Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise Audiobook

" Fun read! Interesting facts/observations about food critics. Reichl has a great sense of humor "

" took a while after finishing to appreciate the emotions described here. made me very hungry.... "

" I really enjoyed this book about a critic from the NY Times. Parts are laugh-out-loud funny. Well-known, she adopts all sorts of disguises to go to restaurants undetected. The book is full of descriptions of food I've never had and probably never will, as well as some easy recipes. Fun read that makes you hungry. "

" I really enjoyed this book but I must admit I flagged a little towards the end "

" Satisfied the foodie in me but made me hungry the entire time. "

" Love her writing... This was as good as the first book I read by her, "Tender to the Bone" "

" This book was absolutely delicious to read; it made me so hungry to read all of the descriptions of food! Also absolutely hilarious; I had not realized the lengths that some food critics go to in order to not be recognized. "

" Ruth Reichl takes on disguises and totally new personas to review restaurants for the New York Times. She loses and finds herself on her way to becoming the editor of the now extinct Gourmet Magazine. Not sure I believe all the stories, but it was a fun read. "

" Great!! I read Reichl's other two autobiographical books before this, although this could be read by itself. Made me very hungry, although not any more inclined to visit upscale NYC restaurants. "

" Listened to this in the car over spring break. The food descriptions were amazing and Mattie loved the disguises/characters. "

" Interesting memoir by food critic for LA Times, then NY Times. Great stories about eating out. "

" Made me hungry. The woman can write food. But I'm giving her three stars because I'm stingy with stars, too. "

" Because I listened to the audiobook, its hard to tell whether or not I liked the reader or the content of the book itself. Entertaining and funny either way...or I think so, at least... "

" What an interesting life Ms Reichl lives. So glad I could live it a little with this book. Cannot wait to try the recipes slipped into each chapter. Like "Kitchen Confidential", this book makes you hyper aware of the food & the service you receive at restaurants. "

" I enjoyed this much more than I expected; the New York Times restaurant critic reflects on how her personality shifts when she's in different disguises (to avoid special treatment on the job). "

" Great writing, interesting subject matter. A great read. "

" Amazing! Aside from the endless descriptions of food. "

" I really liked this book about a New York Times restaurant critic. I enjoyed reading about her quirky disguises and personalties as she critiqued some of NY's best venues. What a fun job that would be! Thanks B. for the recommendation. I might not have picked up this book on my own. "

" What a fun read! I enjoyed the anecdotal tales of Ms. Reichl's life, but I LOVED the parts devoted to describing the foods at all of those fabulous New York resturants. "

" Loved, just loved, this book. I read it while vacationing through the Champagne region of France and eating lots of great food, so it was perfect. I love how Reichl writes about food: she's real, honest, emotional, and ties her love and experience of food to greater themes at every step. "

" Loved this book - such a fun read, and made me add "food critic" to my list of dream jobs! "

" My sister gave me this book to read and I really enjoyed her humor and writing style. Made me hungry though:) "

" So fun to get a look at the business of critiquing food. Wouldn't we all love to be in her shoes... "

" This is a funny book, but working at the NY Times apparently is not. While I enjoyed reading about Ruth's escapades, I began to wonder if she would ever tire of her "job." The ending did not disappoint. "

" This book was SO fun!!! I loved her witty writing style, her stories and her description of the food she ate! If you love to cook or eat or both... this is totally worth it!!!! "

" Kind of abrupt ending, but very insightful read about elite foodies in NYC. "

" Awesome read for people who love food! Makes me want to try all the fab new restaurants in town! "

" started off strong but got way too into the disguises which got boring. "

" Even more than her disguises she used to remain anonymous as the NY Times restaurant critic, I loved her descriptions of just tasting food. The full sensory experience of some of the dishes she experienced seemed to transport beyond time and place. I wanted to taste it all with her! "

" i thought this would be funny, and while it had it's moments, it had a much more contemplative tone. ruth reichl's food writing is outstanding and i enjoyed those passages the most, despite the fact that she mostly described courses of dead animal parts ;) "

" 4.5 - I really enjoyed this. Great combo of memoir, info about an interesting topic I don't know about, but would like to know more, restaurant reviews and recipes. I think it falls under the "true enough" slogan, but who cares. "

" Bookclub read. Very amusing tale of a food critic and her efforts to be anonymous. It was very interesting how she found herself assuming the characters of the disguises she assumed, and then what she learns about herself. Very well done, with some great recipes I want to try. "

" It was interesting to read about the life of a food critic, but I felt that this was a bit braggadocio. I much preferred her first book. "

" What's not to like? The life of a food critic sounds delicious. "