Arise Sir Jamie Oliver: The Biography (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Tim Ewbank (Author)
Key Phrases: turkey twizzlers, Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef, The Cricketers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Jamie originally harbored dreams of pop stardom with his band Scarlet Division, but by the age of 16 decided to become a chef. After college he earned his stripes in France and then as a pastry chef before starting at the River Café, where he really learned his trade. It was during a television documentary about the River Café that Jamie first caught the attention of the program's editors. Thanks to his on-screen charisma he was featured heavily in the finished documentary and the offers came flooding in. So The Naked Chef was born. The program was a huge success, with an intimate and fresh approach to the television chef. Jamie's informal and playful demeanor, as well as his obvious passion and enthusiasm for food drew in a younger audience and revolutionized the traditional cooking program: cooking became cool! The subsequent television series and books gave Jamie fame and fortune the world over, but he always wanted to do something positive with his success. Jamie established the Fifteen charity restaurant, where he trained 15 disadvantaged young people to work in the kitchen. The restaurant and accompanying television series proved that there is more to Jamie than his bubbly persona lets on. As if to complete his transition from cheeky chap to responsible adult, Jamie tackled his toughest challenge yet when he began a campaign to ban unhealthy food in schools and get kids eating fresh, nutritious meals. His boundless enthusiasm and passion for his cause brought him into conflict with parents, teachers, and even politicians, but his desire to bring about radical change eventually saw him meet with Tony Blair and succeed in getting hundreds of millions in extra funding for school meals.

About the Author

Stafford Hildred is a television critics and entertainment writer, and the author of Russell Crowe. Tim Ewbank is an entertainment writer and former TV correspondent for the Daily Mail. Together they have coauthored Joanna Lumley, Nicole Kidman, Rod Stewart, and There's Only One David Beckham.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: John Blake (April 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844544451
• ISBN-13: 978-1844544455
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #515,744 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, June 25, 2008

By	CA cook (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

As a fan of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks and television shows, I was looking forward to learning more about him, his influences and background. I was disappointed by the simplistic writing style and repetition of various stories throughout the book. Even though the book just came out (maybe it was released much earlier in the UK?) it doesn't seem very up to date - of the 281 pages, the authors don't get to the year 2001 until page 253 and then they describe the recent years (the birth of his daughters, creation of Fifteen, school lunch activism, etc.) pretty quickly and not in depth at all. I'm glad I got this one from the library and didn't purchase it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Written Book, February 16, 2009

By	M. Wheeler (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The level of writing in this book is like that of a primary school child. It's a hagiography, not a biography, with no criticism of Jamie whatsoever. But that shouldn't be a surprise - the title gives away the viewpoint of the book pretty clearly.

Although only published in 2007,the book was clearly written in 2000 or 2001. It concentrates almost exclusively on the first two years of Jamie's television career, and only the final couple of (brief) chapters cover the period of 2001 to 2007.

This is the most disappointing biography I have ever read - the authors are clearly trying to make a fast buck by cobbling together a lazily-researched and written book.