The Ingredients of Love
A Novel
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4.0 • 29 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A charming restaurant
A book and its mysterious author
A little secret
A romantic meeting
Paris and all its magic . . .
Cyrano de Bergerac meets Chocolat and Amélie in this intelligent, charming, and entertaining publishing sensation from Europe.
While in the midst of a breakup-induced depression, Aurélie Bredin, a beautiful Parisian restaurateur, discovers an astonishing novel in a quaint bookshop on the Ile Saint-Louis. Inexplicably, her restaurant and Aurélie herself are featured in its pages. After reading the whole book in one night, she realizes it has saved her life—and she wishes more than anything to meet its author. Aurélie's attempts to contact the attractive but shy English author through his French publishers are blocked by the company's gruff chief editor, André, who only with great reluctance forwards Aurélie's enthusiastic letter. But Aurélie refuses to give up. One day, a response from the reclusive author actually lands in her mailbox, but the encounter that eventually takes place is completely different from what she had ever imagined. . . . Filled with books, recipes, and characters that leap off the page, The Ingredients of Love by Nicolas Barreau is a tribute to the City of Light.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Aur lie Bredin, the heroine of Barreau's disappointing English-language debut, recounts how a book saves her life after her live-in boyfriend suddenly leaves her. After all, the life-saving book, called The Smiles of Women, features a woman much like Aur lie, as well as a small French restaurant like hers in the Rue Princesse in Paris. Aur lie is determined to meet the English author, Robert Miller, and pick his brain about the book, while secretly hoping that the encounter might lead to a great love affair. As it turns out, Robert Miller is a ghost, a pen name created by book editor and author Andr Chabanais. Barreau revolves chapters between the perspectives of Aur lie and Andr , foretelling their take on this screwball situation. Andr is intrigued by Aur lie, first by her letter and then, when they meet, by her; remaining coy about Mr. Miller, Andr uses Aur lie's desire for romance to his advantage, a risky strategy that typically blows up in someone's face. The predictability of Barreau's plot and his inability to render Aur lie's romanticism results in a missed opportunity; what could have been a charming romance set in the romance capital of the world falls flat. Recipes.
Customer Reviews
Unfloding
This book has my heart pounding like crazy in some instances that i was unable to put it aside and do something else. Made me cry several times and gasp in others. So touching it was especially that i am too fond of paris and its lanes, bars, language and food; it made me see the Paris i know and love right before me in exquisite and crisp images.
I.m'in love with this book, hope there might be a french edition of it.
Not usually a fan of fiction
I loved The Ingredients of Love! It was a fairly quick read and the setting was great. I took French for several years so it was fun having that integration but if you don't know any it won't prevent you from following his story. Beautifully written!