I liked Jacobs' "The Friday Night Knitting Club" but its sequel, "Knit Two", was a huge disappointment. I thought, having come across "Comfort Food", third time would be a charm. Unfortunately,for this book, this was not the case. "Comfort Food" was a huge disappointment. I am a big foodie and a fan of the Food Network - I figured, anything about food has got to be interesting, right? I picked up CF clear my head after reading another big disappointment - Powell's "Julie/Julia Project". Maybe all authors should just stay away from the current food/chef trends!

Maybe it was because I just read JJP and saw its trailers, but I kept thinking visualizing the main female character, Gus Simpson, as Meryl Streep, Oliver as Stanley Tucci, and the elusive black-haired daughter as Zooey Deschanel.

Anyways, back to the book... it was not up to par with the first FNKC book but definitely not as horrid as the second. Some of its characters reminded me too much of the original cast in the first FNKC -- ie, Gus = Georgia = anal fixer-uppers; younger Simpson daughter = Catherine = too many emotional/insecurity problems; Priya = Darwin = smart female intellectual with some quirky fck-ups, dissatisfied with current life status. Come on... where's the originality? FNKC was great, but let's not recycle the same characters over and over.

Gave this book a 2 because it could have been better. It was too predictable, too rushed, too boring. I don't think I'll be picking up any books by Jacobs for awhile. ( )

In my quest for food-lit, and having heard so many good things about Kate Jacobs, I thought I'd give this a try... and, having now read my first Jacobs novel, I confess myself disappointed.

I'm an avid Food Network viewer and I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the character of Gus is ripped straight from Paula Deen's biography, with minor changes of course. I think this would have been easier for me to accept if she hadn't made it so blatant by making reference to personalities and shows on the Food Network, all the while excluding Ms. Deen. It was extremely off-putting and because of that, I had a hard time getting into this book. When she finally started moving away from that and developing her own characters, it became more engaging. Unfortunately, it took way too long to get there... it wasn't until almost the last third of the book.

Jacobs writing style also doesn't sit well with me. She continually drops bomb-shell like plot exposition and I had to keep back-tracking to make sure that I hadn't skimmed over and missed something earlier in the story...

READ MORE: http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/... ( )

Author Kate Jacobs , who wrote the successful THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, moves to the culinary world in her new novel, COMFORT FOOD. If you enjoy spending the evening watching Food TV, this novel is for you.

Augusta "Gus" has been hosting a successful TV show on the CookingChannel for years. She was widowed several years ago and left alone to raise her two young daughters Aimee, a global economic analyst, and Sabrina, an up-and-coming decorator. Gus is about to turn fifty years old when she receives news from her boss- the format of her show is going to be changed and she is getting a sexy young co-host, Carmen, a former Miss Spain.

Carmen appears to be a manipulative woman, gunning for Gus's job. Somehow, Gus's daughters, Sabrina's ex-fiance Troy, Gus's reclusive neighbor Hannah, and new chef Oliver all end up on the TV show, making for a crowded kitchen, with insults being tossed around the kitchen, along with the ingredients.

Gus has been told that if this doesn't work, she will be out of a job. So as she has always done, she rolls up her sleeves and is determined to make it work.

Jacobs writes interesting characters, and the family dynamic amongst Gus and her daughters is very real. They never dealt openly with the loss of their father and husband, never spoke about it. Eventually all of the repressed feelings come to light and must be dealt with. Many families handle situations like that in the same manner, and readers will identify with this. A passage that I found thought provoking was this:
"You don't know what it's like to struggle." Gus was getting angry; her cheeks were turning red. "I have done everything for you two."
"Maybe don't do so much, then," Aimee said quietly. "We may not have had your struggle, but we've had our own."
That sounds like a conversation many families could have.

All of the characters have strengths and weaknesses, they are three dimensional, and for the most part likable, just as most people are. Everyone is just trying to do their best to get what they want out of life. Gus meddles in her daughter's love life, Hannah is reclusive for a good reason, Troy wants to win Sabrina back, and Oliver has his eyes on romance; Jacobs manages to keep all of these plates spinning while the story unfolds.

Many people watch Food TV for the personalities as well as the food, and if you are one of them, you'll find COMFORT FOOD a tasty treat. You get a bit of a backstage look at how those shows work, and for good measure, Jacobs gives the reader a few recipes mentioned in the story at the end of the book. ( )

Enjoyable fluff. ( )

Not as great a read as "Friday night knitting club. ( )