Thalia Book Club: Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake Audiobook

" Amiee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a sad tale of a girl who can taste the emotions of whoever cooked the food she happened to be eating. She watches her whole home life collapse as her mother finds love other than her father, her brother's continuous drawing into himsele. And falling for her brother's best friend who eventually has feelings for her too, but she pushes him away and falls for another woman. There are no quotations around the words so it makes the book harder to read and to understand. But if you can get past it, the story line is interesting and great to read. "

" This book started out so promising. It was engrossing and beautifully lush with a gripping story. But somewhere along the way it veered off course and she lost me. I began to wonder how she was going to explain things or resolve them, and found myself unsatisfied with her choices and wanting more. In the end, I'm not completely sure how I felt about this book. In part I think I get what she was trying to say, but in part I was also disappointed. "

" The reference to Oki Dog on Pico Blvd put a smile on my face. It was a local favorite growing up. (Pastrami, cheese, and hot dog in a burrito. Mmmm...) The story itself wasn't exactly gripping though. If it were a sauce, I'd say it was "mild." "

" beautifully creative "

" My first Aimee Bender book, and definitely not my last. Enjoyable read, and I got sucked in early on. "

" Surreal, but I liked it. Though I would have appreciated quotes in the appropriate places - call me traditional. "

" Interesting concept. A young girl has a gift for tasting things in food - as she develops this skill she can identify whether a food is organic, where it came from, and how the people involved in it's preparation were feeling at the time of preparation. With a disappearing brother, sad mother, and disconnected father, she grows up in a confusing environment. The ending picks up a little but it's mostly felt quite slow. "

" Loved the concept and the stangeness. "

" This book had an interesting premise, but it just didn't quite all come together for me in the end. "

" I enjoyed the writing style and it was a nice story but I think she could have developed some characters a bit more, I saw the book as a metaphor but I think some parts were just too far fetched even as a metaphor "

" I wanted to give this 1 1/2 stars. I read the entire book waiting for some closure or to even be able to understand what was happening in the book. The best I can say is that it was a very strange book. What a disfunctional family! "

" Lifts the veil...draws attention to the intricacies family dynamics, relationships... "

" amazing! I absolutely loved this book. I would suggest this to anyone. I couldn't put it down! "

" Gorgeous and lyrical and offbeat. Well done! "

" Too sad. Just too long and too sad. The writing was ok, but I kept waiting for it to get better and it didn't. "

" I didn't like the beginning, nor the end, but I enjoyed the middle of the book! "

" Will think about it later "

" Quirky, but quite enjoyable. "

" Fun and interesting, but weak character development of brother, and weak ending.. Would give 3 and a half, but no halves here. "

" Very.... for the lack of a better word, confusing(?) yet beautiful and creative. I absolutely loved it though, one of the best books I read this year. "

" A unique approach to the telling of what it means to be a family - the misunderstandings, the growing, the acceptance. This is a beautifully written, beautiful story. "

" I won't be surprised if this book is made into a film. "

" This was an odd book. I am sure there are subtle life lessons I should have learned from this book but I didn't. It was enjoyable, just a little weird. "

" Simply gorgeous. The romantic in me was a little sad about (view spoiler)[ her not being with George (hide spoiler)] but otherwise, I adored this story. "

" Oh, my! Another book to think about for a long time. Couldn't put it down. Can't decide if it is brilliant or just inventive. Maybe I'll come back to this later, after more thought. "

" I wish Goodreads had half-stars, because I was in between "liked it", and "really liked it". I liked the concept, and the eventual endings for most of the characters, but it dragged some in the middle. Worth the read, if you come across a copy. "

" Sweet and mysterious. Comes down to seeing your life as a blessing or a curse. I was so happy with the choice this girl makes for herself. "

" An unusual look at innate talents and how they affect our lives. "

" I loved this book! Aimee Bender created a unique plot with engaging characters, as well as beautiful imagery and eloquent sentence structures. I plan on checking out more of her work. My only complaint is that she didn't tie up all of the loose ends, leaving me hanging. "

" The magic realism was interesting, but I can't say that I felt all that connected to the protagonist or her brother; the most sympathetic character to me was her mother, and I think that might not have been the author's intention. In the end, I felt a little let down. "

" This was an easy read and I thought an interesting story about a family. Still thinking about it a few days later. "

" A very weird book but very interesting! "

" Really weird and sad. I like it just cuz its so different from my typical reads "

" Another of our book club picks. Very strange but engaging - well written and true to the voice of the main character. Her "gift" made some sense but the "gift" of the brother's was just too far out there. "

" Third food title in a row, and the first book read on my I Phone! An odd story, lovingly told, of a girl who can sense the emotions of all the people who had a part in making the food she is eating. "

" I was disappointed with the ending and some of the magical realism, particularly that which dealt with her brother was a little far fetched even for me. It's a weak substitute for Like Water for Chocolate. "

" An interesting concept--a blend of magic realism mixed into an otherwise unsatisfied middle-class American novel. I thought the idea of the daughter taking on the tragedy of her family through food was clever and tragic and fascinating. Worth the read. "

" im giving it two stars because i really liked the general idea. but, did i miss something? i totally didn't understand what was up with her brother (just some other power, but what...). i also didnt find the ending very satsifying "

" Strange and unappealing. I only finished it because I can't leave a book in the middle! "