Garlic and Sapphires

The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

By: Ruth Reichl

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©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)

Entertaining and interesting real life story

Ruth is a great writer and freely shares her emotions as she recounts her career journey. This story really helps us see ourselves as a culture but also encouraged some introspection, as Ruth does the same. I found this very interesting and enjoyable. Excellent audio quality and diction.

Delightful from start to finish

This is the first audiobook I started recommending not only before I was done, but before I was finished the second chapter. I was immediately taken in to this story that was often laugh out loud funny, while still being very real and poignant. Is it better if you love food, probably- but you don’t need to be the sort of person who dines in high end restaurants to be taken on this journey. The game Ruth plays inventing characters to see how these restaurants treat the regular people without connections is absolutely fascinating. I was delighted all the way through this book and will be pushing it on even more people now that I finished it.

Delicious read

Ruth Reichl interweaves behind-the-scenes views of restaurant journalism and intriguing receipes with family insights and honest introspection. A well-written, well-read story that kept me hungry for more!

Excellent telling of a world not often exposed

Exactly what I wanted - great storytelling, honest career experience with benefits and drawbacks, thoughtful reflection on what it means to be a critic and thus, one who follows them

This was Fun

I've often wondered what it would be like to be a food critic and eat at some of the best restaurants. Engagingly told, these stories go inside the world of the food critic's need for anonymity, with disguises and tricks. Really fun.

A humble reflection

What was I expecting when I purchased this book? Certainly not what I received, but what I discovered was so much better.

Reichl manages to capture the anxieties of identity and the unknown future. Her reminiscence is humble and pure.
Dunne also has a splendid performance. With her delicate detail to all of the characters, the book remained entertaining and with little to no confusion on what was happening.
this is a book for anyone who likes food, anyone within a life change, or anyone who loves dramatic irony.

Love love love this foodie book

If you could sum up Garlic and Sapphires in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, edible, fun.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Author - she's the star of this book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

In the first scene when she's flying to NYC - someone spots her and says

Any additional comments?

If you are a foodie, you will love this book.

An Amazing Experience

The combination of the author's welcoming prose and the narrator's friendly and familiar voice (do I know her?) makes this a pleasure for all senses from beginning to end. All senses? Yes! You can see, smell and taste each dish as it is described (including the feel of the texture and the sound of the bite), and instead of feeling hungry, you feel sated as I if you, yourself, were dining with the author. Equally described is each individual human character and situation, assuring you that the author is as comfortable in describing them as any dish with shaved truffles. Ms. Reichl doesn't shy away from presenting her own foibles. In one scene I found myself truly disliking her, only to discover, a few paragraphs later, that her husband is chiding her for the same behavior. I would love to say to the author - and the narrator - let's have lunch!

Do Clothes Make the Woman or You Are What You Eat

This book grabbed me, waltzed me around the floor and then deposited me dizzy and hungry in a chair next to banquet! You have a great reader who takes you along on a ride that answers the question, "What would it be like to be the NYTimes Restaurant Reviewer?" The getups that Ruth devised to go unnoticed or at least unrecognized had me howling and I found that I had visualized the friends that she brought along to complete her story. I loved when her son learned to make hash browns or cakes, I hated the previous critic for his actions and I rode shotgun when she went on a food tour of New York. I could even understand as she starts to question her place on the (forgive me) food chain. I have enjoyed Ruth's other books, but this one really lightened up my life a little and I think that I started to eat a little better too, because who can have a bag of micro popcorn after hearing her description of a dinner at a four-star restaurant!

So Very Entertaining--Just Perfection!

I absolutely loved everything about this audiobook. Ruth Reichl, a former New York Times restaurant critic, takes us on a tour of the high end (mostly) restaurant industry in NY City. She is a wonderful writer, amusing, honest, downright humorous, and very open about her description of what this coveted job entailed. Perhaps the best part was her acquisition and use of costumes to prevent the restaurant owners from knowing her identity. So funny, and also a bit sad, as she showed us something we may have already suspected, the poorer treatment or even mistreatment of elderly women and the less financially well-off appearing folks of any age.

I loved the author's stories and descriptions of her food adventures. I loved the narrator, Bernadette Dunne. I thought she was the author reading throughout most of the book. She was perfect. I also loved hearing about the author's son and husband, who occasionally accompanied her on her work outings as her dinner guests. Good people! In addition and perhaps most fascinating of all was how the author's behavior, reception by others, and even her personality changed with each different disguise. Amazing and unexpected--it makes me want to acquire my own disguises and go out dining!

If you are interested or curious about the job of the most important food critic in NYC, you enjoy humorous audiobooks, and love to laugh, this is a book you should not miss!