Richard C. Morais

This book has little substance to it. It is the story of a middle-class Indian boy who rises to become a top chef of French haute cuisine.

Aside from his mother being killed when he is a youth, there are no substantial obstacles to his rise. A little bit of prejudice that is lightly touched upon. Various friends and family dying as they grow old.

Crises of creativity and finance that are resolved as quickly as they come about and long before they become anything dire.

What I must give the author credit for is writing well and so compellingly that I was never tempted to set the book aside.

If you're looking for a light, summer read, this is one; if you want something to make you think, to discuss with others, this is not what to read.
… (mais)

The movie was better.

I can't believe I'm saying that - out of the hundreds of books I've read, the movies aren't better. There is always something that the books has that the movie cannot capture properly. But in this case the movie was simply better.

This book feels like it doesn't have a purpose. While the setup would seem to involve Hassan becoming a great chef and making something of himself in Paris, in reality the novel drops off at about the point where he moves to the city and never recovers. Instead of a moving journey with the ups and downs of the restaurant business, it is a series of disconnected anecdotes stapled together. Characters like Hassan's father who should have been important and impactful are forgotten and the death of a character we only knew for a couple chapters is treated with far more importance than the deaths of two characters we spent most of the book with. Even Hassan's character simply fails to develop.

This book didn't so much end as just stop. I was surprised when I reached the end and not in a way that felt fulfilling. I turned the page and thought "oh, is that all?" Needless to say, this is not how you want your readers to react.

My advice for anyone wanting to experience this story is: do yourself a favour, skip the book and watch the movie.… (mais)