Customer Reviews

The Secrets of Pistoulet, 15th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Enchantment, beautiful artwork, and empathic cooking mark the success of this book that touches readers' hearts in places often forgotten.

At first, because of a marketing display at a local department store, I thought The Secrets of Pistoulet was not for individual sale, but could only be obtained by purchasing Pistoulet dinnerware. The book so touched me, I briefly considered buying the darn dishes! Luckily, I found the book right here, standing on its own. It hardly needs its own china to promote sales; in fact, the opposite may just be true. This little book is a great marketing ploy to sell the whimsical, pastel dishes that are said to be the very plates used to serve the magical Potages created at Pistoulet. A marketing genius, I tell you, but that is beside the point.

The book is lovely, simple and true-to-heart. Tucked with mouth-watering recipes, paintings, photographs and excellent folklore, this book reminds us that food does not just feed the stomach - it feeds the soul. I plan to keep it displayed in my kitchen with a simple spray of herbs and oils, to be read by any lost soul who happens to pass by...

Secrets of Pistoulet has such a divine simplicity you may at first not recognize the unique depth and richness of spirit. This has become the one must have book for all my friends. In fact, this is one "Secret" I intend to share with anyone near and dear to me. I found this book to be an inspiration for anyone who loves to cook, to think, to be amused and touched. The illustrations perfectly match the mood and peacefulness of the whole experience. You will find yourself coming back to this small wonder over and over.

This book is one that I share with all my dear friends. I read it to a friend of mine who had just lost her dad, with whom she had sat as he lay dying of cancer in the hospital. She was returning home after settling his estate and stayed the night in my home. I read it to her as she fell asleep. When she awoke the next morning, she said that it was her first night of peaceful sleep in a long time. My reading this story to her aloud had had touched her so deeply that she decided to share it at her father's memorial service. I loved Griffin and Sabine as well, but the two books should not be compared. I loved this as much as Like Water for Chocolate and Babette's Feast. A ne pas manquer.

A magical tale of food, wine, France, and flowers, Secrets of Pistoulet is a great book to read and cherish. I love the accompanying dishware recently launched by Pfaltzgraf. A perfect hostess gift-- the only problem is that you may change your mind in the last minute and keep it yourself.

I originally bought this book because I was so pleased with the Pfaltzgraff pattern of the same name, and I was curious as to what the book might be about. It was a delightful surprise! It's really a little work of art more than it is a "book" per se. It's delightfully arranged, with little secret pockets, recipe cards, windows, vellums and peek-throughs. And it's very well-made - feels good to just hold it in your hands and turn the pages. Oh, yes, there's also a Story there! Well - mostly it's "hints" at a Story. The Story seems at first to revolve mainly around the culinary adventures of Mlle. J in various lovely provincial settings, but it's not just cooking she's learning: it's magic.

I'm spelling "Story" here with a capital "S" because it's a BIG Story! You can tell that the author/artist really has lovingly created an entire, finely-detailed world in her mind on which she bases this Story. The glimpses of it in this little book and its sequels piqued my sense of wonder and left me hungering for more (yes, I immediately went out and bought both sequels - and hope there will be more.) I keep going back and re-reading all three now, when I need a little something to lighten my day. Once I even tried some of the recipes and have to say it made cooking seem more fun to me (I normally only cook because that's what you have to do in order to eat!)

Mind you - I'm normally a "big, fat, thick novel" type of reader, so it kind of makes me nuts that Kolpen hasn't [yet] written the full novel version of her Story, but, I am not above begging... :)

A truly enchanting book, the apparent simplicity of which is deceiving. The book tells the story of the heroine's journey from a place of dispair to a spiritual rebirth. I found the book to be sensitive, uplifting and heartwarming. Yet it isn't cloying or obvious. It left me with a smile and a sense of peace. I strongly recommend it for anyone with an appreciation of illustrated books, and also for those who can enjoy a fine book, even if it doesn't quite fit the ordinary mold.

I'm afraid this was a bit of a disappointment... I didn't find the story particularly original or inspiring, and its presentation through the artwork and production was pretty but not much more than that. The book also has recipes, but they are all fairly simple soups that I could find in other cookbooks, so this does not add to my culinary skills.
I own the Pistoulet pattern of china, and that was the main reason I looked for this book and got it. I do love the china and its whimsical patterns and colors.

This lavishly illustrated, endearing tale of the sojourn of Mademoiselle J at Pistoulet, a mystical (or is it?) farmhouse somewhere in France is part cookbook, part fable and a balm for the imagination. The Secret of Pistoulet invites the soul weary to revive their spirits by sojourning with Mademoiselle J and meeting the intriguing and wise cast of characters who come to visit her at Pistoulet and partake of her healing soups (recipe cards included). Try the Potage of Patience which rekindles joy in those who feel their lives passing them by. A real treat for anyone with magic in their hearts.

As a fan of Nick Bantock and Barbara Hodgson, I had always hoped to stumble across The Secrets of Pistoulet. It was not quite what I expected. It is less of an illustrated novel and more of a gift book. I should have picked up on its billing as "an enchanted fable." The illustrations are cute watercolor sketches in a quasi-Provencal style mixed up with photos, translucent vellum overlays and pressed flowers. The bare-boned story tells of a magical inn in the south of France where guests are refreshed by cooking that cures their ills. The book includes a series of recipes to help a quiet man speak more freely, a weary mother of twins regain her energy and so forth. Although the recipes include detailed instructions for purchasing beets from the farmer with the ruddiest complexion and tuning into a lively radio show while making the potage of babble, shopping for ingredients and actually cooking the magical soups are not really described in the story. An enjoyable hour but Pistoulet is probably not a place I will return to again.

This is a unique book that captures so much of life...people, love, food, and the transformations they endure. I found it to be a wonderful and poetic gift to people who have touched my life. I found this book to bring magic through each page and recipe. It is a treasure to read and keep.