How Carrots Won the Trojan War: Curious (but True) Stories of Common Vegetables

I am giving this book a four star rating because it is so much fun to read. There is lots of interesting facts about vegetables that are presented. Along with these facts, the stories make for a really fun read. I read the book from cover to cover in almost one sitting. The facts are presented in one joyful rush that makes it fun to read. Now, i could argue that the book and the facts, could be laid out in neat little sections, and this would be the proper and organized thing to do. However, to do so would have taken the joy out of the reading.

The words come out in almost a rush, like a torrent, and you are carried along with the flow. For a subject as prosaic as vegetables, this way of presenting them brings them to life, and makes the show more book wonderful. And, a pleasure to read.

Great piece of writing! show less

This could have been good and there were some very interesting factoids in there but the format was predictable and ultimately a put off. If you are really interested in vegetables or in a particular vegetable then this might be for you.

I had high hopes for this book but…..A great gift for someone you are ambivalent about.

This is a fascinating little book, packed full of veggie facts. Among other things, I learned that tomatoes are legally a vegetable in spite of being, botanically, a fruit. Reading this book, in fact, made me hungry, and I went out and consumed raw vegetables for the first time in I don't know how long. Like a lot of books of trivia, though, it might be best consumed in small doses rather than all at once -- as a bedtime or toilet reading, perhaps.

I'm going to pass it on to my father, a PhD botanist.

A frequently delicious compendium of legends, historical and cultural facts, and other fascinating tidbits about vegetables. Interesting and entertaining.

Food trivia fluff. Falls partway between a Mary Roach book and a bathroom trivia book.