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)

A Little Prickly--But Yummy

The trick to reading this very good book and not having a possible negative reaction (which is obvious in the varying reviews) is to refrain from judgements of the author, if possible, and just be enveloped in the story. Because, if you can avoid being infected by the candid and bitter details of a disappointing marriage--(the kind of inner and not so flattering feelings one usually shares only with their oath-sworn-to-patient-privacy shrink)--you will experience sensuous settings in far off places, refine your inner gastronome with exotic foods you've never heard of before, and almost taste "that lamb" as it sizzles over the rosemary scented fire. It really is a lovely epicurean trip that makes me want to lick my fingers as I recall some of the fare, and I could spend a day just conjouring up images of that castle/farmhouse, the meadows, orchards, and streams, the French ballet dancer mother with her omnipresent apron, the artistic bohemian father, the Italian villa, Rome by night--all the perfect ingredients.

The personal details are inarguably prickly; I found them uncomfortable yet brave admissions that lend authenticity to the story of this very authentic person. Coming from Hell's Kitchen tyrant Gordon Ramsay, or bad-ass Anthony Bourdain, the snarkyness would probably be expected and overlooked, like a mint leaf on mousse.Hamilton writes like she cooks and like she lives: committed, authentic, undiluted, without pretense...and that takes bravery--the kind of bravery one would expect from a young girl that can set off with a back pack and a little over $1,000 on a solo trip around the world. My opinion is that her narration lends a bit of personal revelation, which adds to the story. Glad I got around to this one.

Quite a surprising pleasure

This book is quite different from any of the other foodie memoirs I have loved - I don't want to make it sound like I look down on the others. I really enjoy food writing. Anthony Bourdain's books, Julia Child biographies, Ruth Reichl's books, Laurie Colwin's essays and Jacques Pepin's memoir are all among my favorites. This book, like those, is about the author's relationship with people and with food. It starts with poignant memories of a childhood interrupted and is haunted by that rupture. I started the book without suspecting what an amazing writer is Gabrielle Hamilton. Even more important for an audiobook, she reads the book herself, something that usually turns me off. Yet Hamilton's reading is excellent and one of the greatest charms of this audiobook. I couldn't bear to stop listening. Truly a pleasure on many levels, one of the best books I have listened to this year.

Beautifully Read

Not only a wonderful story magnificently written about an interesting life but the audio book is beautifully read by Gabrielle. It's impossible to miss even the smallest emotion and meaning in her words. A very rich experience for which I very grateful to have had the time to gobble up in just two listening sessions. Now I'm just hoping she can find the time to so fully live another lifetime of which to write another book.

Brash, bold, sincere

What did you like about this audiobook?

This book was everything I needed to hear from a book lately. Gabrielle's honesty is so refreshing, it's hilarious. She speaks through the book to you like a best friend confides. If you want to know what being a woman chef is like I believe this is a very very accurate answer.

Don't need to like cooking to love this book

I thought this book was very interesting, wonderful to hear about Gabrielle's slightly wacky upbringing and how she made her way into her current profession. I liked that she narrated the book I think that makes the story even better. Would recommend this book.

Entertaining Even to a Non-Foodie

I read this because it was recommended by a good friend. I am not into the chef/restaurant/foodie scene at all, and so expected not to like this. I was pleasantly surprised. This woman's life is simply an entertaining story even if you're not that into the food parts, and the food-related parts are surprisingly "accessible" (I don't really cook but didn't feel like anything was over my head).

The book unfortunately takes a nosedive in the final part of the story, where the focus is on marital discord and the resulting bitterness. But the parts before that make listening to this book worth it.

Considering she's a chef, and not a professional audiobook narrator, Hamilton does a respectable job.

outstanding

I wish there were 20 more chapters. ..between the literary work itself and Gabrielle reading her own words it was an absolute pleasure.

good for binging, bad for listening

The narration was always startlingly annoying whenever I began to listen, but after around 30 minutes I always began to really enjoy it. It is a great book to sit back and listen to while doing chores, but it is very hard to remember to finish listening. Thinking back on it, I can’t really remember the story line, but I remember that I enjoyed it. I couldn’t tell you the main point of the book, but that to me is not the sign of a good or a bad book. It gave me a warm and pleasant feeling and the writing was very good. The general plot line seemed to be the worst part of the book, it was not very exciting. But the writing and the funny dry narration made it feel sort of like listening to a podcast.

A Journey

Few books lead you on a journey through one's life and actually make you feel like you're part of it. Blood, Bone, and Butter did just that. From the streets of New York, to the highest branch in Italy. The author tells her story, leading you on a journey through her life. Leaving you feeling like an old friend, who sat down for a bowl of buttered pasta with another tired Mom.

So good

I would gladly volunteer a half year of babysitting or several hundred line shifts at Prune if it would give GH time to write another book like this. She is an exceptional writer.