Finalist for the Kiriyama Prize for FictionWorld Gourmand Award
Winner "Stunning... will really make your mouth water."
-"Entertainment Weekly" "Entertaining and learned... the perfect
leisure read...effortless... profound... delicious."
-"Wall Street Journal" "The most thorough explanation of Chinese
food I've ever read in the English language."
-Ruth Reichl, "NPR" "A dazzling journey... a feast... a page turner
both exciting and wise."
-David Henry Hwang "Food and travel writing at its best...
engaging, inventive, and incredibly informative."
-"Booksense" "It doesn't seem quite fair for an author to be as
skilled...as Nicole Mones. Entrances."
-"Seattle Times" "Will transport you... you won't want to put the
book down..."
-"NW Asian Weekly" "A masterpiece for Chinese food."
-Edouard Cointreau, judges' panel, World Gourmand Award
"Subtle...meticulously researched... will entice. Avoid reading
while hungry."
-"Kirkus Reviews" "Sumptuous... tantalizing. Early in her visit,
Maggie scoffs at the idea that food can heal the human heart. Mones
smartly proves her wrong."
-"Publisher's Weekly" "Crackling with energy and ambition.. will
delight... erudite details and butter-smooth prose."
-Diana Abu-Jaber "Maybe you never considered the imperial heights
of Chinese cuisine. Nicole Mones can change that with the flip of a
page."
-"Charlotte Observer" "Outstanding and beautifully written."
-"Willamette Week" Erudite and entertaining...mouthwatering details
on one of the world's greatest cuisines."
-"Northwest Asian Times" "Captivating...evocative... admirably
adept...invaluably quirky knowledge about Chinese culture and food.
"
-"New York Times Book Review ""Delicious... deftly portrays
complexity and passion of a cross-cultural love affair... and the
rarefied and competitive world of Chinese haute cuisine, a subtle
complex art that reached its apogee in the court of the Emperor and
was nearly obliterated in Mao's Cultural Revolution."
Judges' Citation," Kiriyama Prize ""Delicious...reveals the
sophistication of an ancient culture but also its corruption,
cronyism, and poverty. "
-"Waterstone Review"
A recently widowed American food writer finds solace and love--and
the most inspiring food she's ever encountered--during a visit to
China in Mones's sumptuous latest. Still reeling from husband
Matt's accidental death a year ago, food writer Maggie McElroy is
flummoxed when a paternity claim is filed against Matt's estate
from Beijing, where he sometimes traveled for business. Before
Maggie embarks on the obligatory trip to investigate, her editor
assigns her a profile on Sam Liang, a half-Chinese American chef
living in Beijing who is about to enter a prestigious cooking
competition. Sam's old-school recipes and history lessons of high
Chinese cuisine kick-start Maggie's dulled passion for food and
help her let go of her grief, even as she learns of Matt's Beijing
bed hopping. Though the narrative can get bogged down in the
minutiae of Chinese culinary history (filtered through the
experiences of Sam's family), Mones's descriptions of fine cuisine
are tantalizing, and her protagonist's quest is bracing and
unburdened by melodrama. Early in her visit, Maggie scoffs at the
idea that "food can heal the human heart." Mones smartly proves her
wrong.
Publishers Weekly
"Mones, a contributor to Gourmet, paints a stunning picture of a
country caught between tradition and modern life. Grade: A-" -
Entertainment Weekly 15MinutesMagazine.com
"It doesn't seem quite fair for a writer to be as skilled at genre
hopping as Nicole Mones" -Seattle Times 15MinutesMagazine.com
"Mones has crafted an entertaining and erudite novel cleverly
interspersed with mouthwatering details on one of the world's
greatest cuisines" - Northwest Aisian Times
15MinutesMagazine.com
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