Among Friends [Paperback]

M. F. K. Fisher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2004

Originally published in 1970, Among Friends provides a fascinating glimpse into the background and development of one of our most delightful and best-loved writers, Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher — the woman who elevated food writing to a literary art. In Among Friends M. F. K. Fisher begins her recollections in Albion, Michigan, but they soon lead her to Whittier, California, where her family moved in 1912, when she was four. The “Friends” of the title range from the hobos who could count on food at the family’s back door to the businessmen who advertised in Father’s paper—but above all they are the Quakers who were the prominent group in Whittier. Mary Frances Kennedy found them unusual friends indeed: in the more than forty years that she lived in Whittier she was never invited inside a Friend’s house. Her portraits of her father, Rex—her mentor, himself the editor of the local newspaper—her mother, Edith, and the other members of her family are memorable and moving.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"She writes about food as others do about love, but rather better."--Clifton Fadiman

"M. F. K. Fisher ... brings onstage a peach or a brace of quail and shows us history, cities, fantasies, memories, emotions."--Patricia Storace, The New York Review of Books

"M. F. K. Fisher is our greatest food writer because she puts food in the mount, the mind and the imagination all at the same time. Beyond the gastronomical bravura, she is a passionate woman; food is her metaphor."--Shana Alexander

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

M. F. K. Fisher was born in Albion, Michigan, on July 3, 1908. She is the author of numerous books, many of which have become American classics. She died in 1992.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593760248
• ISBN-13: 978-1593760243
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books, December 1, 2000

By 

Michele T. Woodward (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Among Friends (Paperback)

Some people think of MFK Fisher as simply a food writer. This book reveals the flaw in that way of thinking, because Fisher was truly one of the great writers of the last century. "Among Friends" tells the story of her growing up in the 1910s in Whittier, California -- a Quaker community. A non-Quaker, she tells of the gentle, exclusive bigotry of the Friends. She also describes a California which has all but vanished -- the drive from Whitter to Ventura was an overland trek! And, her culinary memory is astonishing. She describes in glorious detail what her family ate and how she came to her love of good food, well prepared. This book works on so many levels, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars kitchen poetry, May 17, 2000

By 

carina guevara - See all my reviews

This review is from: Among Friends (Paperback)

Not only does MFK fisher appreciate good food, but this book is one everybody can relate to. Its a FUN read with language reserved mostly for poetry. An absolute MUST.

6 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars difficult to relate to, January 30, 2005

By 

M. Robertson (chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Among Friends (Paperback)

I received this book as a gift to read while recovering from surgery. I plodded through the preface and first few chapters, then had to resort to skimming the rest. I found it cumbersome and verbose -- filled with long-winded sentences, lofty and uncommon language (had to keep my dictionary at hand), and references that were entirely unknown to me. One might say it was over my head I suppose. The best parts were her descriptions of the simple but heavenly foods she recalled from her childhood. Other than that, and her account of life in Quaker Whittier CA, I didn't find much in this memoir that I cared about. I know that her prose is highly regarded, but it was lost on me. I have not read any of her other books.