This post is part of fellow book blogger, Beth Fish Reads‘, weekly meme (a “community” blog post, for all those non-bloggers out there) called Weekend Cooking.

Delicious is the first audiobook I’ve listened to since starting this blog…and I almost feel like it’s unfair for me to write this review. I’m a visual person and much prefer reading than listening to books. The only reason I started listening to audiobooks is that I’m training for a half marathon and figured it would be a good way to use my running time to get some more material for the blog. So, there is a real possibility that I may have enjoyed this book had I read it rather than listened to it. I just thought you all should know where I’m coming from on this review…

Fiction – Cooking / Food
Released May, 2014
12 Hours, 58 Minutes (401 Pages)
Bottom Line: Skip it.
Affiliate Link: Amazon

Plot Summary of Delicious!:

When Billie Breslin, a young girl blessed with a “perfect palate”, takes a job as Assistant to the Editor of Delicious! Magazine, she ends up on a search for the author (LuLu) of World War II era letters to James Beard.

My Thoughts on Delicious!:

Given my love for all things food and cooking, I thought Delicious! would be right up my alley. While I did find some parts interesting, I had trouble getting invested in the characters and the story.

For those not involved in the food world, Ruth Reichl is a famed restaurant critic and has published multiple food memoirs. This is her first foray into fiction.

Delicious! is a mystery set in the NYC food and publishing worlds. I enjoyed this setting and loved trying to guess which fictional restaurants and NYC food personalities might be based on real people and places. For those who have read the book, could “The Pig” be the real life Spotted Pig in the West Village? Could “Fontanari’s” be Murray’s Cheese Shop? Could “Delicious!” be Gourmet Magazine? Anyone interested in the NYC food scene will love this aspect of the book.

I also enjoyed learning about the food scene in America and the general struggles on the home front during World War II. A lot of the content of LuLu’s letters dealt with these topics, particularly food rationing and creative ways to get around the restrictions. Foraging for milkweed, anyone?

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get emotionally invested in the characters or the outcome of the story. There is a side storyline of Billie “finding herself” following some family issues and a bit of romance and I just couldn’t make myself care about the outcomes of either one. I also wasn’t really invested in the search for LuLu. I thought her letters to Beard were interesting, but more in an educational way. I wasn’t dying to find out what had become of her as a person.

Again, I’m not sure if I would have liked Delicious! more if I had read it rather than listened to it. I’ve read numerous reviews and the actual book version seems to be getting positive feedback, while the audio version’s feedback is more negative. Maybe Delicious! is just a book that is meant to be read.