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.
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3.5 stars ( )

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. ( )

Pleasant enough and saturated with food, but all the bumps seemed external to the protagonist, whatever the impact on him. He just plows ahead and even the changes in direction and implied sacrifices are more events than development. Good food descriptions but any passion leaves the book when Hassan leaves Lumière. ( )

This was beautifully written with rich, make-me-hungry descriptions. The characters are well-rounded and well-drawn, and the relationships between them are complex.

I found myself enjoying the Mumbai chapters more than the ones in Europe, I think because in addition to the lush setting, the family had such a vibrancy. This got lost in the London section (quite understandably–the whole family was reeling from loss), and I think it never fully returned. Neither Lumiere nor Paris has the wealth of place or of people that Mumbai does though Lumiere is beautiful, and full of interesting characters.

I also regret that the food turns entirely French once Hassan gets to France. Perhaps this is because I infinitely prefer Indian food to French food (and though I prefer a somewhat calm, quiet dining atmosphere, I know plenty of people, especially Asians, who feel more at home in a boisterous party atmosphere).

I enjoy Hassan’s success, but I find myself wondering why it is that he must leave his culture behind–at least professionally–to achieve it. ( )

absolutely loved the first half! fantastic audiobook; narrator was perfect. ( )

A rich, warm book that is all about the beauty in the gifts that we have. ( )

Fiction for foodies. Not bad ( )

This little novel is a fun fast read for serious foodies. If you aren’t into food it will be difficult to understand most of the food and culinary references in the book. (I’m into food and there was a lot terms I didn’t know.)

Morais gives the reader a behind the scenes look into Haute Cuisine; the food, the restaurants, the chefs, the critics, and the business side of the restaurant "business." All of this is shown through the eyes of a native Indian chef, Hassan Haji, who is trying to make his way to the top of the highly competitive culinary world in his adopted city of Paris while trying to stay true to himself.

This novel is destined to become a movie. The author, Richard Morais, says in his acknowledgements that he hopes someday it will become a film, and I have no doubt it will. The book itself is almost like a screenplay-not a lot of depth to the characters, lots of visuals of opulent restaurants and food, easy and predictable plot line. These are not criticisms of the book per se, because I did enjoy it for what it was, an entertaining little read, but I think it might actually be one of those rare books that makes a better movie than a novel. (I absolutely see Dame Judy Dench as the quintessential snobby French chef and hotelier, Madame Mallory!)

Foodies will eat this little morsel of a book up, but others may want to wait for the movie version.
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Barely a three. The story would keep you awake if you are driving, but beyond that, I can't think of anything to commend it. Writing is common place. The name seems to me as ironic as the story doesn't lead to anything. ( )

This was the book for my work book club. We are going to discuss at an Indian restaurant because you can’t read this book and not get hungry! I saw the movie a couple years ago. I remember liking it but I think the plot is pretty different. ( )

Take a journey through food with the Haji family that spans the globe from Mumbai, London, and Paris. Any foodie or person who loves to travel will enjoy following the main character, Hassan, through his life of travel and food. Hassan is brought up in Mumbai learning to cook from his family. Although turmoil touches his family, which prompts them to move to England then France, Hassan follows his passion and becomes a well known chef. This book is a joy to read and really takes you on a colorful journey across continents and cultures. The author does such a wonderful job describing the food cooked in this book that you might not want to read this book on an empty stomach! I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to get away with a great read.

Ashley C. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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4 1/2 stars.
My favorite foods do not include Indian cuisine, nor any fancy French stuff. So I read this book for the story, not for the food. The author credits his journalistic training for his writing style that keeps the reader wondering what will come next. I do agree with those who found the book less compelling after the deaths of his father and chef Mallory. And after the death of Paul Verdun, it was all about politics and errors of management. So it didn't quite make it to 5 stars.

But it was definitely a book I couldn't put down. ( )

I liked the comparison of his memories to food, it was written in a creative way. The plot was entertaining and real. ( )

Book on CD performed by Neil Shah

Hassan Haji was born into a restaurant family. Starting with his grandfather’s restaurant in Mumbai, the family has made food their passion and careers. But after a tragic fire, they pull up stakes and set out across continents, ultimately settling in the small mountain village of Lumiere France. The village has never seen anything like the noisy extended family with their exotic Indian cuisine. And across the street from their Maison Mumbai is the venerated Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin 2-star establishment run by the formidable Madame Mallory.

The book focuses on Hassan and his decades-long career as a chef. The clash of cultures is a major element in this novel that reminds me of and old-fashioned fable. I liked the way he and Madame Mallory slowly developed their relationship, and how he continues to grow as a chef when he moves to Paris. I would have liked a little more attention paid to the family relationships; they seemed to be an afterthought rather than an integral part of Hassan’s life.

I loved the food descriptions:
Champagne: It made me want to sing, dance, fall in love. Rather dangerous, I thought.

A memorable meal: …a teacup of Marseille fish soup, before moving on to a delicate dish of tiny clams, no bigger than babies’ fingernails,…”

A special dish created for a memorial to a fellow restaurateur: I stuffed the birds with glazed apricots…and then so blackened the fowl with black truffle slices inserted in their skin that they looked like birds dressed for a Victorian funeral.

Neil Shah does a reasonably good job of voicing the audio version. His pace is good and he was able to clearly differentiate the many characters. I loved his Madame Mallory! I don’t speak French but his pronunciation of various French phrases and names of various restaurant offerings seemed authentic; ditto for the Indian phrases. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie version, but the book overwhelms the sense with the excellent use of language in describing food, settings, and characters. The book takes a different path than the movie, and towards the end of the book that path has faltered. The story leads the reader through delectable, but haughty cuisine; and along the way, many memorable characters enhance the senses. Richard C Morais carefully explains many exotic dishes to the reader, and I for one, still prefer the ordinary menu. I enjoyed hearing about the cost, the training, and the competition for top chefs in French, and the status of the Michelin star for a restaurant. ( )

I have this thing for movies and books about food and cooking. They attract me. So while I was book shopping a few months ago, I found this book with a sticker on it saying "Coming Soon" as a movie. I got it and watched the trailer and I was hocked. Can't wait to watch the movie and finish the book.

The movie was amazing! I loved it so much I watched it twice after the first screening, but the book is so disgusting so far, I'm revolted by the book and it's description. The movie is charming, but the book is not. ( )

I have this thing for movies and books about food and cooking. They attract me. So while I was book shopping a few months ago, I found this book with a sticker on it saying "Coming Soon" as a movie. I got it and watched the trailer and I was hocked. Can't wait to watch the movie and finish the book.

The movie was amazing! I loved it so much I watched it twice after the first screening, but the book is so disgusting so far, I'm revolted by the book and it's description. The movie is charming, but the book is not. ( )

It's not great literature and there's not a lot of drama. It was alright. ( )

The book was lovely in writing and so descriptive that I could smell and taste the words, but it didn't stay with me like a true 4-look-book does.

The story of Hassan and his family is beautifully painted by Morais from their time in Bombay to their eventual settling in France. The haute cuisine is a character in and of itself, making this a truly amazing journey.

On Bombay:
From the shantytown rose the pungent smells of charcoal fires and rotting garbage, and the hazy air itself was thick with the roar of roosters and bleating goats and the slap-thud of washing beaten on cement slabs. Here, children and adults shat in the streets.

On Harrod's Food Hall in Paris:
The Food Hall smelled of roasting guinea fowl and sour pickles. Under a ceiling suitable for a mosque, we found a football pitch devoted entirely to food and engaged in a din of worldly commerce. Around us: Victorian nymphs in clamshells, ceramic boars, a purple-tiled peacock, An oyster bar stood beside handing slabs of plastic meat, while the grounds were covered in a seemingly endless line of marble-and-glass counters. One entire counter, I recall, was filled with nothing but bacon -- "Smoked Streaky," "Oyster-Back," and "Suffolk Sweet Cure."

This beauty continues throughout the book, as Hassan meets the antagonist-turned-benefactor of the story: Madame Gertrude Mallory. A truly unlikable character, Madame Mallory's range of emotion, thoughts, experiences, and (finally) completely winsome charm is as full-bodied as a fine red wine. She surrounds herself with a variety of characters with whom the reader becomes attached, including Hassan's first lady-love, Margaret.

The journey continues as Hassan becomes famous in his own right, surpassing even his famous teacher. The delight of bringing forth cuisine morphs into the struggles of being in business. Like his father before him, Hassan grows to learn that passion always has a price.

There are so many layers to this book, it is impossible to list them here. Highly recommended. ( )

Hassan Hajji arrives by circuitous means from Mumbai via London to the French Alps town of Lumiere when his extended family's car breaks down. Patriarch Abbas Hajji decides this is as good a place as any to settle and open a restaurant dedicated to Indian food. Mme Mallory, chef of the haute cuisine Michelin two star restaurant directly across the street is none too happy with this boisterous crowd encroaching on a town she literally rules. One would imagine the book with its impending conflict is all but written at this point.

The author's descriptions -- particularly of location, food and cooking -- are stunning. Any reader, especially of the foodie kind, will be booking a reservation at their favorite eatery in response. Those who have seen the movie will note that some serious changes from the second half of the book. One suspects the producers wanted more romance and more Dame Helen Mirren. The movie tie sit all up in a nice little conclusion.

The book seeks to explore the demands on haute cuisine chefs, which our hero Hassan eventually becomes. This is a serious look at the powers of critics, the ever tightening profit margins, economics demanding more 'branding' and even a hint of the soon to come emphasis on local and 'simple' cooking. Maxims didn't go out of business for no reason. The business of fine dining is ever changing. Even in France, where many consider fine dining begins and ends.

This second half emphasis on the economics and politics of fine dining might be jarring for those more caught up in the relationships of the first half. Once Hassan moves to Paris, there is little mention of either his father or his mentor, Mme Mallory. There are great reads about restaurants and food industry (Michael Ruhlman, Anthony Bourdain, Bill Buford, and Garielle Hamilton immediately come to mind.) If you enjoy books like those, I suspect you will truly enjoy this book as well. If you come after having seen the movie, not so much.

In this homage to French cuisine, the greatest journey isn't from Mumbai to Lumiere, or even from a small town to the heights of Michelin stardom, but in Hassan's first few steps across the way to snatch at his dreams and destiny. ( )

I listened to this book because it has been on my list for over a year. The book did entertain me while I was doing some paperwork the past two weekends. Because of the many French words, I was glad I had decided to listen instead of read this book. I have not seen the movie based on this book because I wanted to give the book a try first. I did enjoy the variety of characters. The story did not flow smoothly, there were many starts, jerks, and double-backs. I will say the book was okay the first time,but I don't want to read it again. ( )

"The Hundred Foot Journey" is my most recent read. At first I was griped by the story, as the story progressed I found my interest waning. Although there is good character development, the story is slow to gain momentum after the first third of the book. I also found the ending anticlimactic. I didn't leave me wanting more. ( )

Eh. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Listening to it on CD kept me semi entertained while on a road trip. Basically, it was better than constantly hitting the scan button on my radio, especially when in the middle of nowhere & there are only 3 radio stations that come in clearly, but not entertaining enough to leave a lasting impression on me. I'm not sure that I would've finished the book had I been reading it instead of listening to it while stuck in a car. ( )

Well, this is one instance in which I think that the movie was far better than the book. The story focuses on Hassan, a young Muslim from India with a natural talent for cooking: his taste buds are "the equivalent for a chef to what perfect pitch is for a musician." After stricken by a tragedy in Mumbai, the family moves first to to London, then to France to open a restaurant featuring Hassan's mother's prized recipes. Unfortunately, their new place is across the street from a three-star Michelin French restaurant run by the haughty Mme. Mallory. The entire movie and a significant part of the book focus on the relationship between Hassan and Mme. Mallory, who at first tries to drive the family out of town but eventually mentors the young Indian. Even though the characters are somewhat stereotypes, I found them rather charming on film--but less so in print. And the last third of the book, when Hassan is trying to establish himself in Paris, tends to drag. The film's director was wise to bring back Mme. Mallory near the end and even to suggest a budding romance between her and Hassan's father. By the end of the book, we just find out that she is long dead. Bummer. ( )