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The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 27,810 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The wondrous Aimee Bender conjures the lush and moving story of a girl whose magical gift is really a devastating curse. On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose. The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a luminous tale about the enormous difficulty of loving someone fully when you know too much about them. It is heartbreaking and funny, wise and sad, and confirms Aimee Bender’s place as “a writer who makes you grateful for the very existence of language” (San Francisco Chronicle).
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"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. "
— Jessica (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“This coming-of-age story makes a bittersweet dish, brimming with a zesty, beguiling talent.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Moving, fanciful, and gorgeously strange.”
— People -
“Odd and oddly beautiful.”
— Washington Post -
“A transformative narrative.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“Bender deconstructs one of our most pleasurable activities, eating, and gives it a whole new flavor. She smooths out the lumps and grittiness of life to reveal its zest.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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Selected for the June 2010 Indie Next List
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the 2011 YALSA Alex Award
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A 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Best Book for Fiction
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Winner of Alex Award - YALSA, 2011
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Winner of Margaret A. Edwards Award (Alex Awards), 2011
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake Listener Reviews
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" Weird. Just weird. Moments of okay ness. But many more moments that just didn't connect. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to get it. "
— Ariana, 2/14/2014 -
" Having seen this on several book club lists, I was expecting a little more than I got. The premise of the book (girl eats food, tastes emotion of person who baked/cooked it) intrigued me, but I think Bender spent too much time on the front of the novel, skipped developing the brother's tie-in, and wrapped up the book too hastily. I would not recommend. "
— Beth, 2/5/2014 -
" 3.5. This is an odd, but oddly beautiful book. It has flaws, but it definitely gets people talking. I enjoyed it, but not everyone will like it. "
— Melanie, 1/30/2014 -
" An oddly compelling little story about Rose, a girl who suddenly discovers she can taste emotions through food, and thus becomes privy to secrets and pain she'd rather not share. Finding her ability to be both inescapable and impossible for others to believe or understand, Rose carves her own path through life, creating strategies and tricks to make the burden bearable. The second half of the book is fascinating as the other characters in her family begin to reveal themselves in very unexpected ways, giving context to Rose's experiences. "
— Laura, 1/22/2014 -
" What a creative idea! It started out so good and then all of a sudden was not.. "
— L3nda, 1/21/2014 -
" I loved this book for its child's point of view and weirdness. "
— Elli, 12/30/2013 -
" It was extremely interesting to me, I believe there are people who are strongly empathic but to feel the emotions of ther person preparing the food...what a burden for a young child! "
— Leslie, 12/21/2013 -
" I can believe a story about a girl who can tell a person's emotions by the food that they prepare but a brother who can become a piece of furniture.....puhleez! "
— June, 12/9/2013 -
" Loved it; magical realism that, for once, I liked! Quirky, funny, inventive, touching, evocative. I would definitely read more by her. "
— Juli, 12/4/2013 -
" Well, it's likable enough-- good characters, well-written, pleasant story but my overall take-away was "SO WHAT?" Read it for my book group. Won't read another by this author. "
— Shelley, 11/30/2013 -
" A book about family. A lil girl who can taste the feeling of someone by tasting the food they cook. And then she can know is it organic, or the place the ingredient from, bla bla bla.not much explore about the feeling thoght. Dont like it much, but okey for an evening reading. "
— dara, 6/8/2013 -
" Tried to read this book twice....ugh! "
— Aileen, 6/2/2013 -
" Great magical realism. I took a lit class as an undergrad at USC from one lady, when I could have taken a class with Aimee Bender. Boohoo, me. I am grateful for her books and that is all. "
— Carlyn, 5/5/2013 -
" I thought the theme was unique...the girl can read peoples feelings when she eats the food they make! But the family was sad and disconnected. "
— Jodi, 3/23/2013 -
" I love the story and its details. "
— Aticha, 1/3/2012 -
" 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. "
— Kelli, 6/30/2011 -
" 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. "
— Liz, 6/30/2011 -
" An unusual look at innate talents and how they affect our lives. "
— Laura, 6/29/2011 -
" This was an easy read and I thought an interesting story about a family. Still thinking about it a few days later. "
— Angie, 6/28/2011 -
" 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. "
— Brooke, 6/28/2011 -
" Really weird and sad. I like it just cuz its so different from my typical reads "
— Alyssa, 6/27/2011 -
" A very weird book but very interesting! "
— Mimy, 6/27/2011 -
" 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. "
— Sue, 6/26/2011 -
" 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. "
— Janet, 6/25/2011 -
" 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. "
— Christine, 6/23/2011 -
" 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. "
— Kaia, 6/23/2011 -
" 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 "
— Raeesa, 6/22/2011 -
" Strange and unappealing. I only finished it because I can't leave a book in the middle! "
— Denise, 6/22/2011
About Aimee Bender
Aimee Bender is the author of several novels and story collections. The Butterfly Lampshade was longlisted for the PEN/Jean Stein Award in 2020. Her works have been widely anthologized and have been translated into sixteen languages.