Laurie Colwin (1944–1992)

It took me about 20 pages to settle into her "voice"... the result of which was, unfortunately, about 20 pages until I decided I did, after all, like the narrator. At first, I thought she was a kind of snarky know-it-all. But once I settled in, I realized she was a self-deprecating, well-experienced, down-to-earth cook from the mid-80s, with a very dry sense of humor. And I quite liked her sense of humor.

At the beginning, Colwin says that she reads cookbooks like novels. This is perhaps why show more she's written this book the way she has... it reads like a sort of series of short stories, anecdotal short stories, but it's also a cookbook. She manages to pull off jumping around from subject to subject, from story to story, and from recipe to recipe, in a way that makes the reader want to read more, know more, eat more, and COOK more!

Some review I read said that this book is like having a telephone conversation with your best friend. I would agree with that. The way Colwin approaches not only her stories, but also the recipes, is familiar, close, intimate.

Overall, this was a lovely book that I intend to re-index (because there already IS a useful index at the end!) for my own purposes so I can use and re-use and hopefully impress dinner parties full of people...

Highly recommended for people who want to cook, who are good at cooking, who are bad at cooking, or who just like food. or who just like to eat. ;) show less

I love Colwin's voice, and I love the recipes of hers I've tried! Even her ideas for eggplant intrigue me, and I am not a fan of eggplant.

These are very personal essays on food, and self and family and friends. Intimate, rather than public- reading them makes me feel like Colwin and I have been having a conversation while we cooked something simple but delectable.

Other reviewers have critiqued her recipes as "plain", given our current cheffy biases- and it's true, they are. But plain can be show more wonderful, when the ingredients are the exact right ones; one of my favorite meals- my "signature dish" if you will- is also very plain. There are a number in this book I want to try: the yam (sweet potato) with Chinese black beans; the vegetable fritters; The gingerbread; and in a couple of days we will be eating the green almond sauce with baked fish.

More than the recipes, though, this conveys an attitude toward cooking as a lens with which to view life in general.

I love the way she does this! show less

How do you love an individual who constantly flirts with the potential for death? How do you behave in a relationship or a partnership with someone who has a history of self destructive behavior such as this: breaking his collarbone after being thrown by a horse, snapping his leg after skiing, or gouging his shoulder after rock climbing (more like rock falling)? How does a marriage survive such reckless disregard for staying together? The answer is it really doesn't. But Elizabeth Bax is show more attracted to James Dean. She likes the bad boys.
She knew she had every right to worry when Sam, her daredevil husband of five years, went for "one last" sail before an autumn squall picked up. Sam's brother Patrick was already calling the coast guard knowing full well something bad was about to happen or more likely, already had. It is not a spoiler to tell you Sam died. What follows is an in depth examination of the human heart and how it tries to put itself together after being shattered. Shine On is a short book that asks the question is grief coupled with love a betrayal? show less

Skimmed as I have already read it. Breezy, warm tone. I want to make many, but definitely not all or most of her recipes. Beef stew doesn’t need salt?! That’s crazy talk. Tempted by the Boston brown bread but suspect it’s gross. Tempting but suss sums up the whole book. But she is eminently likable. I think.