Feast

True Love in and out of the Kitchen

By: Hannah Howard

Narrated by: Hannah Howard

The compulsively readable memoir of a woman at war—with herself, with her body, and with food—while working her way through the underbelly of New York City’s glamorous culinary scene.

Hannah Howard is a Columbia University freshman when she lands a hostess job at Picholine, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manhattan. Eighteen years old and eager to learn, she’s invigorated by the manic energy and knife-sharp focus of the crew. By day Hannah explores the Columbia arts scene, struggling to find her place. By night she’s intoxicated by boxes of heady truffles and intrigued by the food industry’s insiders. She’s hungry for knowledge, success, and love, but she’s also ravenous because she hasn’t eaten more than yogurt and coffee in days.

Hannah is hiding an eating disorder. The excruciatingly late nights, demanding chefs, bad boyfriends, and destructive obsessions have left a void inside her that she can’t fill. To reconcile her relationships with the food she worships and a body she struggles to accept, Hannah’s going to have to learn to nourish her soul.

©2018 Hannah Howard (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“In this candid and searching memoir, Howard offers a celebration of food as well as an account of the determination required to forge a path to self-acceptance. An inspirational memoir of food and finding oneself.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Those in recovery from substance abuse will recognize themselves throughout this honest memoir; for those without addiction issues, this story offers a painful glance into the lives of those who suffer.”—Publishers Weekly

“In this deeply felt memoir, Howard, who also mentors young women recovering from eating disorders, pens riveting accounts of the raging monster of bingeing and haunting tales of days of weakness. Readers who are untouched by an eating disorder will be shocked, and those who know its pain more intimately will find a compassionate and understanding friend in Howard.”—Booklist

Good story, great writing, poor narration

Good story, although a bit preachy at the end. Great writing! loved the descriptive tone and being transported to the world of food service in all different capacities. The trip into Hannah's mind was fascinating. Please, Please find a different narrator. You are a lovely writer, wonderful with food, and a strong woman. Your narration was distracting and almost had me not finishing the book.

3.5 🌟

Memoir about a Jewish girl with too big boobs and an unhealthy infatuation with food trying to find balance within herself. .
.
Hannah is hiding an eating disorder. The excruciatingly late nights, demanding chefs, bad boyfriends, and destructive obsessions have left a void inside her that she can't fill.
..
I'm not a huge fan of her narration but it works in some situations. It took time to get used to listening to her and it starts out talking so much about food that you wonder where it's going and then there it is. From binging to bulimia to anorexia all while being intoxicated by the food industry and it's insiders. Also, the many bad decisions/choices regarding the people she encounters, how frustrating that she allowed herself to be in those situations as long as she did. Then again, she's 18 when this all starts and it took a long time before she learned not to take shit.
.
Overall, Hannah has a good story that many need to hear. It delves into the mind and thought processes of someone with such a diverse eating disorder. Narration on the other hand, not really one for the books.

One problem

I’m sorry to say this but it sounded to me like the narrator had a lisp. Which I found distracting. I do appreciate her story though . Maybe the problem was with my device

What can I say?

In hope of devouring this book, Feast, I was prepared to hear the ins and outs of a budding chef. i almost stopped after the first chapter not sure what I was actually getting into but something kept me coming back to her story. Disappointed? Not really. It was still an interesting read and worth my time. Excellent narrative from an addict"s POV and very inspiring.

Awesome

OMW, I look at and experience food completely different now. I am i soured and more expressive after listening to this audio book.