good measure of gusto and flare about the associations food has had with the events of her life. It's a memoir informed by the view that "to taste fully is to live fully."
It's a banquet of a book served up to be enjoyed - for the most part.
I found it to be what you would expect a memoir to be, a story at times heartwarming, funny, earthy, sad and even soulful.
It's written with obvious enthusiasm and flair. But ...more
This memoir about author Kate Christensen's life is a compulsively readable account of a truly odd upbringing and an itinerant (and extended) young adulthood. The author frames the circumstances of her life around three dominant themes: food and sex, and to a lesser extent, writing. Her ravenous hunger for each makes the subtitle of this book, "An Autobiography of My Appetites," more than apt.
The first part of the book, dealing with her early life as the child of hippie parents, was fascinating, ...more
The first part of the book, dealing with her early life as the child of hippie parents, was fascinating, ...more
Just too solipsistic of the extreme egocentrism type. . . it seems like recent memoir has taken this turn. It felt like the author knew she was egocentric and self indulgent (she is certainly told that by others if her memoir is accurate), and in some way writing the book is her way of saying I'm no longer like that. I've matured or developed perspective. But the book still suggests significant egocentrism--so either the author doesn't know herself well or its really hard to lose the egocentric
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While this was an interesting autobiography, the food theme promised *by the title of the book* was lacking. Her food mantra throughout the book was simply "I love food," and the few recipes included were just page-fillers that, 1) she did not have an emotional connection to, and 2) looked gross. Why not include the homemade soups and granola she learned to make in France and could not get enough of? Instead, we get "put refried beans in a tortilla and heat." ?? I also feel the author was stretc
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I'm unfamiliar with Christensen's books so I can't judge if this (nonfiction) is in the same vein as her novels. I loved the cover.
I'll give her credit for remembering first and last names going back to grade school but I sure didn't remember all the "then I dated XXX, and lived here, and then dated XXX and moved here, then I went back to XXX and lived here, across the street from XXX." Way too confusing for a non-New York City resident to keep track (or even care) about her different apartment ...more
I'll give her credit for remembering first and last names going back to grade school but I sure didn't remember all the "then I dated XXX, and lived here, and then dated XXX and moved here, then I went back to XXX and lived here, across the street from XXX." Way too confusing for a non-New York City resident to keep track (or even care) about her different apartment ...more
i would say 3.5-stars, if we could give half stars. it was an interesting read for me. i am impressed with christensen's ability to recall such wonderful moments in her life where food really stood out. i have one or two such moments...but certainly not a book's worth.
i have read a few memoirs of late, it's a genre i generally enjoy, and i am coming to realize that while memoirs are inherently self-indulgent, a really great writer can pull off a wonderful memoir without seeming to be entirely dr ...more
i have read a few memoirs of late, it's a genre i generally enjoy, and i am coming to realize that while memoirs are inherently self-indulgent, a really great writer can pull off a wonderful memoir without seeming to be entirely dr ...more
Pretty much anyone who knows me knows that I do not cook so it may surprise you that I very much enjoyed this book.
But this book isn't just intended to be for people who cook. It's pretty much for people who love food and people who love hearing other people's stories. And on all three counts, it succeeds admirably. Blue Plate Special is a book for people who enjoy food and for people who appreciate good stories well told.
And that's honestly the best part of the book for me. Kate Christensen has ...more
But this book isn't just intended to be for people who cook. It's pretty much for people who love food and people who love hearing other people's stories. And on all three counts, it succeeds admirably. Blue Plate Special is a book for people who enjoy food and for people who appreciate good stories well told.
And that's honestly the best part of the book for me. Kate Christensen has ...more
I thought that this was far more of a "foodie" book than it turned out to be. She talks about food pretty often, and has included some recipes in the book, but this is really just a memoir of her childhood into early adulthood. And oh, boy, did she have one heck of a childhood. Her mother was something of an intellectual hippie who later became a psychotherapist , her father was a player pretty much, with a very violent streak and not much interest in his three daughters. There was a precession
...more
Memoir of the author Kate Christensen, with all her trials and tribulations growing up, and a constant backdrop of food, meals, and cooking.
I pretty much binge-read this book over the last few days. Even though I've never read this author before, I was engrossed in her life story. Probably because a) I love the memoir as a genre (making me some kind of voyeur, I suppose?) and b) like Christensen, I'm food-obsessed. The food part, although I thought it was interesting and appreciated it as an unu ...more
I pretty much binge-read this book over the last few days. Even though I've never read this author before, I was engrossed in her life story. Probably because a) I love the memoir as a genre (making me some kind of voyeur, I suppose?) and b) like Christensen, I'm food-obsessed. The food part, although I thought it was interesting and appreciated it as an unu ...more
I'll give this book 3 stars because I cared enough to finish it, but should really subtract a half star because I couldn't wait for it to end so I could pick up something better. The author never seemed to pull me in to her story enough to feel anything but impatience; instead of making me care, she seemed to relate her experiences without emotion, holding me as a reader at arm's length. But I did get a couple of good recipes from this memoir, so that's something.
This book was written by an uninteresting person with an unremarkable life. Guess what? I too had a paper route. I too got the lead in a school play. I had to rebuff sexual advances from authority figures - and yet I haven't felt the need to inflict my nostalgic naval gazing via sub par prose upon the world.
It was okay, slower at first and got interesting towards the end. It was depressing and not at all compelling. It was NOT about food, necessarily. Was expecting food (and her love of it) to play a bigger part. Very egocentric. Probably won't read another one of her books.
I expected a food memoir but found food to be more of an afterthought in this book, as the true appetites it contains are of the author's other excesses, particularly alcohol. I haven't read her fiction before so I have nothing to compare it to, nor do I need to find an author/character particularly likable in order to enjoy the work. However, Christensen made one poor choice after another, careering through a life left unexamined, even on the pages of her memoir. I did not like her (at least th
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I won this book as a giveaway on Goodreads through Doubleday.
I do feel as if I'm cheating a bit reading Christensen's memoir before reading any of her other works, since she is best known for six novels that proceed this, her first non-fiction work. Blue Plate Special is a memoir of Christensen's life from childhood through present day, which uses food as a central theme and unifier. Kate Christensen, who was called by her first name, Laurie, growing up, was raised in Berkeley and later Arizona ...more
I do feel as if I'm cheating a bit reading Christensen's memoir before reading any of her other works, since she is best known for six novels that proceed this, her first non-fiction work. Blue Plate Special is a memoir of Christensen's life from childhood through present day, which uses food as a central theme and unifier. Kate Christensen, who was called by her first name, Laurie, growing up, was raised in Berkeley and later Arizona ...more
This was pretty addictive. While it is billed as a food memoir or "autobiography of my appetites," and even includes recipes at the end of each large section, I thought that the tie-ins to food were, every once in a while, a little bit forced. In one sense, I did not mind this, because it was pretty compulsively readable as a memoir about one interesting woman's life. It didn't need a theme, at least for me, in order to be interesting; it already was. On those odd occasions when food was introdu
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I'm still thinking about this book so perhaps I should give it a 3+/4- ... The concept of this book really spoke to me: a memoir of her life interspersed with exceptional and sometimes mundane but important food experiences. Kate is a foodie, loves everything about food from selecting ingredients, preparing it, sharing it and of course eating it with a good bottle of wine--at times in her life food was about comfort and warmth, at other times only about sustenance and isn't that true for us all?
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If you read novels to glean insights into life and people (I surely do), then it makes sense to also read memoirs, especially memoirs by non-celebrities. What makes this one special is the skillful and unfussy writing (Christensen is the author of six novels), and also the brutal
honesty
with which she examines her troubles and choices. I like also that she places such little stock in "smugly self-denying" asceticism (describing it as a "character flaw" akin to "meanness or hypocrisy"), embracin
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Man, I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I love, love, loved
The Great Man
and recommended it to all of my friends. Alas,
Blue Plate Special
fell flat for me. I wanted far more food descriptions and recipes than the book offered, though admittedly Christensen's culinary descriptions pick up toward the end of the book. And while I appreciate a good anti-hero, Christensen mostly just struck me as depressed. Her life is filled with wonderful adventures–a year as an au pair in France!
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3.5 stars
I enjoy reading memoirs, particularly ones written by a recognized writer/author. So even though I'm not a huge fan of Kate Christensen's novels, I definitely wanted to read this book, plus I liked the title and the cover. Well written and enjoyable enough, this book mislead me. I thought there was going to be more foodie stuff. It turned out there is mention of food and cooking throughout, and there are a few recipes here and there, but basically this book is "just" a story of Christen ...more
I enjoy reading memoirs, particularly ones written by a recognized writer/author. So even though I'm not a huge fan of Kate Christensen's novels, I definitely wanted to read this book, plus I liked the title and the cover. Well written and enjoyable enough, this book mislead me. I thought there was going to be more foodie stuff. It turned out there is mention of food and cooking throughout, and there are a few recipes here and there, but basically this book is "just" a story of Christen ...more
I enjoyed this read as I traveled with the author from childhood to present. The only reason I feel a little hungry is to read another book by Kate Christensen. She has written 7 now and I am sure there will be many more books to come, good. For me her references to Julia Child, Woody Allen, Edith Wharton, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone,and Bridget Jone's England was just fun. Oh how she can weave a sentence and ,yes, I've learned some new words. I think I have to try that Spinach Pie.
The emotion ...more
The emotion ...more
I realized I've fallen terribly, terribly behind on my Goodreads reviews. Anyway, trying to get caught up.
I'm a Kate Christensen super fan, so my opinion might be a touch biased. I've always admired the way she's written about food in her fiction, so this was right up my alley. The book really picked up after Christensen's childhood was over (important though that was to describe). Christensen is such a great stylist that even sections that didn't hold my attention with narrative drive were fun ...more
I'm a Kate Christensen super fan, so my opinion might be a touch biased. I've always admired the way she's written about food in her fiction, so this was right up my alley. The book really picked up after Christensen's childhood was over (important though that was to describe). Christensen is such a great stylist that even sections that didn't hold my attention with narrative drive were fun ...more
With the subtitle "an autobiography of my appetites," I expected more descriptions of food - and generally more of a "foodie" book. I was then a bit shocked when the book opened with a particularly violent episode from her childhood.
Christensen's ever-changing, complicated relationship with food was woven throughout her life experiences, but the book itself does not center around food. Though some parts of the book were a bit slow, I loved her detailed descriptions of the different events in he ...more
Christensen's ever-changing, complicated relationship with food was woven throughout her life experiences, but the book itself does not center around food. Though some parts of the book were a bit slow, I loved her detailed descriptions of the different events in he ...more
I enjoyed this and I enjoy Kate Christensen's writing style. I received her book Trouble as a gift from someone close to me and it was a really good choice. I have to admit that I am a bit perplexed as to how this is a food memoir, because though she mentions food, in no way is this a series of essays on food and oftentimes food only appears as an afterthought or as a commentary on the status of her socioeconomic status/her happiness. So I was disappointed on that front compared to if it had jus
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| Mrs. Eriksson's S...: Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography | 1 | 2 | Jul 28, 2014 07:32AM | |
| Dislike for this book | 2 | 35 | Dec 05, 2013 08:36AM |
KATE CHRISTENSEN is the author of six previous novels, most recently
The Astral
. The Great Man won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award. She has published reviews and essays in numerous publications, most recently the
New York Times Book Review, Bookforum, O, Elle,
and
Gilt Taste
. She writes an occasional drinks column for
The Wall Street Journal
called "With a Twist." She lives in Portland, Maine.
More about Kate Christensen...
