The Measure of My Powers Audiobook By Jackie Kai Ellis cover art

The Measure of My Powers

A Memoir of Food, Misery, and Paris

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Measure of My Powers

By: Jackie Kai Ellis
Narrated by: Jackie Kai Ellis
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.96

Buy for $17.96

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Instant national best seller and shortlisted for the 2019 Taste Canada Awards and the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.

For fans of Eat Pray Love, Wild, and H is for Hawk, The Measure of My Powers is the story of one woman's search for self-love, experienced through food and travel.

"With searing vulnerability and unflinching honesty, Jackie Kai Ellis takes us on an intense and immersive journey from her darkest moments to the redemption she finds through her love of food, Paris, and ultimately, herself." (Jen Waite, best-selling author of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing)

On the surface, Jackie Kai Ellis' life was the one that she and every woman wanted. She was in her late 20s and married to a handsome man, she had a successful career as a designer, and she had a beautiful home. But instead of feeling fulfilled, happy, and loved, each morning she'd wake up dreading the day ahead, searching for a way out. Depression clouded every moment, the feelings of inadequacy that had begun in childhood now consumed her, and her marriage was slowly transforming into one between strangers - unfamiliar, childless, and empty. In the darkness, she could only find one source of light: the kitchen. It was the place where Jackie escaped, finding peace, comfort, and acceptance.

This is the story of one woman's journey to find herself. Armed with nothing but a love of food and the words of the 20th-century food writer M.F.K. Fisher, she travels from France to Italy, then the Congo, and back again. Along the way, she goes to pastry school in Paris, eats the most perfect apricots over the Tuscan hills, watches a family of gorillas grazing deep in the Congolese brush, has her heart broken one last time on a bridge in Lyon, and, ultimately, finds a path to life and joy.

Told with insight and intimacy, and radiating with warmth and humor, The Measure of My Powers is an inspiring memoir, and an unforgettable experience of the senses.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2018 Jackie Kai Ellis (P)2018 Appetite by Random House
Culinary Gastronomy France Witty Heartfelt
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Open, raw and honest.... Tender and authentic tales of a woman coming into her own." (The Globe and Mail)

"With searing vulnerability and unflinching honesty, Jackie Kai Ellis takes us on an intense and immersive journey from her darkest moments to the redemption she finds through her love of food, Paris, and, ultimately, herself." (Jen Waite, internationally best-selling author of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing)

"This inspiring memoir digs deep into one woman's struggles to overcome her depression. A writer, baker, woman of the world - Jackie Kai Ellis stars in all these roles." (Lucy Waverman, award-winning author of The Flavour Principle)

What listeners say about The Measure of My Powers

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book to start the new year!

I was drawn into Jackie’s story. Didn’t know what to expect and was happily surprised with the authenticity and ups and downs of her extraordinary life. Inspiring and interesting!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful