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Title details for Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery - Available

Gourmet Rhapsody

by Muriel Barbery
Barbara Caruso
Audiobook
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In the heart of Paris, in the posh building made famous in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, the greatest food critic in the world is dying. Revered by some and reviled by many, Monsieur Pierre Arthens has been lording it over the world's most esteemed chefs for years. But now, during these, his final hours, his mind has turned to simpler things. He is desperately searching for that singular flavor, that sublime something once sampled, never forgotten, the Flavor par excellence. Thus begins a charming voyage that traces the career of Monsieur Arthens from childhood to maturity across a celebration of all manner of culinary delights. Alternating with the voice of the supercilious Arthens is a chorus belonging to his acquaintances and familiars-relatives, lovers, a would-be protege, even a cat. Each will have his or her say about Monsieur Arthens, a man who has inspired only extreme emotions in people. Here, as in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery's story celebrates life's simple pleasures and sublime moments while condemning the arrogance and vulgarity of power.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 10, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781615730339
      • File size: 117128 KB
      • Duration: 04:04:00

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      M. Pierre Arthens, France's supreme restaurant critic, reminisces about his life of gastronomic delights as he lies on his deathbed. His every waking moment is devoted to mentally identifying the singular taste that represents the apex of his existence . . . paradise . . . a cosmos of pleasure. A chorus of talented voices alternates in delivering a stark portrait of this master of French cuisine. Even his alabaster statue of Venus, as well as his cat and dog, have a voice in depicting the dying man. Epicurean ecstasies are articulated finely by each of the diverse narrators; the infinite details of meals past are conjured with lyrical expression. Arthens describes the art of food criticism as "adornment with an eternity of words," and the novel's profound 29 vignettes support the seductive essence of the cuisine they celebrate--even while some denigrate the man who experienced them. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 8, 2009
      French novelist Barbery's sensuous first novel, being released here after the phenomenal success of her second novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog
      , encompasses a series of witty reflections on the life and career of famous, unlovable French food critic Pierre Arthen, as he lies on his death bed desperate to recapture “a forgotten flavor.” Lapsing through chapters into nostalgic memories of early, formative tastes, women and pets, Arthens reveals himself as a man driven by “gastronomic ecstasies,” from his childhood impressions of eating grilled meat in Tangiers to summers gorging on fresh fish in Brittany. Alternating with these splendid remembrances are decidedly more salty commentary by his resentful children (“Die in your silk sheets, in your pasha's bed, in your bourgeois cage, die, die, die”); long-suffering wife, Anna; the exultant tramp outside his Paris apartment building whom he ignored for 10 years; even his faithful cat, Rick (named for the character in the film Casablanca). Barbery's debut, occasionally rough-edged and uneven in structure, showcases her lush and satisfying prose and sets the stage for what has come.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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