Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl
Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl
110 Rating(s)
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Garlic and Sapphires
The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Author: Ruth Reichl

Narrator: Bernadette Dunne

Unabridged: 10 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/19/2005

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine anonymously. There is her stint as Molly Hollis, a frumpy blond with manicured nails and an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque. The result: her famous double review of the restaurant: first she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, New York Times food critic.

What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various disguises, she finds herself changed not just superficially, but in character as well. She gives a remarkable account of how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.

As she writes, "Every restaurant is a theater . . . even the modest restaurants offer the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while." GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is a reflection on personal identity and role playing in the decadent, epicurean theaters of the restaurant world.

About The Author

Ruth Reichl is the bestselling author of the memoirs Garlic and SapphiresTender at the Bone, and Comfort Me with Apples and the novel Delicious! She was editor in chief of Gourmet magazine for ten years. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and two cats.Bernadette Dunne has been narrating for Books on Tape since 1997. She has been twice nominated for The Audie Award and has won six Golden Earphones awards. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and The Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. She has appeared at The Kennedy Center, The Washington Shakespeare Company, and Woolly Mammoth in Washington, DC. As a playwright, her work has been produced in New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Denise on February 08, 2008

Reichl served as the New York Times food critic from 1993 to 1999, and this book is about her years as "The New York Times Food Critic" -- but it's also about her struggle to evade the identity of The New York Times Food Critic (tm) and get people an honest, egalitarian review of what, exactly, they......more

Goodreads review by Madeleine (Top Shelf Text) on July 21, 2019

Prior to reading Garlic and Sapphires, I wouldn't have pegged myself as a fan of food writing. I love to eat and enjoy talking about food, but I just wasn't sure I wanted to read about other people eating. Well, I was wrong. When I went to pick up this book from the library, my librarian told me tha......more

Goodreads review by Helene Jeppesen on July 23, 2020

This was a delicious surprise!!......more


Quotes

"This wonderful book is funny—at times laugh-out-loud funny—and smart and wise." —The Washington Post

"Reichl is so gifted . . . the reader remains hungry for more." —USA Today

"Expansive and funny." —Entertainment Weekly


Awards

  • Audie Awards