The Reviews of Everyday French Cooking Are Pouring In
While physical copies of Everyday French Cooking will not be in stock until May 17, the e-book is available, and reviews have started to appear on Goodreads. I’m touched by the thoughtfulness of many of them. I always find it gratifying when readers appreciate what I’m doing with a book—and I love it when they articulate it in their own words.
Quite possibly, two of my favorite pages in the book. The Sauté-Deglaze-Serve chapter offers everyday French cooking at its 30-minute best. And I really like this photo.
Nice to hear:
A few excerpts from the Goodreads reviews that I especially enjoyed readying:
Hot off the press: An advance copy of “Everyday French Cooking.” The book will be available on May 17. You can pre-order now on Amazon.
”This excellent cookbook did not disappoint; rather, it has been moved to the top of my personal list of favorite French cookbooks (out of several dozen on my shelf).”
“Moranville is not afraid to put her personality in the notes at the beginning of each recipe, and that adds to the charm of the cookbook as well as the understanding of specifics of the recipes.”
“Beautiful photos for easy to follow recipes.”
“This takes the … insanity out of cooking French food...and if you have never had French food, it just means made from scratch, simplistic but beautiful and yummy.”
“The recipes are excellent, and are for dishes that almost everyone will actually want to make and eat.”
Not so nice to hear:
Well, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that among the five-star reviews, I’ve received a couple of three-star reviews. One reviewer wrote:
”The best recipe books from one country or region can make me feel friends with the cuisine, this just left me feeling a little lectured at instead.”
I gotta say, that one hurt. The very last thing in the world I want to do is lecture people, and I’ve always hoped that my guide to French cooking is more flexible and approachable than rigid and schoolmarmish. Sigh.
Another writer of a three-star review wrote:
To be honest, I am less interested in French food than Italian or Latin or Japanese, etc. It seems very complex and stuffy and expensive. This book was a great guide to tackling those basics and bringing interest to French cuisine.
This one was a bit of a head-scratcher. My goal in the entire book was to take the “complex and stuffy and expensive” parts out of French cuisine and leaving the reader with a sense of how French food is enjoyed in the home. I can’t tell if this reader thought I succeeded or not. But honestly, I do appreciate that I brought “interest to French cuisine.” Interesting review!
Another spread from the book. The photo is one of the many in the book that uses dishes/linens from my own collection. In this case, the little oval plate was my grandmother’s. I love the retro/mid-century colors.
I received an advance physical copy of the book, and I’m so very happy with it. I especially love it that my photographer (Richard Swearinger) and food stylist (Laura Marzen) used many of my personal table linens, plates, and dishes. They really captured the simple, joyful, and thoroughly gratifying spirit of everyday French cooking that I bring to my table no matter where I’m cooking — whether in La Belle France or the U.S.A.
Some of the pictures are on the book’s Amazon page — scroll down to the “From the Publisher” section and take a look!
