My Life from Scratch is about a woman, Gesine Bullock - Prado who once worked in Hollywood and chose to leave the life that she felt was dragging her down to pursue her true love, baking.
I was so exited to read this book and was looking forward to getting a glimpse into the life of a baker, having not read one before. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed. I found Gesine self-absorbed and a bit standoffish. I'm not sure how to describe what I felt each time she mentioned her sister is Sandra Bullock? It did however make me wonder if she felt she needed her sisters fame to get her own?
Disappointment aside, I did laugh on occasion for some of her stories about her customers were quite funny! I especially enjoyed the one about the little boy who wouldn't stop screaming his head off until he had a chocolate croissant!!! (Maybe that's because I could feel her pain, ahem.) Or the time she ate an entire bag of Oreos and the mayhem that ensued because of it!
I also loved reading about her time spent in Germany and the memories of her mother which were heartwarming and sincere. Those are the words I crave when I read a memoir. For me, there were not enough of them.
Gesine shares recipes at the end of each chapter and they are recipes that can not be missed! I am a lover of sweets and am looking forward to making some if not all the recipes in this book.
Disappointment aside, I did laugh on occasion for some of her stories about her customers were quite funny! I especially enjoyed the one about the little boy who wouldn't stop screaming his head off until he had a chocolate croissant!!! (Maybe that's because I could feel her pain, ahem.) Or the time she ate an entire bag of Oreos and the mayhem that ensued because of it!
I also loved reading about her time spent in Germany and the memories of her mother which were heartwarming and sincere. Those are the words I crave when I read a memoir. For me, there were not enough of them.
Gesine shares recipes at the end of each chapter and they are recipes that can not be missed! I am a lover of sweets and am looking forward to making some if not all the recipes in this book.
First on my list is zuetschgendatschi. Love, love, love plums . . . yummy!
Shelley, thanks for choosing this book. I found Bullock-Prado a bit too strong worded at times. Her unsociability is a fact she acknowledges, though. I hope you do try some of the recipes because they sounded amazing.
ReplyDeleteBitter, that's what she seemed like to me. I totally agree with you that the book had a little too much pettiness and too little depth of feeling. Maybe she should have waited until she was older and wiser(?) to write here memoir!
ReplyDeleteI think being Sandra Bullock's little sister must be a double edged sword. Obviously, her bakery wouldn't have had such an explosion of success (right off the bat, at least) if her sister hadn't mentioned her macarons in a magazine and/or assisted at the bakery on opening day. Talk about a good way to bring in customers!
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, though, I can't imagine living in a movie star's shadow. I, too, am a younger sister and understand a bit of what she's experiencing. Little sisters often look up to their big sisters, but also want to be their own person - I can only imagine the pressures of trying to find your own identity and niche with such a famous big sister! I don't necessarily think it's weird that Sandra was mentioned so frequently - the author only has one sibling and this was a memoir, right? If she wasn't famous, we wouldn't be bothered so much by it.
Thanks for choosing such an entertaining book! I understand what you highlight as pettiness or bitterness, but it does make me wonder if it is part of her shtick, like Anthony Bourdain. I also don't think she's capitalizing on her sister's fame - it's just a significant part of her adult life, and I think it would be weirder if she didn't make any mention of it.
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