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Learn moreIn her bestselling memoirs Ruth Reichl has long illuminated the theme of how food defines us, and never more so than in her dazzling fiction debut about sisters, family ties, and a young woman who must finally let go of guilt and grief to embrace her own true gifts.
Billie Breslin has travelled far from her California home to take a job at Delicious, the most iconic food magazine in New York and, thus, the world. When the publication is suddenly shut down, the colourful staff, who have become an extended family for Billie, must pick up their lives and move on. Not Billie, though. She is offered a new job: staying behind in the magazine's deserted downtown mansion offices to uphold the "Delicious Guarantee"--a public relations hotline for complaints and recipe inquiries--until further notice. What she doesn't know is that this boring, lonely job will be the portal to a life-changing discovery.
Delicious! carries the reader to the colourful world of downtown New York restaurateurs and artisanal purveyors. And from the lively food shop in Little Italy where Billie works on weekends to a hidden room in the magazine's library where she discovers the letters of Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, who wrote to the legendary chef James Beard during World War II. Lulu's letters lead Billie to a deeper understanding of history (and the history of food), but most important, Lulu's courage in the face of loss inspires Billie to come to terms with her own issues--the panic attacks that occur every time she even thinks about cooking, the truth about the big sister she adored, and her ability to open her heart to love.
Includes a bonus PDF of Billie's Gingerbread Recipe
Ruth Reichl is the bestselling author of Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples. She was editor in chief of Gourmet magazine for ten years. She lives in New York City with her husband, son, and two cats.
Reviews
“Reichl has a novelist's feel for pacing, observation and dialogue; if you've ever started a Ruth Reichl book, you know how difficult they are to putdown.”—CHRIS NUTALL-SMITH, Globe and Mail
“Compulsively readable . . . a treat for anyone who loves a warm, character-packed tale—a delectable mix of flavor, fantasy, and emotional comfortfood.”
—O: The Oprah Magazine
“[Ruth Reichl’s] New York is a fairy-tale town where beautiful food abounds. . . . The novel presents a whole passel of surprises: a puzzle to solve; asecret room; hidden letters; the legacy of James Beard; and a parallel, equally plucky heroine from the past, who also happens to be a culinaryprodigy.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Fascinating characters . . . There’s romance, intrigue, food history, and the fictional appearance of a very real American culinary icon.”
—The Austin Chronicle
“Reichl’s vivid descriptions of food will have readers salivating, and an insider’s look at life at a food magazine is fascinating. Her satisfyingcoming-of-age novel of love and loss vividly demonstrates the power of food to connect people across cultures and generations.”
—Library Journal
“This savory feast of a first novel blends the rich gifts that readers of Reichl’s memoirs and food writing have come to expect. To a tantalizingcoming-of-age story about a budding chef and journalist she adds a bittersweet tale of separated sisters.”
—More
“During her decade-long run as Gourmet magazine editor (1999 to 2009), Reichl transformed the so-called 'magazine of good living' from onefeaturing pâté en croûte on the cover and travel tips for Vienna inside, to a publication where cutting-edge chefs, food politics, famous writers andrestaurants from Charleston to Kathmandu were given the podium.”
—Montreal Gazette
“Reichl is a warm, intimate writer.”
—Refinery29
“Poignant and hilarious . . . simply delicious.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Intensely evocative . . . Reichl is one of the best food writers of our era.”
—Vox
“[Reichl’s] voice remains one of the most trusted in our disparate food universe.”
—Bloomberg
“Ruth Reichl is the best sort of storyteller—intimate, wise, frank, and completely engaging.”
—SUSAN ORLEAN
“No one writes about food like Ruth Reichl. She also happens to be a mesmerizing storyteller. I consider this book essential nourishment.”
—NIGELLA LAWSON
“Reading Ruth Reichl on food is almost as good as eating it.”—Washington Post Book World“An absolute delight.”
—Newsday
"Reichl is so gifted . . . the reader remains hungry for more."
—USA Today
"Expansive and funny."
—Entertainment Weekly
“Reichl writes with gusto.”
—The New Yorker
“Ruth is one of our greatest storytellers today. No one writes as warmly and engagingly about the all-important intersection of food, life, love, andloss.”
—ALICE WATERS
"The reading equivalent of curling up next to a fire with a glass of red wine and perhaps the scent of bread in the oven wafting over.”
—Vogue Expand reviews