The Hundred-Foot Journey

Reviews

“A gorgeous novel, vivid and intimate, tracing a journey from kitchen to kitchen, from culture to culture, with a perfect touch.”

“Outstanding! A completely engaging human story heavily larded with the lushest, most high-test food porn since Zola. Easily the best novel ever set in the world of cooking—and absolutely thrilling from beginning to end. I wished it went on for another three hundred pages.”

“Richard C. Morais conjures a richly woven tapestry of exotic sights, smells, and tastes that transports the reader to a world of epicurean delights. This is a charming, deeply felt novel that questions, and ultimately celebrates, the twists and turns of an authentically lived life.”

“The novel’s charm lies in its improbability: it’s Slumdog Millionaire meets Ratatouille.”

“Serious foodies will swoon. Morais throws himself into the kind of descriptive writing that makes reading a gastronomic event.”

“[A] delicious fairy-tale-like read.”

“An exquisite piece of literary gastroporn. I mean this in the best possible way. You read this first novel at the peril of your gut. I devoured this delectable book in a couple of sittings.”

“A very good book. At times it reminds me of Salman Rushdie and Naguib Mahfouz, of Julia Child and Madhur Jaffrey…Certain passages…sing like a beautiful ragout of spring’s freshest vegetables in a perfect consommé topped with farm-fresh egg.”

“I enjoyed this book very much. It has great charm and is colorfully written, sensual, and evocative.”

“A page-turner that captures the extent to which nostalgia and imagination are a part of the craft of cooking, while vividly conjuring the sights and smells of the kitchen. In The Hundred-Foot Journey food isn’t just a theme, it’s a main character.”

“This tale of restaurant rivalry and a desperate quest for Michelin stars is just beautifully told. From India to France, Richard Morais takes his caravanserai of eccentric characters and mouthwatering recipes on an unlikely journey from the teeming streets of Mumbai to a quiet village in rural France—there to do culinary battle royal. I have never experienced that most subtle of senses—smell—captured so well in print. The aroma of fine cooking just floats off the pages. Don’t read this book if you’re hungry. You might eat it.”

“A delicious culinary romp from the beaches of Bombay to the peaks of Paris haute cuisine. Very charming and a delight to savor.”

“Cooking and writing at a high level require great passion—exactly the kind of passion Richard Morais has poured into The Hundred-Foot Journey, the story of an Indian boy who discovers he has an extraordinary gift for cooking.”

“Floats along a bounty of vivid food imagery, a twisty-turny river of dishes Indian, French, and everything in between. With an obvious insider’s knowledge of the restaurant milieu, journalist Morais delivers a world where Michelin stars determine not only the popular appeal of a restaurant but also the happiness of its executive chef. This novel, of mythic proportions yet told with truly heartfelt realism, is a stunning tribute to the devotion to family and food, in that order. Bound to please anyone who has ever been happily coaxed to eat beyond the point of fullness, overwhelmed by the magnetism of just one more bite.”

“With his debut novel, longtime Forbes magazine correspondent Morais delves into a rich, imagery-filled culinary world…From vibrantly depicted French markets and restaurant kitchens to the lively and humorously portrayed Haji family, Morais engulfs the reader in Hassan’s wondrous world of discovery. Regardless of one’s relationship with food, this novel will spark the desire to wield a whisk or maybe just a knife and fork.”

“The story has the nostalgic feel of memoir. It spans a huge amount of time and covers great geographic distances, so readers who love sweeping epics and rise-to-fame stories will be happily transfixed.”

“Precise descriptive writing offers much to savor in this bouillabaisse of a first novel.”

“Neil Shah’s masterful, fully voiced interpretation of Richard C. Morais’ colorful coming-of-age tale makes The Hundred-Foot Journey truly magical…The Hundred-Foot Journey is for listeners who love to cook, love to eat, love to be exquisitely catered to, love to travel, and especially anyone who loves the crisp snap of a starched white linen tablecloth just before it is placed on a favorite restaurant table or the sizzling stove fragrances of the truly outstanding chef…Outstanding combination of narrator with text. Indeed a magical journey.” 

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