Aamna
Kudos for the obsession but not a fan of the mystique the book ends up assigning post-facto to an asshole. I am also troubled and unimpressed by the confidence the various people involved have in their many recollections. There's enough research to prove how memory can be the most unreliable narrator. It's tempting but let's not kid ourselves, yeah?
A grudging 4 stars. While the writing is splendid and the plot is fairly interesting, I found this tedious in parts and definitely a tad too long.
TLDR: I wouldn't bother
Wouldn't bother to write a review at all had this book been only disappointing. But no, it wasn't just disappointing, it was fucking enraging. The sexism & chauvinism of this book is overwhelming. The general opinion on the web is that this book is a product of its time, the sexist 60s. Even if you manage to block out the fundamental sexism of the book, you start to realise how all of it was probably meant to thrill the minds of the time with ideas that were ‘radical'. Its ideas of the future, aliens etc start off feeling merely dated & quickly become downright annoying. Such sensationalist drivel. Nothing profound here. This one's not lasting the test of time.
Hard to believe the same guy wrote this wrote A Stranger in a Strange Land.
What a glorious mindfuck, this one.
[Audiobook]
This started me on my yet another attempt to ‘fix' my sleep. Now that I understand it so much better, I feel a lot more optimistic.
I've also read stuff disputing some of the ‘facts' & research cited in the book & I encourage readers to not take everything in the book at face value, especially if it doesn't agree with your personal experiences.
The writing is exquisite. The plot though. Second half drags quite a bit & tested my patience. The language kept me going I guess. Also as someone whose olfactory functions are majorly impaired by severe allergy, the plot was a bit too much of a stretch for me, may be.
3.5. Why Goodreads doesn't allow for non-whole ratings is beyond me. There's so much that lies between a 3 & a 4.
[Read the ebook while simultaneously listening to Bourdain narrating]
Really enjoyed the first quarter of the book. The chapter on the day in the life of a chef had me out of breath by the end. The rest, where he gets into culinary specifics (which for a cooking-hater, non-chef like me, range from mildly interesting to very disturbing), I would have skipped/skimmed had it not been for the FOMO of missing out on his snarky comments - some gems in there. The last couple of lines of the book were saddening, in the light of the fact that he killed himself.
I imagine this wasn't meant to be a memoir but it's amazing how much you learn about Bourdain; considering 70% of the book is him talking about other people. His writing style seems to match his personality(to the extent one can gauge from a single book). He has the kind of brazen unapologetic attitude that you absolutely loathe or have a crush on. So I guess I'm crushing on him now.
Now I'm gonna go and binge watch all his TV shows
An example of how a lack of practical usefulness can be compensated for with good writing.
Starts off well, meanders a bit too much in the middle. It made me laugh out loud, which is not something that happens too often with books. Oh also, I'm now terrified of travelling to Germany.
3.5
Actually couldn't figure this one out. But far too convoluted for my taste. Also superintendent battle is a really dry character.
Would have finished this in one sitting if I could. A well-written glimpse into the mind of an unlikely ‘drug lord' & what it takes to run an online drug empire. Surprisingly nuanced. Unputdownable.
As always, I was at the edge of my seat & clueless about whodunnit till the very end. However this one's dull in comparison with some of her other work.
