Only two books this week, but one of them was amazing. The outstanding White Truffles in Winter by N.M. Kelby made my cry all the way through it. (That's a good thing.) The novel is based on the life of August Escoffier who was considered the master of modern French cuisine in his lifetime. His influence in cooking is still felt today.
He was also notoriously generous with his affections. The story imagines Escoffier at the end of his life returning to the home in which his estranged wife raised their children. He is writing a memoir, and interspersed among his memories are moments of the heart-wrenching terminal illness of his wife The years of love but stifling lack of communication. She has one dying wish: that Escoffier create a dish to immortalize her the way he did for all his past lovers.
Lushly evocative descriptions bring the scent and taste of food off the page. The passion and flaws of all the characters are warmly embraced. And there is some redemption. What more could a book-addicted foodie ask for?
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