Sample
  • Garlic and Sapphires

  • The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
  • By: Ruth Reichl
  • Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
  • Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,273 ratings)

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Garlic and Sapphires

By: Ruth Reichl
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
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Editorial reviews

Reichl, former New York Times restaurant critic, takes you on an undercover tour of the best New York restaurants. She makes you feel like you're right there with her, disguise and all. That's right, disguise. Because her work required anonymity, Reichl had to don new disguises in each restaurant. Her memories of both food and façade are fascinating and highly entertaining.

Her descriptions of food will have even the pickiest eater craving sushi, caviar, even squid ink! She also includes simple recipes for things like New York Style Cheesecake and Spaghetti Carbonara.

Narrator Bernadette Dunne sounds very much like Reichl herself, inhabiting every delicious moment and brining you along for the bite. Whether you're a food fan or not, this is a great memoir.

Publisher's summary

Garlic and Sapphires is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine anonymously. There is her stint as Molly Hollis, a frumpy blond with manicured nails and an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque. The result: her famous double review of the restaurant: First she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, New York Times food critic.

What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various disguises, she finds herself changed not just superficially, but in character as well. She gives a remarkable account of how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.

As she writes, "Every restaurant is a theater...even the modest restaurants offer the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while." Garlic and Sapphires is a reflection on personal identity and role playing in the decadent, epicurean theaters of the restaurant world.

©2005 Ruth Reichl (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This wonderful book is funny - at times laugh-out-loud funny - and smart and wise." (The Washington Post)

"Reichl is so gifted...the reader remains hungry for more." (USA Today)

"Expansive and funny." (Entertainment Weekly)

What listeners say about Garlic and Sapphires

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Highly Recommended

This book was great...funny and eye opening. Having the recipes read to me was like talking to my mother over the phone...I ended up having to borrow the book from the library so I could copy the recipes. If you like food and dining out, you should love it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

I'm mourning the end of this book. Her rich details of everything- food, city lights, feelings and more, were incredibly captivating. I'm glad I got the unabridged version. I truly enjoyed hearing the restaurant column after talking about the restaurant experience. Great, great, great book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent and absorbing listen!

Food writing is an art, and Ruth Reichl has mastered it. A fascinating look behind the scenes of a career that most of us just dream about - the food critic. Read by Ms. Reichl, this book will keep you listening from the very first word and sad once it ends. Eating out will never be the same! The undertone of the book will have you thinking about exactly what message you're sending every time you get dressed in the morning. Well worth the ride!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Makes me want to cook

A wonderful book. I'd listen and then head to the kitchen. I was inspired by the dedication of the chefs Ruth meets and reviews. I also gained a new appreciation for the small out of the way little restaurants that dot our country. So much good food goes unappreciated, and so much bad food gets sold because the setting is tony or fashionable.
The narrator made me think she'd been there - it made for a great Audiobook. I can't wait to read Ruth's other books.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

She worked hard

Insight into publishing was good but would have liked more personal information on her family life

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining

could have done without some of the detailed discussions of the food and the recipes - I now its a book about food but... but I found it very entertaining. Liked the narrator

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Had High Expactations...

I had very high expectations of this book from all of the reviews. And yes, I did enjoy it. It was easy to listen to... and entertaining. About 3/4 of the way through the book, I started to think, "Ugh. The same plot. Another disguise, another review, another recipe." There wasn't that much to the plot. With many audiobooks, I can't stop listening to the story. This one I could turn off and come back to later.

It wasn't until the very end of the book, and the interview with the author, that I realized this was a true story. I was surprised that this wasn't part of the book overview. Knowing that, I would have been a little more patient with the plot... I think :)

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An amazing storyteller

I had to give this book another listen this last week. Ruth spoke at a Town Hall presentation last week in my hometown. In both her speech and her book, she reminded me of so many things I’ve loved in life. She reminded me about what I love in food; preparing it, sharing it, dining with friends, a simple dinner with my youngest child or entertaining a few dozen in our home. It was refreshing.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Foie gras for the brain!

So much fun I started over and listened a second time. Love all her books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly Entertaining

This book was a real treat. Ruth Reichl's descriptions of both food and settings are mouth-watering. Her attempts at disguise and her alter egos are both hilarious and poignant, and the narration was excellent.

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