The Lost Art of Mixing [NOOK Book]

( 11 )

Overview

National bestselling author Erica Bauermeister returns to the enchanting world of The School of Essential Ingredients in this luminous sequel.

Lillian and her restaurant have a way of drawing people together. There’s Al, the accountant who finds meaning in numbers and ritual; Chloe, a budding chef who hasn’t learned to trust after heartbreak; Finnegan, quiet and steady as a tree, who can disappear into the background despite his massive ...
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The Lost Art of Mixing

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Overview

National bestselling author Erica Bauermeister returns to the enchanting world of The School of Essential Ingredients in this luminous sequel.

Lillian and her restaurant have a way of drawing people together. There’s Al, the accountant who finds meaning in numbers and ritual; Chloe, a budding chef who hasn’t learned to trust after heartbreak; Finnegan, quiet and steady as a tree, who can disappear into the background despite his massive height; Louise, Al’s wife, whose anger simmers just below the boiling point; and Isabelle, whose memories are slowly slipping from her grasp. And there’s Lillian herself, whose life has taken a turn she didn’t expect. . . .

Their lives collide and mix with those around them, sometimes joining in effortless connections, at other times sifting together and separating again, creating a family that is chosen, not given. A beautifully imagined novel about the ties that bind—and links that break—The Lost Art of Mixing is a captivating meditation on the power of love, food, and companionship.


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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
In her sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients, Bauermeister picks up the threads of many of the characters first brought together in Lillian’s cooking classes, adding a few new stories to the mix. Here we follow Al, the restaurant’s accountant, soothed by numbers and flavors but unable to connect with Louise, his wife of 29 years; Chloe, the young sous-chef made timid by a failed relationship; Isabelle, the elderly woman with whom Chloe lives, struggling against the onset of Alzheimer’s; and Finnegan, the impossibly tall dishwasher taking his first stab at independence. Lillian remains a sort of mythic background figure, although her unexpected pregnancy tests her and the touchy relationship she’s having with Tom, a widower. Bauermeister weaves these individual stories in and among one another, but never stays with one character long enough for the reader to grow very attached, robbing each of depth. Still, Bauermeister’s prose is strong, particularly when it comes to food, and her novel brings to life the adage “be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Jan.)
Library Journal
In this sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients, Lillian is back, cooking on all four burners at her own restaurant. Best seller Bauermeister's book will benefit from both book club promotions and a reading group guide; with cooking such a hot topic, can fiction about cooking be far behind?
Kirkus Reviews
A Seattle chef and her circle of friends cope with life's pivotal moments. In this follow-up to The School of Essential Ingredients (2009), Chef Lillian continues to run her small restaurant, which has become a hub for people in transition. In what is essentially a collection of linked stories, the following characters have their say: Al, Lillian's accountant; her sous-chef, Chloe; Isabelle, an elderly woman with whom Chloe is staying; the lanky and taciturn dishwasher, Finnegan; Louise, Al's tightly wound wife; Lillian's new boyfriend, widower Tom; and Isabelle's daughter Abby, a stickler for order. Chance dictates these characters' interactions, as does mutual attraction or dislike. Miscommunication is a major theme, at times blunted by almost farcical misunderstandings, as when Louise assumes Al is having an affair with Chloe, while Al assumes Louise no longer wants his affection. Lillian has just discovered she is pregnant and cannot bring herself to tell Tom, who later will take offense that Isabelle found out before he did. Isabelle knows that she is sliding into possible Alzheimer's, and Abby (one of the more realistic portrayals) is exasperated that her younger siblings aren't joining her in pressuring their mother to sell the family cabin to pay for her long-term care. At Isabelle's behest (when she's not forgetting things, she's a wise woman), Chloe goes out with Finnegan, who encourages her to keep a notebook. She's beginning to think he might be soul-mate material until she sees his trunk full of notebooks by other girlfriends, a disturbing find that Finnegan must explain in his own chapter. Lush descriptions of food, including the smells that provoke Lillian's telltale morning sickness, tie it all together. Although the art of uncrossing all these mixed signals (a bit too neatly) is not lost on Bauermeister, the narrative, carried by so many disparate points of view, never quite comes into focus. So robust and resilient are Bauermeister's characters that readers may wish she had challenged them with thornier dilemmas.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781101609187
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 1/24/2013
  • Sold by: Penguin Group
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 288
  • Sales rank: 14,314
  • File size: 636 KB

Meet the Author

Erica Bauermeister
Erica Bauermeister is the author of The School of Essential Ingredients and Joy for Beginners. She lives in Seattle with her family.
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 11 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(6)

4 Star

(3)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

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1 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews

  • Posted February 22, 2013

    Quite Enjoyable

    This is my third Erica Bauermeister book. The others being The School of Essential Ingredients and Joy for Beginners. All three have been worth the read. The way Ms. Bauermeister writes is like reading several books at once, with her detailing of each character's life and then weaving each into her overall story. Often, there is even some life-insight gained from each. I really like this author.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted February 16, 2013

    My kind of mix!

    After falling in love with Erica's other book (The School of Essential Ingredients) and passing it to various people to share in the greatness, I was so excited about this new book.

    She completely delivers. Her voice/narrative is so fresh and I am constantly amazed at how she peels off the layers of her characters.

    Her characters are quirky, well developed and the stories that arise are simply exquisite.

    In addition to the characters, I really enjoy the way she weaves cooking and food throughout her stories.

    I look forward to her next novel.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 28, 2013

    After reading her first two books, I awaited this one with eager

    After reading her first two books, I awaited this one with eager anticipation and, believe me, it did not disappoint! I read it, off and on, in about 24 hours because I found it very hard to put down. As with any good book, the story drew me in quickly and I felt like I lived the lives of its characters. I now know so much about them, I want to go back and read School for Essential Ingredients again. I want to revisit those tales with this additional insight I have into each of the players. And, as with all of Bauermeister's books, the writing is just superb.

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 4, 2013

    Thomas

    ?

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 4, 2013

    Amanda

    Someone sed tht wen u thought i broke up with u... u flirted with evry girl

    0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted February 22, 2013

    A must read!

    This author is brilliant in her portrayal of characters and events. In a very short time you are knee deep in feelings and emotions of characters that could be you, or someone you know. Outstanding author.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 10, 2013

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    Posted February 8, 2013

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    Posted February 16, 2013

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    Posted April 26, 2013

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    Posted February 12, 2013

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