Hungry: The Highly Anticipated Memoir from One of the Greatest Food Writers of All Time
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-16 07:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Grace Dent
- ISBN：0008333181
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Summary
‘Extraordinary。 Vivid， irreverent， heartbreaking。’ NIGEL SLATER
‘So funny and so delicious。 I could eat it。’ DAWN O’PORTER
‘Delicious。’ THE OBSERVER
From an early age， Grace Dent was hungry。 As a little girl growing up in Currock， Carlisle， she yearned to be something bigger， to go somewhere better。
Hungry traces her story from growing up eating beige food to becoming one of Britain’s best-loved food writers。 It’s also everyone’s story – from cheese and pineapple hedgehogs and treats with your nan， to the exquisite joy of a chip butty covered in vinegar and too much salt in the school canteen on a grey day。 And the Cadbury’s Fruit Nut from a hospital vending machine that tells a loved one you really care。
Grace’s snapshot of how we have lived， laughed and eaten over the past 40 years reveals the central role food plays in either bringing us together or driving us apart – from toasting a large glass of warm Merlot to grimly polishing off a wilted salad。
Heartfelt， witty and joyous， Hungry shows us what we’ve always known to be true。 Food， friends and family are the indispensable ingredients of a life well lived。
‘So funny and so delicious。 I could eat it。’ DAWN O’PORTER
‘Delicious。’ THE OBSERVER
From an early age， Grace Dent was hungry。 As a little girl growing up in Currock， Carlisle， she yearned to be something bigger， to go somewhere better。
Hungry traces her story from growing up eating beige food to becoming one of Britain’s best-loved food writers。 It’s also everyone’s story – from cheese and pineapple hedgehogs and treats with your nan， to the exquisite joy of a chip butty covered in vinegar and too much salt in the school canteen on a grey day。 And the Cadbury’s Fruit Nut from a hospital vending machine that tells a loved one you really care。
Grace’s snapshot of how we have lived， laughed and eaten over the past 40 years reveals the central role food plays in either bringing us together or driving us apart – from toasting a large glass of warm Merlot to grimly polishing off a wilted salad。
Heartfelt， witty and joyous， Hungry shows us what we’ve always known to be true。 Food， friends and family are the indispensable ingredients of a life well lived。
Reviews
Karen Wellsbury
，
My knowledge of GD spans from her restaurant reviews， and of course Masterchef， and she always comes across as a lovely person， her love for chips and gravy cemented my love for her as did her column about never tightening the lids on jars。 I didn't know that much about her earlier life but had read that her dad had dementia。I normally avoid 'celebrity' memoirs like the plague， but this was delightful。 GD's early life， her happy childhood in Carlisle were so funny and the love for her family sho My knowledge of GD spans from her restaurant reviews， and of course Masterchef， and she always comes across as a lovely person， her love for chips and gravy cemented my love for her as did her column about never tightening the lids on jars。 I didn't know that much about her earlier life but had read that her dad had dementia。I normally avoid 'celebrity' memoirs like the plague， but this was delightful。 GD's early life， her happy childhood in Carlisle were so funny and the love for her family shone through。 Despite growing up 300 miles away it was all achingly familiar as well。 Her life in London， and the creeping distance between her parents will also be familiar to many as is the guilt and love she feels looking after her dad when dementia cannot be ignored。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Matt Whitby
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Very much from the Caitlin Moran playbook。 Northern， working glass girl aspires to come to The London and work for The Media。
Ann-Marie
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I absolutely loved reading this book， it brought back lots of memories from my own childhood， made me realise just how much I have turned into my own mother！！！ I laughed and cried my way through this wonderful book。
Nadine
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LOVED LOVED LOVED。Everything in this book has heart ， real heart。
Dorota
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Hilarious。 I laughed and cry at the same time。 Brilliant recognition of the British food culture。
Frances
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I thoroughly enjoyed this nostalgic food trip through Grace's life。 Grace told her story brilliantly with her warm accent making her family come alive。 She shared her memories of growing up and the ups and downs of her 'mam and dad' so well。 I often laughed out loud as I was reminded of some long lost foods， eating habits and also some 'new' innovations of the 70's and 80's。 The latter part of the book deals with Grace's caring commitments to her ageing and ailing parents。 Her love for them both I thoroughly enjoyed this nostalgic food trip through Grace's life。 Grace told her story brilliantly with her warm accent making her family come alive。 She shared her memories of growing up and the ups and downs of her 'mam and dad' so well。 I often laughed out loud as I was reminded of some long lost foods， eating habits and also some 'new' innovations of the 70's and 80's。 The latter part of the book deals with Grace's caring commitments to her ageing and ailing parents。 Her love for them both shines through some sad times。 Thank you for sharing your story。 。。。more
Jo Marchant
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Wow， I heard about this book a while ago and ordered from the library。 By the time it arrived， I have forgotten why I ordered it really。 Grace Dent is not someone on my radar as I don't watch Masterchef and don't really eat in restaurants。 This book was a total delight from beginning to end， the descriptions of food through her lifetime and the evolution of junk food in the 1980's was brilliant， this is a searing portrayal of food through my own lifetime and Grace cuts to the quick of the issues Wow， I heard about this book a while ago and ordered from the library。 By the time it arrived， I have forgotten why I ordered it really。 Grace Dent is not someone on my radar as I don't watch Masterchef and don't really eat in restaurants。 This book was a total delight from beginning to end， the descriptions of food through her lifetime and the evolution of junk food in the 1980's was brilliant， this is a searing portrayal of food through my own lifetime and Grace cuts to the quick of the issues we still have today as a result。 Having said that， I laughed out loud at her skill as a wordsmith and her downright plain humour。 Grace is a brilliant writer and I loved this book about her childhood， her family and her relationship with food。 Simply brilliant。 。。。more
Ms Anna Themistocli
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Loved this bookA great read。 Grace is humble， open and funny。 Many of her experiences resonated so much with my own life。
SirNigelC
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Being from Carlisle， I enjoyed this book and the many local references。 I think that Grace comes over on TV as a bit severe at times but this book really showed her warmer side。 She is a good writer and had some interesting， funny and heartbreaking tales to tell。
Charlotte
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I was hooked from the start by all the nostalgic anecdotes， the author's clear voice & the many， many laugh out loud moments。Dent is funny， charismatic & （surprisingly！） a really great writer！ Not what I expected from a food critic， bizarrely！It never felt dry or boring which is always a plus。 The structure of the book was strong in not allowing this to happen as each chapter focused on a certain time period in Dent's life， and within that， just enough time was spent detailing the eclectic mix o I was hooked from the start by all the nostalgic anecdotes， the author's clear voice & the many， many laugh out loud moments。Dent is funny， charismatic & （surprisingly！） a really great writer！ Not what I expected from a food critic， bizarrely！It never felt dry or boring which is always a plus。 The structure of the book was strong in not allowing this to happen as each chapter focused on a certain time period in Dent's life， and within that， just enough time was spent detailing the eclectic mix of moments that happened during those snapshot in her life to create a pacy rhythm to the book。Overall， I think I preferred the stories of her early childhood at home to her adult life in London， but the real tear jerker was the end with the inevitable decline of her parents。 A brilliant and worthy read。 4。5*。 。。。more
Lou
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Started off brilliantly， it was like reliving parts of my childhood， but as we reach the london years it becomes a list of places she’s eaten and a life lived alone， with not much to discover。 Even as the story of her parents， especially her dads dementia， gathers pace it felt like much more could have been written and explored。 I have lived that too and some things felt so familiar， but It also felt like it was written by a stranger， not a daughter。
Ellie Kakoulli
，
Hungry by Grace Dent is a nostalgic account of a Cumbrian working class lass， ascending to the dizzying heights of the faced passed， pressure driven， media scene in the heart of London。 It’s humorous， enlightening， and at times deeply moving -as Dent documents the family’s ongoing experience of living with， and coping with， her Dad’s rapidly increasing dementia。 I must admit， I definitely I expected something a little different -more food focused， than what was actually laid out in front of me。 Hungry by Grace Dent is a nostalgic account of a Cumbrian working class lass， ascending to the dizzying heights of the faced passed， pressure driven， media scene in the heart of London。 It’s humorous， enlightening， and at times deeply moving -as Dent documents the family’s ongoing experience of living with， and coping with， her Dad’s rapidly increasing dementia。 I must admit， I definitely I expected something a little different -more food focused， than what was actually laid out in front of me。 Nevertheless Dent has created a delightful and truly down-to-earth tale。 Infused with that good ol’ British humour; mixing sarcasm with irony and a pervasive self-deprecation and crude matter of factness that still made it a light and digestible pick me up！ 3 stars P。S。 Ive just started listening to Grace’s podcast， and reckon this would be an absolutely fab audiobook！ 。。。more
Lisa Bentley
，
People will know Grace Dent as the no-nonsense northern food critic often seen on Masterchef or panel shows。 If， like me， you are a fan of Grace Dent， you may have read her previous work about trying to leave Twitter – I love you， Dent， but it didn’t stop me using it。 If you are a fan you may have recently picked up her autobiography – Hungry and if you are not a fan then you should， most definitely pick up a copy of Hungry。Grace Dent has lived a very normal yet inspiring life。 You could call it People will know Grace Dent as the no-nonsense northern food critic often seen on Masterchef or panel shows。 If， like me， you are a fan of Grace Dent， you may have read her previous work about trying to leave Twitter – I love you， Dent， but it didn’t stop me using it。 If you are a fan you may have recently picked up her autobiography – Hungry and if you are not a fan then you should， most definitely pick up a copy of Hungry。Grace Dent has lived a very normal yet inspiring life。 You could call it a rags to reasonable income story （I think even Dent would stop at saying riches） but it hasn’t fallen into her lap。 Yes she has had some lucky breaks but all of her chances seem to have been born of hard work。 She has put in the graft。 As a fellow northerner you see an unwavering sense of “you get what you work for” mentality。 An innate life ethos that comes from being working class and it is a mentality to take pride in。The title Hungry is very fitting。 Every time Dent mentioned a food staple from her childhood my mouth filled with saliva and reading the book left me with a hankering for Findus Crispy Pancakes – I’ve not been able to find them， I’ve had to settle for Bird’s Eye。Overall， Dent uses food to show how the staple of our everyday lives combined with the love of our family creates a sense of comfort and how evocative food can be at drawing out memories。A wonderful autobiography。Hungry by Grace Dent is available now。 。。。more
Don Jimmy Reviews
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What a journey。 A great listen， completely different to what I expected。
Lynnbo
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Laugh out loud funny in places， brutally honest and heartbreaking in others。 Written in an authentic voice without apology， a thoroughly enjoyable read
Cathy Field
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Oh dear…To be charitable， I guess it just wasn’t my cup of tea。 A few hours I’ll never get back， but I made myself read it for our book group。 I found the first person / diary style somewhat clunky。
Gill
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Great trip down memory lane。
Christine Busuttil
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I throughly enjoyed this honest foodie biography 。I hadn’t heard of Grace as I don’t often watch master chef or read the newspaper much nowadays so read this just on a friends recommendation。I’m so glad I did 。Grace is so funny ，honest， and adaptable with lots of determination which I’m sure got her where she is today。Thank you Grace
Amanda McKechan
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I couldn't put it down！ I couldn't put it down！ 。。。more
Vikki
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I listened to this one on audible because I love Grace’s voice - it’s so soothing！It took me a little while to get into this one， but once I did， I couldn’t stop listening。 Hungry is a memoir that uses food as a starting point for discussing so much more - being working class， families， relationships， and comfort。 So much of the book resonated with me， and even though I’m a bit younger than Grace， a lot of her food memories are very similar to mine。 There are a few bits of the book that made me I listened to this one on audible because I love Grace’s voice - it’s so soothing！It took me a little while to get into this one， but once I did， I couldn’t stop listening。 Hungry is a memoir that uses food as a starting point for discussing so much more - being working class， families， relationships， and comfort。 So much of the book resonated with me， and even though I’m a bit younger than Grace， a lot of her food memories are very similar to mine。 There are a few bits of the book that made me cry into the washing up。。。The audible edition has a nice bonus interview between Grace and Jay Rayner。 Definitely worth sticking around for。 。。。more
Sue
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I really enjoyed this book。 Relating the early life and career of food critic Grace Dent but so much more。 It’s a nostalgic reminder of popular food fads but also a sad story of her dad’s decline into dementia。
Chelle McCann
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I absolutely loved this book， full of memory sharing where you will visualise your own。 An absolute delight to read。
Hayley
，
Being completely honest， I didn't really know who Grace Dent was， or much about her， before listening to 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐘 as an audiobook。 I had， however， seen the book around on social media a lot recently， so decided to give it a try。I do think parts of the story are aimed at an older generation of readers - there were some specific brand names， for example， that were alien to me。-𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲。 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞。-Dent's autobiographical story is actually quite an interest Being completely honest， I didn't really know who Grace Dent was， or much about her， before listening to 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐘 as an audiobook。 I had， however， seen the book around on social media a lot recently， so decided to give it a try。I do think parts of the story are aimed at an older generation of readers - there were some specific brand names， for example， that were alien to me。-𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲。 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞。-Dent's autobiographical story is actually quite an interesting one。 Woven throughout her memories， family stories and history are important themes， including class， privilege， and remembering what is really important in life。-𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭， 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬， 𝐢𝐧 𝟖𝟎𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬。 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞， 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧。 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲， 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐫𝐚， 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲。-Spanning the past 40ish years， Dent's novel shares interesting views on social media， particularly Twitter， and I definitely felt it was good to hear reminders of what life was like before the internet - While it has been a good thing in some ways， it has been a terrible thing in other ways， and it continues to shape society in ways that could not have been predicted。I also think her insight into the old magazine and publishing world （including working with Piers Morgan） is quite illuminating。 Before the internet， newspapers and magazines held a lot of power， which goes some way to explaining the entitled behaviour of some people who used to work in that industry in its heyday。-𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭， 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲， 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬。 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐲， 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐧*𝐛𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞。-Dent's anecdotes throughout are genuinely funny and moving。 From growing up and being overlooked by her Brownie troupe's leader Brown Owl， to being a successful food critic and at times suffering with imposter syndrome， Dent is very honest about her experiences。Her reflections on family life are also amusing， though they do acknowledge some difficult home truths in the most British way， with things left unsaid and unquestioned。-𝐃𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬。。。 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬。 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞。-As well as depicting her favourite culinary delights over the years （including such staples as pink wafers， rice pudding and gravy with mint sauce）， Dent does share some sad moments associated with food。I don't want to give away spoilers here， but her love for her parents really shines through in her novel， even with the usual family ups and downs， and trials and tribulations。The emotional connection with food really resonated with me - especially as I have older family members who struggle to say the words 'I love you'， but who will instead press biscuits or chocolate into my hand， or bring me homegrown vegetables when they visit。-𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦。-I would recommend Hungry by Grace Dent to anyone who likes autobiographies， who is interested in the life of a food critic， and to anyone who grew up through the 80s in Britain。 Overall it was a very enjoyable audiobook。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Loved the nostalgia of this book
Lila
，
I’ve devoured this book， I loved the way Dent talks about British food in the 80s and 90s through her family stories， peppered with some London media industry anecdotes and sweetened with the beautiful and intricate relationship with her dad。 Couldn’t add any more food puns there。I’ve loved her restaurant reviews over the years and her stints in Masterchef and it all makes sense。 Finally a rags to riches story - someone very successful and recognized in the UK who did not study at Oxford or Camb I’ve devoured this book， I loved the way Dent talks about British food in the 80s and 90s through her family stories， peppered with some London media industry anecdotes and sweetened with the beautiful and intricate relationship with her dad。 Couldn’t add any more food puns there。I’ve loved her restaurant reviews over the years and her stints in Masterchef and it all makes sense。 Finally a rags to riches story - someone very successful and recognized in the UK who did not study at Oxford or Cambridge。 。。。more
ssloves books - Sheila
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I don’t read a lot of non-fiction but who knows why after reading this wee gem。🔅This funny memoir is about Grace growing up in Carlisle with her family and although food features throughout， its about her childhood， teenage years， her move to London and the rise of her career as well as the decline of her parents health。🔅I loved lots of things about this book - so many parts of it resonated with me， brownies， school， shopping and the family xmas shop and traditions which families enjoyed year af I don’t read a lot of non-fiction but who knows why after reading this wee gem。🔅This funny memoir is about Grace growing up in Carlisle with her family and although food features throughout， its about her childhood， teenage years， her move to London and the rise of her career as well as the decline of her parents health。🔅I loved lots of things about this book - so many parts of it resonated with me， brownies， school， shopping and the family xmas shop and traditions which families enjoyed year after year。 🔅There was a real sense of nostalgia and lots of her memories which took her back to a great parts of her childhood also had me thinking of mine and I loved it。🔅It is a comical read， I remember lots of the foods mentioned and the changes to the way we shop and I just thought this was a great book and will make me pick up more non-fiction in the future。🔅4 star 🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me - comical， nostalgic and tender as well。 The love for her family shines out of the pages。 。。。more
Lori
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I must admit， I had never heard of Grace Dent， before her memoir -- "Hungry: A story of growing up and wanting more" -- was announced as the July selection for an online book club I belong to。 By reading the book description & author blurb， I gathered that she was a well-known food writer and TV personality in Britain， currently at The Guardian。 "Hungry" follows Grace （born in 1973） from her childhood in a working class family in northern England to university in Scotland to clawing her way into I must admit， I had never heard of Grace Dent， before her memoir -- "Hungry: A story of growing up and wanting more" -- was announced as the July selection for an online book club I belong to。 By reading the book description & author blurb， I gathered that she was a well-known food writer and TV personality in Britain， currently at The Guardian。 "Hungry" follows Grace （born in 1973） from her childhood in a working class family in northern England to university in Scotland to clawing her way into writing for increasingly more prestigious publications in London -- eventually as a food critic -- and also appearing as a television commentator。 There's plenty about food along the way， as the title suggests （from the tin-can fare and convenience foods of Grace's childhood to some of the most expensive restaurants in London）， but also about Grace's family， and in particular her relationship with her father。 "My only little girl，" he'd call her （except Grace discovered that wasn't true: her father had been married previously and had two other daughters， as well as a son from another previous relationship）。 At the height of her career， she moves back to Cumbria to help her brother care for her aging parents。 The geography， the brand names and the dishes that Grace writes about might not have been familiar to me， as a Canadian/North American -- but food， family， growing up and growing older are something we can all relate to。 This book was funny （the description of Grace dressed up like a Christmas pudding for the cover of the Christmas edition of the Guardian magazine had me in stitches） and poignant and full of sharp observations about family and class and ambition and the publishing world and foodies and so much more。 The writing is amazing。 I bawled my way through the entire final chapter， including the shopping list from Grace's last-minute Christmas Eve trip to the supermarket。 And now I'm off to open a can of Campbell's soup and brown some hamburger and onions and cook some noodles and make my own version of Grace's childhood comfort food -- what my American mother refers to as "Minnesota Lutheran potluck cuisine，" and what my relatives there would refer to as "hotdish。" （You might call it a casserole， lol。） Five （5） stars。 。。。more
Linda Fallows
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By turns funny， heartbreaking and nostalgic。 A very frank account of Grace Dent’s life as taken from the standpoint of food。 I didn’t anticipate liking this book anywhere near as much as I did。 There are parts we can all identify with， and the honesty is truly humbling。 I recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the seventies， eighties and nineties， as well as anyone who loves food。 In fact， I just recommend this book to everyone。
~*kath*~
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It's ok。 The first third of the book， talking about Dent's childhood is interesting and engaging。 Then it turns a bit dull in the middle third， detailing her young adulthood。 It just didn't really have the heart and interest that the rest of the book had。 But then the last third， which mostly talks about dealing with her ailing parents， was beautiful and honest and a little brutal。 She's an interesting woman， but it's her family and childhood that are the most interesting aspects of her life， no It's ok。 The first third of the book， talking about Dent's childhood is interesting and engaging。 Then it turns a bit dull in the middle third， detailing her young adulthood。 It just didn't really have the heart and interest that the rest of the book had。 But then the last third， which mostly talks about dealing with her ailing parents， was beautiful and honest and a little brutal。 She's an interesting woman， but it's her family and childhood that are the most interesting aspects of her life， not her career， if that makes sense。 Generally though I enjoyed it， a good read。 。。。more
Marie-Clare
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