Ruth Reichl is a born storyteller. Through her restaurant
reviews, where she celebrated the pleasures of a well-made
meal, and her bestselling memoirs that address our universal
feelings of love and loss, Reichl has achieved a special
place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers.
Now, with this magical debut novel, she has created a
sumptuous, wholly realized world that will enchant you.
Billie Breslin has traveled far from her home in
California to take a job at Delicious!, New York’s
most iconic food magazine. Away from her family,
particularly her older sister, Genie, Billie feels like a
fish out of water—until she is welcomed by the magazine’s
colorful staff. She is also seduced by the vibrant downtown
food scene, especially by Fontanari’s, the famous Italian
food shop where she works on weekends. Then
Delicious! is abruptly shut down, but Billie agrees
to stay on in the empty office, maintaining the hotline for
reader complaints in order to pay her bills.
To Billie’s surprise, the lonely job becomes the portal to a
miraculous discovery. In a hidden room in the magazine’s
library, Billie finds a cache of letters written during
World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the
legendary chef James Beard. Lulu’s letters provide Billie
with a richer understanding of history, and a feeling of
deep connection to the young writer whose courage in the
face of hardship inspires Billie to comes to terms with her
fears, her big sister and her ability to open her heart to love.
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