Toast

While I enjoyed the food part of this memoir, I didn't like the tone. I came to it with no prior knowledge of who Slater is, I picked it up primarily because I needed an audio book, my library had this available, and it was a memoir.

Slater lost his mum early on, his brother was much older and left home soon after, which left Slater alone with his dad for awhile. Then his dad finds a new woman with whom to share his life, and his son is resentful and angry and bitter about this still. She admittedly sounds like no prize at all, though she's an above-average cook.

I think this would have worked much better for me if I had read the print version, or if it had been narrated by someone other than the author. He was unable to keep a whiny, aggrieved tone out of his voice when recounting the tribulations of his adolescence. I was unable to keep from rolling my eyes when he complained that no teenaged boys (save him) were ever required to do such onerous chores as tidying their rooms, picking clothes up from the floor & etc. ( )

I fell in love with British chef Nigel Slater's beautifully evocative food writing through his cook books, so I was very excited to see his autobiography at my library.

The book is written chronologically, as a series of essays centered around a various food item or recipe, and it was much more gripping that that description makes it out to be. It was also a lot sadder than I'd expected. What amazed me most was that angry, stifled boy from the cold, stern home had grown into the warm, enthusiastic man of the cook books. ( )

I fell in love with British chef Nigel Slater's beautifully evocative food writing through his cook books, so I was very excited to see his autobiography at my library.

The book is written chronologically, as a series of essays centered around a various food item or recipe, and it was much more gripping that that description makes it out to be. It was also a lot sadder than I'd expected. What amazed me most was that angry, stifled boy from the cold, stern home had grown into the warm, enthusiastic man of the cook books. ( )

I often like food related memoirs, but couldn't get into this one and abandoned it 1/3 of the way through ( )

I wanted to enjoy this much more than it turns out I did. The trip down memory lane for certain foods and meals was fun, but the memoirs have actually reduced my opinion of Mr Slater.

The repetitive 'woe is me' approach grates after a while and I actually felt sorry at times for many of his family and friends who were barely shown any consideration. He seemed to exist in a self-centred universe well into young adulthood where only his opinion was right or mattered - perhaps it is a deliberate writing style which detaches the author emotionally from painful events, but comes across as rather casual instead?

I still enjoy watching his television programmes though! ( )