Garlic and Sapphires
The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
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Narrated by:
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Ruth Reichl
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By:
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Ruth Reichl
About this listen
Includes an interview with the author and recipe cards!
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.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2005 Ruth Reichl (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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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
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Story
Food writer and clinical psychologist Scott Haas wanted to know what went on inside the mind of a top chef - and what kind of emotional dynamics drove the fast-paced, intense interactions inside a great restaurant. To capture all the heat and hunger, he spent 18 months immersed in the kitchen of James Beard Award-winner Tony Maws's restaurant, Craigie on Main, in Boston. He became part of the family, experiencing the drama first-hand.
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Truly horrible narration
- By Fidge on 03-28-15
By: Scott Haas
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The Christmas Pearl
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Celia Weston
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Theodora is the matriarch of a family that, in her opinion, has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. They've all come together to South Carolina to celebrate Christmas. But this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey Christmases Theodora grew up with.
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Never too old to learn or to love
- By Debbie on 12-20-13
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Death al Dente
- Food Lovers' Village Mystery Series, Book 1
- By: Leslie Budewitz
- Narrated by: Rebecca Mitchell
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The town of Jewel Bay, Montana - known as a Food Lovers' Village - is obsessed with homegrown and homemade Montana fare. So when Erin Murphy takes over her family's century-old general store, she turns it into a boutique market filled with local delicacies. But Erin's freshly booming business might go rotten when a former employee turns up dead.
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Four and a half stars
- By Beatrice on 05-01-17
By: Leslie Budewitz
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Bruno's Challenge
- And Other Stories of the French Countryside
- By: Martin Walker
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Martin Walker presents his first collection of Bruno stories featuring all the familiar characters from the novels, the glories of the Périgord, and ample helpings of food and wine.
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Outtakes and Ephemera
- By SW Clemens on 03-23-22
By: Martin Walker
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Meet Your Baker
- By: Ellie Alexander
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte's customers turns up dead, there's much ado about murder.
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Fun Culinary Cozy
- By Bookishly on 04-18-18
By: Ellie Alexander
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Out of Line
- A Life of Playing with Fire
- By: Barbara Lynch
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Out of Line describes Lynch's remarkable process of self-invention, including her encounters with colorful characters of the food world, and vividly evokes the magic of creation in the kitchen. It is also a love letter to South Boston and its vanishing culture, governed by Irish Catholic mothers and its own code of honor. Through her story, Lynch explores how the past - both what we strive to escape from and what we remain true to - can strengthen and expand who we are.
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Hardheaded, arrogant, profane.
- By Minneapolis listener on 10-26-22
By: Barbara Lynch
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Catering to Nobody
- By: Diane Mott Davidson
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Even though working a wake isn’t Goldy Bear’s idea of fun, the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast featuring Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. Her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered … until her former father-in-law, gynecologist Fritz Korman, is struck down—and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu.
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So, so bad...and yet...
- By Scarlett on 10-16-14
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The Hundred-Foot Journey
- A Novel
- By: Richard C. Morais
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Born above his grandfather’s modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy pushes the family out of India, they console themselves by eating their way around the world, eventually settling in Lumière, a small village in the French Alps.
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Great details & writing in a flawed story
- By David Shear on 02-12-14
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Knives at Dawn
- America's Quest for Culinary Glory at the Legendary Bocuse d'Or Competition
- By: Andrew Friedman
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The Bocuse d'Or is the real-life Top Chef, a biannual cooking competition in France featuring teams from 24 countries vying for the top honors. Named after Paul Bocuse, one of the greatest, most influential living chefs, the Bocuse d'Or has become the most sophisticated and closely watched cook-off in the world. Ironically, though American cuisine now rates among the best in the world, a U.S. team has never placed among the top three in the competition.
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Fascinating for Foodies
- By Linda Zimmerman on 02-07-12
By: Andrew Friedman
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Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind
- By: Ann B. Ross
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia's late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal - and the guardian of a wan nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down.
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Miss Julia is 60+ yrs old.. reader is too young
- By jennifer on 07-13-12
By: Ann B. Ross
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Buttermilk Graffiti
- A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine
- By: Edward Lee
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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American food is the story of mash-ups. Immigrants arrive, cultures collide, and out of the push-pull come exciting new dishes and flavors. But for Edward Lee, who, like Anthony Bourdain or Gabrielle Hamilton, is as much a writer as he is a chef, that first surprising bite is just the beginning. What about the people behind the food? What about the traditions, the innovations, the memories? A natural-born storyteller, Lee decided to hit the road and spent two years uncovering fascinating narratives from every corner of the country.
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Good listen for the aspiring food snob
- By thurman r. on 02-09-22
By: Edward Lee
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The Diva Runs Out of Thyme
- A Domestic Diva Mystery, Book 1
- By: Krista Davis
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Few can compete with the Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. While Natasha is known for her intricate centerpieces and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals, Sophie likes to keep things simple...real simple.
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The type of cozy I don't enjoy
- By Meep on 09-11-15
By: Krista Davis
What listeners say about Garlic and Sapphires
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- ciniminis
- 07-11-06
Way too abridged!
This is a good book. I picked the abridged over the unabridged this time, because the abridged version is read by the author. But so much is missing! In the book, chapters of narratives end in Ruth's newspaper column, which serves as a conclusion for each story. Those are cut out (so the stories are left to dangle, without the readers knowing how her article turned out). The entire "umani" sushi experience is gone, as well as other great segments.
Stay with the unabridged! I am very sorry that I didn't.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Caroline G Wizeman
- 01-10-19
Fun behind the scenes look at the job of NYT food critic
It was interesting and entertaining hearing about Ruth’s experiences as the head critic for the NYT and how she used disguises to keep herself anonymous while she was doing it. It was an easy listen and I enjoyed it. But the author’s reading of the story was better when she was just being herself rather than doing all of the voices of the other characters. I found the voices a bit overdone. Overall though, I recommend this book for the foodies out there!
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Overall
- Heather P
- 08-26-05
Fantastic!!
This book is so enjoyable--I love that she included the eating experience and then the review. To hear her describe all she went through in the visits to the restaurants and how those combined to become the actual review is wonderful. Her descriptions of dishes are mouth-watering to say the least. They make you want to move to New York and go to all the restaurants. I have to give her only four stars, in keeping with Ms. Reichl's reviews. :) What a delightful diversion!!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Penny
- 04-22-05
Great Book
If you liked Tender At The Bone, you will love this book. You haven't read Tender At The Bone? You will love that too. Ruth Reichl is the best writer on food and the best autobiographer we have writing today.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Samantha
- 04-15-05
Fabulous. . . can't wait for the whole thing!
Well written, humourous and sharply witty. Well worth the gamble.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Winegyrl50
- 11-02-16
Definite sleep inducer
There is a reason most authors don't read their own books. Ruth Reichl should take note. Though I gave it many, many attempts, I was unable to finish this book due to the narration. I did, however, find it to be a great sleep inducer. Listen at your own napping risk.
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