Hunger [Hardcover]

Jane A. Ward (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2001

Anna Rossi grew up in a home where every meal was boiled until the flavor was gone. Now, years later, a gifted cook, she finds her own appetite draining away as her marriage dissolves into blandness. Desperate to hold her lawyer husband's attention for more than five minutes, she convinces him to go on a second honeymoon in New Hampshire - only to find that, in the end, they have nothing left to say to each other.

Taking her six-year-old daughter, Sara, Anna begins a new life as a kitchen assistant in a friend's busy ski-area New Hampshire restaurant. With the help of the critical sous chef, James, Anna begins to rediscover the simple pleasures of a life lived on one's own terms - along with the sweetness of fresh blueberry jam, the salty tang of blue cheese, and the warm, comforting and earthy taste of mushrooms. But just as Anna's appetite begins to make a healthy reappearance, a phone call from her less vibrant past forces her to make an important choice. Anna's decision may change the way she has come to view the world, and have devastating effects on the flavor of her future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Simple recipes for meals and marriages add charm to this first novel about a cook who leaves her husband for a taste of freedom, but the book never quite achieves the rich heights of the most flavorful food-inspired fiction. Starved for affection from a repressive father and repressed mother, food analyst Anna Rossi reluctantly acknowledges the collapse of her own marriage when her lawyer husband, Michael, falls asleep over her meticulously prepared salmon with salsa. An attempt to put the spice back into their relationship by taking a second honeymoon at a New Hampshire inn only serves to underscore that Anna and Michael have lost their appetites for life and each other. Michael returns to Chicago while Anna stays, taking a job as kitchen assistant in a local restaurant where James, the chef, takes her under his wing. When Anna's mother suffers a stroke, she ponders the choices her parents made as she makes choices of her own. Will she face the future with James or Michael? Will Anna forgive her mother, and will her five-year-old daughter in turn forgive her? How much is too much fennel in fish soup? Like Anna's cooking, Ward's style is simple and direct, with carefully selected enhancements. Childhood memories, such as young Anna taking refuge from her parents' overcooked meals in a neighbor's kitchen, or adult nightmares, like the dinner party that inevitably ends in a fight, show a keen sense of detail. Unfortunately, Michael and James remain stock characters, defined by their tastes in food and sex and friends, and lacking depth and subtlety. The result is a story that is less about a woman finding herself and more about sending a husband back for one with more flavor and heat.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ward's debut novel blends family and marital problems with the different flavors and textures of food. Anna Rossi feels dissatisfied in her marriage, and her husband, Michael, rarely has time for their relationship. Attempting to make their life appear perfect, Anna creates elaborate dinners in the hope that the food will attract needed attention from her distant and overworked husband. Although an excellent cook, Anna does not truly appreciate the subtle joys of eating and working with food until she begins to satisfy her emotional appetite. Reassessing her childhood memories and the early college years with her husband, Anna begins to learn how to live her life anew. Predictable family drama takes place between courses, but the way Ward tells Anna's story of her search for independence makes this a perfect story for those interested in the passionate side of cooking and enjoying food. Michelle Kaske
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312877544
• ISBN-13: 978-0312877545
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,886,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Ward graduated from Simmons College with a bachelor of arts in English literature. In addition to being a writer, she has spent her post-grad life in the field of culinary arts in establishments such as Creative Gourmets in Boston and The 95th Restaurant in Chicago. Ms. Ward's first novel, Hunger, encapsulated both pursuits. She currently hosts her own blog titled Food and Fiction, and is a contributing writer for Local In Season. She resides on Boston's north shore with her husband, two children, and dog Spy. The Mosaic Artist is her second novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and Food - A Delicious Combination!, March 27, 2001

By 

Kerry Langan (Oberlin, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hunger (Hardcover)

The main character in Jane Ward's HUNGER, Anna Rossi, understands the sensuous nature of food as well as the nourishing properties of love. With lovely and adroit prose, the author serves us a compelling story of a woman in her early thirties assessing her life with a sometimes frightening dose of honesty. Her work as a food chemist and chef-in-training provides insight into all arenas of her life. An engrossing novel, it left me craving for more wonderful literature like this.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Hunger" Feeds You Body and Soul, April 17, 2001

By 

Robin Kielty (Winchester, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hunger (Hardcover)

I am an avid readier and I was enthralled with this book. I was unable to put it down once I started reading it. "Hunger" completely captured my attention from the start. Anna Rossi, the title character was so interesting, so human. She came alive through the pages of this book. I felt that she was a friend that I wanted to talk to and offer support. I could relate to her conflict and her struggles. I envied the fact that she could pour herself into her cooking and that it was theraputic for her and such a gift to others.

I became emotionally involved in the story. I became Anna's cheerleader and wanted to see her succeed. I was angry with Michael and I could not grasp his way of dealing with everything.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys a great story that wraps itself around you from the start to the finish. Bottom-line this novel feeds your body and your soul.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An emotional feast!, April 16, 2001

By 

Kevin A. Hoke (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hunger (Hardcover)

Besides being simply entertaining, Hunger will make you experience every emotion. You can FEEL the characters' sadness, their anger, their desire and passion. You will at times feel sympathy for Anna and then at other times want to wring her neck!! leaving you starving for the ending and her final decision about Michael and James.....