A truly amazing book - excellently researched by the author, and superbly written. It's the story about the great French master chef Auguste Escoffier -a real chef- and his rise to fame in France (and around the world). It's also a tender love story.
Escoffier's love of his wife was legendary, but not as well known as his powerful love for the great actress of the time Sarah Bernhardt. This novel takes place from around the late 1800's to Escoffier's death in 1920.
Kelby's novel is rich with powerful figures of the time - from well known world leaders to politicians and artists. The book is something else as well - a great and wonderful treasure trove of food and recipes from Escoffier's own books.
Glorious masterpieces of food are the golden threads that work its way through the book and these threads hold all the characters together. Almost every page has something about the magnificent and yummy dishes, so that an almost sensual relationship begins between the reader and the words.

N.M. Kelby knows how to write - her description of the food and the relationship between the characters is like a work of art. Her words are poetic, and clearly show about life at a time when things were more simple.. except for the love of beauty in food. Nourishing and fulfilling, this book will make you fall in love; both with the author, and the characters.

Magnificent!!

**A special note for N.M. Kelby: I read every word that Escoffier said, in David Suchet's voice. Like when he's playing Poirot? Yeah... and I loved it even more. :D ( )

This novel about the life of Auguste Escoffier and his wife is interesting and, as you might expect, full of extravagant food. The novel flits around the years and this can be confusing until you orientate yourself. The most successful chapters were those in the Escoffier household as his wife, Delphine, is dying and is looked after by Sabine, the cook. Escoffier is also elderly and not well. There are touching scenes when he is cooking for Delphine and showing Sabine how to cook. Other chapters cover Escoffier's time at the Savoy and in Paris and his relationship with the actress Sarah Bernhardt. These were sometimes less vivid. The author packed a lot in to this novel, we are taken to the period before the second world war and back to the first world war, we meet many famous people of the time and we have Escoffier's relationships. It is an ambitious novel that works better in some chapters than others but is a good read. ( )

Such an imaginative book based on facts. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and all the rich, vivid details of place and food. Escoffier is an important historical figure. The main points are facts: where he lived and worked, his wife, his mistress, and more. The author deftly filled in what his life could have been based on known facts she researched. It's a fascinating story about an unusual man.

For those with culinary interests, there are intriguing food tidbits, but the story can be enjoyed by anyone. Culinary students learn about Escoffier's important contributions to the way we eat today but may know little about his personal life and what kind of person he was.

Escoffier's housekeeper in late life and many famous people of the time are prominent in the book. Culinary folk will recognize the name of Brillat-Savarin, another brilliant chef. Both of them used truffles, caviar, and fois gras liberally in their creations, as well as wines -- the wines sometimes used to drug crayfish and lobsters before cooking. Many such charming details pepper the story.

Escoffier and his wife, Delphine Daffis, a poet, lived in Monte Carlo. Escoffier worked in Paris and England and was often away from home for months or years at a time; Delphine refused to move away from Monte Carlo.

A couple of lovely romantic seduction scenes involve food and are all the more sensuous and unusual for that. There are bits of other history and war history and the Titanic plays into the story as well.

I loved this book and those who like historical fiction should enjoy it. Culinary enthusiasts will relish the richness of details. Although we will never know who Escoffier really was, this book is a beautiful and realistic tapestry of who he might have been. The writing is a joy to read. It helps to know a little French but isn't necessary.

Best of all, I learned a great deal reading it.

I think some of those who have reviewed this book poorly didn't really read and understand the book. That's apparent by comments made that are erroneous compared to the text of the book. Every author gets some of those, but authors who write intelligently seem to get more of those, unfortunately. ( )

A lovely book about love and food, I really enjoyed every bit of it.

I'm having a hard time finishing this one. At first I enjoyed the writing style but now, about halfway through, the author has abandoned the character I had started liking at the beginning of the book. The story now revolves around her husband, who I don't like or care about at all. ( )