Blood, Bones & Butter

The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

By: Gabrielle Hamilton

Narrated by: Gabrielle Hamilton

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller.

A New York Times Notable Book.

Named one of the best books of the year by The Miami Herald, Newsday, The Huffington Post, Financial Times, GQ, Slate, Men’s Journal, Washington Examiner, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, National Post, The Toronto Star, BookPage, and Bookreporter.

"I wanted the lettuce and eggs at room temperature...the butter-and-sugar sandwiches we ate after school for snack...the marrow bones my mother made us eat as kids that I grew to crave as an adult...There would be no "conceptual" or "intellectual" food, just the salty, sweet, starchy, brothy, crispy things that one craves when one is actually hungry. In ecstatic farewell to my years of corporate catering, we would never serve anything but a martini in a martini glass. Preferably gin".

Before Gabrielle Hamilton opened her acclaimed New York restaurant Prune, she spent 20 fierce, hard-living years trying to find purpose and meaning in her life. Above all she sought family, particularly the thrill and the magnificence of the one from her childhood that, in her adult years, eluded her. Hamilton’s ease and comfort in a kitchen were instilled in her at an early age when her parents hosted grand parties, often for more than 100 friends and neighbors. The smells of spit-roasted lamb, apple wood smoke, and rosemary garlic marinade became as necessary to her as her own skin.

Blood, Bones & Butter follows an unconventional journey through the many kitchens Hamilton has inhabited through the years: The rural kitchen of her childhood, where her adored mother stood over the six-burner with an oily wooden spoon in hand; the kitchens of France, Greece, and Turkey, where she was often fed by complete strangers and learned the essence of hospitality; the soulless catering factories that helped pay the rent; Hamilton’s own kitchen at Prune, with its many unexpected challenges; and the kitchen of her Italian mother-in-law, who serves as the link between Hamilton’s idyllic past and her own future family - the result of a difficult and prickly marriage that nonetheless yields rich and lasting dividends.

Blood, Bones & Butter is an unflinching and lyrical work. Gabrielle Hamilton’s story is told with uncommon honesty, grit, humor, and passion. By turns epic and intimate, it marks the debut of a tremendous literary talent.

©2011 Gabrielle Hamilton (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Magnificent. Simply the best memoir by a chef ever. Ever. Gabrielle Hamilton packs more heart, soul, and pure power into one beautifully crafted page than I’ve accomplished in my entire writing career. Blood, Bones & Butter is the work of an uncompromising chef and a prodigiously talented writer. I am choked with envy.” (Anthony Bourdain)

“Gabrielle Hamilton has changed the potential and raised the bar for all books about eating and cooking. Her nearly rabid love for all real food experience and her completely vulnerable, unprotected yet pure point of view unveils itself in both truth and inspiration. I will read this book to my children and then burn all the books I have written for pretending to be anything even close to this. After that I will apply for the dishwasher job at Prune to learn from my new queen.” (Mario Batali)

“I have long considered Gabrielle Hamilton a writer in cook’s clothing, and this deliciously complex and intriguing memoir proves the point. Her candor, courage, and craft make for a wonderful read but, even more, for an appreciation of her talent and dedication, which have resulted from her often trying but inspiring experiences. Her writing is every bit as delectable and satisfying as her food.” (Mimi Sheraton, food critic and author of The German Cookbook and Eating My Words)

Read this book now!

I haven't connected with an author, with a book like this in a very long time. As a former restaurateur myself and woman, she tells her story beautifully. Food service isn't an easy life but her passion is exemplary. It reminds me of my passion and the passion of others like me. Someone who truly enjoys food, appreciates food and relishes restaurant work is enlightening. Thank you Gabrielle for shining a light on women who are badass but more than that get shit done, do their time and earn respect. I have never eaten your food but I wholeheartedly believe that you are one of the best chefs I have never met. Given my 20+ years in F&B I've met some amazing cooks and amazing people, I will count you as one. I will also recommend your book to any and everyone I work with and meet. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Excellent piece of work

One of the best pieces of work I've listened to in a long time. Gabrielle is fascinating.

An Incredible Listening Experience & Story

Meet one gritty, creative, gifted and shining woman who lives life on her own uncompromising and remarkable terms. That there are perhaps rare individuals out there in this world like her gives one hope, and inspiration.
I hope that I live long enough to experience a second voiced volume.

Loved!

I absolutely loved this book! Ms. Hamilton completely engrossed me. I didn't want this book to end.

Great!

Some reviewers haven't liked the author's voice or style. Its her partricular personality; I loved her dry wit. She's not an actor; her voice lends layers of experience and edification to the craft. Having cooked my whole life, I can relate to her experiences with food and even her mother! I recommend this audio book wholeheartedly; it ended much too soon.

GREAT reader. Didn't want this magica book to end.

You will begin this book in the dreamiest world that quickly crashes around the author. I loved this book so much I bought it in hard-bound, then wanted to hear the authors real voice as I read, so I bought the audio too. On a rare occasion a book is so good that I'll re-read a chapter to avoid reaching the end. It's my way of savoring every bit, and that's exactly what I did on this book.

I don't understand why anyone wouldn't like the audio read from the author, she was excellent (unlike so many other authors who read their own books). If Hamilton seems non-pulsed a bit, it's because that's who she is. She's a self-described "bad ass" over-achiever who tries a little too hard to be lovable, yet needs no one, even you, the reader. At the beginning of the book I felt sorry for her, mid way I envied her Italian Italian husband, kids, cooking, food and summers. 2/3 in I was rolling my eyes and couldn't stand her. By the end I felt we could be friends. Fiction or non, any book with a character you love and hate that leaves you thinking about it long after is an excellent read. Hamilton is a vivid writer and she will take you through her life, into her kitchen and straight into her self-created isolation.

I met the author at a book launch dinner and she is as prickly in person as she is on the page. It was as if she resisted even visiting with or signing a single book for the overpaying guests at her dinner (which she didn't even bother to speak at). It will be interesting to see what the effects of her books' great success will have on Gabrielle. She's certainly shared her life story with raw honesty, and she's a beautiful writer.

How can a chef be such a brilliant writer?!

Would you listen to Blood, Bones & Butter again? Why?

I'd never listen to any book twice. What a silly question.

What did you like best about this story?

The telling is as engaging as the story -- Gabrielle Hamilton is a brilliant writer. If she cooks half as deliciously as she writes, I'd eat at her restaurant every day.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

She reads the book herself, and while her voice at first bugged me (laid-back, low-drama), once I got to know her through her writing, I was grateful to have that full other dimension with which to understand Ms. Hamilton. I like knowing what I'm hearing is never a mistaken interpretation, but EXACTLY how the author intended it to be read.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Take one Bohemian childhood. Sprinkle in wayward teen years. Bring to a boil.

Fun read especially for chefs & food people

I really enjoyed Gabrielle's story. It had a bit of everything (sex, drugs, and rock n roll) that made it an entertaining story. I liked how she covered everything from her early life and it became clear that so many of her early experiences shaped how she cooked and how she established her businesses. I also loved all of the food descriptions and cooking experiences she described. One of the better chef memoirs I've read.

great read

The non-plussed attitude of the author bothered me at first, but I fell into a fascinating story. Some memoirs are boring - this one worked for me.

The Real Deal

A no frills account well told, insightful and heartbreakingly honest. Read by the author with humor and yet in a matter of fact way. I will miss listening to this honest account of the highs and lows of learning the chefing business as a woman.