Marc Bassett has a reputation as a pitiless restaurant critic. When he writes a devastating review of a particular establishment, the chef commits suicide, roasting himself in his own fan-assisted oven, with Basset's review pasted to the door. Suddenly Basset is moved to do something he has never done before: apologize. After a series of virtuoso expressions of regret, word of Bassett's mollifying power spreads, and he is invited to become Chief Apologist for the United Nations. His job is to travel the globe in his own Gulfstream V private jet, apologizing for everything from colonialism to exploitation to slavery. It is a role that brings him fame, wealth and access to a lot of very good chocolate. But in a world overdosing on emotion, does Marc Basset really have the stomach to be the sorriest man in history? Built of delicate layers of heinous crime, forgiveness and outrageous gastronomy, Jay Rayner's glorious new novel is a piquant satire of modern appetite and etiquette.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"'It made me laugh, it made me cringe. It is, I'm sorry to say, highly original' Alistair McGowan; 'Jay Rayner shows food critics are human after all, even when stuffed with chocolate. An highly entertaining whimsy with no apology needed.' Gordon Ramsay 'A very funny book about apologies - by someone who has a lot to apologize for' Anthony Bourdain"
About the Author
Jay Rayner is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster who is now the Observer's restaurant critic. He is married and lives in London. This is his third novel.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you've read Eating Crow : A Novel, this is the same book with a new title. Publishers really should apologise when they do stuff like that- especially given that there is a full page apology at the beginning of the book which doesn't say a word about this.
For those who haven't read Eating Crow, here's the plot (no apologies for spoilers) Marc Basset is a restaurant critic. When a chef is driven to suicide by a critical restaurant review, Marc embarks on an odyssey of apologies to all the people he has wronged. From there its only a hop skip and a jump to Marc being appointed Chief Apologist at the UN. Not that Marc skips or jumps very much, given that he is a rather portly fellow who loves his food. Marc proceeds to apologise his way through a the whole smorgasbord of the world's wrongs and learns that sorry doesn't always make it better. (Stopping often to eat along the way.)
Often cynical, sometimes insightful, this book is a reminder never to get mixed up in bureaucratic fads and always have a good PR consultant on your pay-roll. The food descriptions are to die for, especially the chocolates and of course the author has very thoughtfully added a list of suppliers.
All in all, a very entertaining read- if you like your fiction flavoured with a dash of sadism- believe me it get really ugly at the end there, proving once again that sorry really is the hardest word.
For those who haven't read Eating Crow, here's the plot (no apologies for spoilers) Marc Basset is a restaurant critic. When a chef is driven to suicide by a critical restaurant review, Marc embarks on an odyssey of apologies to all the people he has wronged. From there its only a hop skip and a jump to Marc being appointed Chief Apologist at the UN. Not that Marc skips or jumps very much, given that he is a rather portly fellow who loves his food. Marc proceeds to apologise his way through a the whole smorgasbord of the world's wrongs and learns that sorry doesn't always make it better. (Stopping often to eat along the way.)
Often cynical, sometimes insightful, this book is a reminder never to get mixed up in bureaucratic fads and always have a good PR consultant on your pay-roll. The food descriptions are to die for, especially the chocolates and of course the author has very thoughtfully added a list of suppliers.
All in all, a very entertaining read- if you like your fiction flavoured with a dash of sadism- believe me it get really ugly at the end there, proving once again that sorry really is the hardest word.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
