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)

Outstanding Audiobook & Performance by Author

Hands down the best audiobook I have ever listened to. Love Hamilton or hate her, the honesty and integrity displayed in both the content and the performance cannot be denied. The woman delivers.

Brilliant - impossible to turn off

I discovered this book many years ago and after hearing Gabrielles recent New Yorker essay I looked her up again here. I did nothing for two days but listen. This is a wonderful, sumptuous, visual and sense feast for anyone in love with food, the complex story of families, and the restaurant industry.

I want a new one so badly!! Please write more Gabrielle. This was brilliant.

And right now, the perfect escape.

Inspiringly strong female autobiographer.

Where does Blood, Bones & Butter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorite audiobooks, mostly because of how closely i felt i could identify with the author

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blood, Bones & Butter?

Descriptions of the parties her parents threw at her childhood house.

What does Gabrielle Hamilton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

An autobiographical book being read by the author brings a whole new level of understanding to the reader about the persona of the author/main character.

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

When she visits her mother later in life with her own family and, in a way, forgives or makes peace with her memories.

Any additional comments?

I would especially recommend for women, those interested in cooking, Italy or with lives or loved ones that bring them between Europe and the U.S.

Mixed Feelings

When she writes about food and cooking, Gabrielle is immensely talented as both a writer and narrator. Listening, you get hungry and inspired to eat and cook well. Her story is fascinating and there is much that lurks beneath the surface; struggles that she glosses over but which hint at immense personal strength and courage. But...the second half of the book is as much about her dysfunctional marriage as it is about food and cooking and she sounds like any other post-feminist woman droning on in excrucisting detail about her disappointment with her husband, profession, role in life and general lack of appreciation for her many sacrifices. Not to say she isn't isn't justified, but after the glorious focus on food in the first half, it is a distraction and diminishes the magnificent writing on the beautiful life with her husband's family in Italy. One is oddly left with the sense that this person who is so likable in the first half of the book, might not be such a nice person after all. So the end of the book comes as something as a relief.

Love it, love it, love it!

I have listened to this book at least 15 times. I love it. Highly recommend it to anyone, interested in cooking or not. Great story, great writing, read by the Author! And great insights into how life unfolds and how you learn from it if you take the time to really look back with new perspective.

One of my Favorites

An honest, sometimes brutal, autobiography. Well traveled and always searching, not quite reaching. Delighted, frustrated and horrified by life. Superbly written.

Addictive and satisfying - like mac n' cheese.

If you could sum up Blood, Bones & Butter in three words, what would they be?

well-written, engaging, unexpected

What did you like best about this story?

As a memoir, it's kind of all over the place, but it works - probably because Gabrielle is a great writer. This book has a bit for everyone - and if you appreciate well-written stories, then you'll enjoy the whole thing. It felt like a mash-up of "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain, "The Glass Castle," by Jeanette Walls, and "Orange Is the New Black," by Piper Kerman. If you liked any or all of those books, then this is a must-listen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not in one sitting - but it went a LOT faster than how I normally listen to memoirs.

Any additional comments?

When I finished with the book, I had to google Gabrielle to see what she's been up to since the story ended, which says a lot about how invested I became in her story. Interestingly, all the twists and turns in the book seem to pale by what's happened in her world since - if the garbage published in the society pages are to be believed.

Good book

it's a pretty good book but it's more about her failed marriage than actual cooking or food but still a good read

What an enjoyable read!!!

I listened to this book whilst I do my prep at 5am in the kitchen. Inspired me and gave me ideas on new dishes. Made me want to get back to my Italian roots and loved Gabrielle and agreed with pretty much everything she thinks about working in a kitchen! And I would rather work with women in the kitchen too!

great read, but bug issue with this audiobook

GH tells an awesome tale about very real details of her upbringing and life working in the food industry. She has such a gift with prose that I would recommend the book to anyone I know!
I don't know what the other reviews were talking about regarding her narration because I could understand her perfectly and thought she did a beautiful job reading her work.
My audiobook however was great for the first half but super buggy in the second half so much that I couldn't finish the audiobook. I tried reinstalling audible and redownloading the book, but no luck. It was definitely an issue with this particular book, so watch out!