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)

I Loved This Book

Although at first I felt that the book would have been better with a professional narrator, by the end of the book I was glad that Hamilton had done it herself. She does an adequate job at first and an excellent one by the end. What I particularity loved about this book was that I felt like I was drawn into a person's life - the good, the bad and the ugly. Hamilton can write, and once she has you she does not let you go. Food dominates, but it is tied up with love, work, community and commitment. There is no part of her life that Hamilton shies away from and the result is a book that is brutally honest and just plain wonderful.

So satisfying!

This is an amazingly written and read memoir of one of the most interesting chefs in the business. A must read (or listen)!

More Life than Food Adventures

Gabby is an brilliant wordsmith. And a wonderful story teller. She has so much to offer her readers from her lifetime as a non-sexual masochist - just wanted to shake her and tell her she deserves so much more pleasure from her life. Her husband is basically an air thief. Wishing her continued success in all she does and please dump that horrid man who claims to be an adult partner and falls flat on his face.

One of 2011's Best

I read Blood, Bones & Butter last year and loved it so much that I recently listened to it for the chance to re-visit Gabrielle Hamilton's world (and hear her story in her own voice). The author's childhood was not an easy one - and the beginning of this book reminded me very much of The Glass Castle, another memoir of a successful woman with an unorthodox upbringing. But Hamilton is unflinching in telling her life story - and I appreciate her guts and her honesty, as well as her ability to write beautifully and cook masterfully. And speaking of the food... The wonderful, decadent descriptions of the food and Hamilton's cooking experiences (especially in Italy with her mother-in-law) make this a truly worthwhile experience.

Final Third Disappoints

Any additional comments?

For the first two-thirds of the book I was enjoying the narrative quite a bit. The last third, however, just droned on and on (and on and on), with little covered, and all about a loveless marriage that wasn't of interest to her, so why would it possibly be to us?

Why did a lesbian marry a man so he could get a green card (and have two children with him)? (And [not covered in the book], why did she later have an affair with her sister Melissa's husband?)

To say Ms. Hamilton has emotional issues would be an understatement, and why do all her male lovers look like someone's old father? Daddy issues?

Worse, the author just suddenly buys a restaurant and we have no idea where she came up with the money for it. It was just there. Magic.

I've also read she's been arrested ELEVEN times. Is that in the book, other than her brush with the law with her first job in Manhattan? If so, I missed it.

Too bad about the ending, because up to that point it was interesting, but also a bit annoying for the parts of the story glossed over or not mentioned at all.

Starts slow gets really good (if you are a foodie)

Editors should really convince writers to let someone else narrate their books. This is a wonderful account of Ms. Hamilton's street-educated upbringing, (reminding me a bit of Jeanette Wall's "Glass Castle."), and the creation of her restaurant in NYC (Prune). It grew on me but I almost turned it off because Ms. Hamilton's voice is nowhere near as captivating as her story. Fortunately her storytelling overcame my resistance to her voice. Images of her adventures in food, her growing up, her gritty adventures in life and the food business - the story of the founding of Prune - are with me still. I wonder, though, if someone less interested in food would find the read as interesting? Her voice also grew on me as I got used to it but it took at least half the book. I found my mind more drawn to painting the room I was working on than to the book for about the first hour and a half. Then the story grabbed me and didn't let go. Glad I stuck with it.

Brilliant.

I just really wish she was my way-smarter-and-more-talented-than-I-can-ever-hope-to-be friend. Sigh. Just have to settle for listening to this righteous work. Maybe twice.

good story

Gabriella keep her life and passion for food very personal. Her way to serve food and teach other how to educate their self is what life is all about. thank you for your contribution.

One of the best memoirs I've read in years

This is the best chef's memoir I've ever read, and I've read a few. It actually ranks high among memoirs in general for me, not just those related to the culinary world. I found the story of her life and work fascinating. Gabrielle Hamilton's voice took a little getting used to, it's not quite monotone, but a little flat.

Chef and Writer -- She Excells at each

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. It's one of the most engaging books I've listened to for a long time. Normally I listen to books while I exercise, but I found I wanted to listen to this anytime I was in the car or had a little time to hear more of the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The realistic nature of the book. She has quite an interesting story to tell, and tell it she does!

What about Gabrielle Hamilton’s performance did you like?

She's an excellent narrator. I couldn't remember who the narrator was on the book until I came back to Audible to check and was not surprised to hear it was Gabrielle Hamilton telling her own story. I wondered how the narrator could get so "into" the story...now I know!

Any additional comments?

Great listen...or great read, I'm sure.