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Life From Scratch
Divorced, heartbroken and living in a lonely New York apartment with a tiny kitchen, Rachel Goldman realizes she doesn't even know how to cook the simplest meal for herself. Can learning to fry an egg help her understand where her life went wrong? She dives into the culinary basics. Then she launches a blog to vent her misery about life, love and her goal of an unburnt casserole.To her amazement, the blog's a hit. She becomes a minor celebrity. Next, a sexy Spaniard enters her life. Will her souffles stop falling? Will she finally forget about the husband she still loves? And how can she explain to her readers that she still hasn't learned how to cook up a happy life from scratch?
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2010
184 people are currently reading
1900 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Ford
7 books82 followersI never know what to put into one of these things. I mean, do I talk about my penchant for making up Yiddish words and trying to convince others that they’re real? My love of the penny whistle? My fears of white foods? Or do I tell you a tale about how I applied to my MFA program because I didn’t know what one did after college except remain in school indefinitely?
Long before I published my first book, I was a blogger, and I’m still a blogger to this day at the award-winning site, Stirrup Queens. Like my blogging character, Rachel Goldman, my own site was catapulted into a larger readership when the Wall Street Journal named it one of the top ten motherhood blogs. You can find me in all sorts of places around the Web including Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, Google+, and Amazon.
I completed my MFA at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. And I live outside of Washington, D.C. with my writer husband, Joshua, and our twins.
Long before I published my first book, I was a blogger, and I’m still a blogger to this day at the award-winning site, Stirrup Queens. Like my blogging character, Rachel Goldman, my own site was catapulted into a larger readership when the Wall Street Journal named it one of the top ten motherhood blogs. You can find me in all sorts of places around the Web including Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, Google+, and Amazon.
I completed my MFA at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. And I live outside of Washington, D.C. with my writer husband, Joshua, and our twins.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 340 reviews
March 22, 2011
I'm really quite cross that I liked this; I'm feeling all sucky uppy because of it. The reason? Well the author Melissa Ford, is the owner of the Stirrup Queens Blog which is possibly the absolute default (along with Glow, can you have two defaults?) places on the internet for infertility/loss/associated pregnancy crap. It's also home of the Stirrup Queen's Completely Anal List of Blogs That Proves That She Really Missed Her Calling as a Personal Organizer. And you know, I did know about that site and that list, even before Freddie and certainly after, because I intended to submit to her yearly round up - but didn't. And then her book, Life from Scratch, appeared free on my Kindle one night and I downloaded it and then happened to see a tweet a few days later which meant I realised it was HER book and then I submitted my blog to the list and then I friended her on Twitter and she friended me back because she's nice and... and... and...
And now I've given her book 5/5 on Amazon and I feel like I'm sucking up to the popular girl in class.
Only I'm not. I don't give away 10/10 or 5/5 easily. To get either you have to pass the read again/have on THE shelf/ recommend to Alison and then some criteria.
Life from Scratch is actually good enough, for me, to do all those things. But it did something else too, something that a book just has to be good for, something a book doesn't need clever language or even clever ideas for. Something that a person telling their story, or a story with all their heart and soul can do.
It just touched me.
It's a book about someone who is sad and a little self absorbed, going through a tough time and losing everything. She's sad because her marriage is gone, she's sad because she isn't sure who she is or what she can do. She'd like children, though that isn't a major theme. She doesn't quite fit in her family, though she loves them. She's just a little busy with her own self and sadness and a little blind and trying really quite hard to get back on her feet and not be dumb and to try new things (and new boyfriends) and she gets up and she gets knocked down and then... well... you have to read it.
Of course it also helped that it is a book about a woman with a blog. Heavens, what's not to like? ;)
I'm not saying this is a brilliantly clever book (sorry Mel!) but it is a brilliantly touching book, especially if you've ever sat on your sofa and wondered if you could BE more lonely in a house where the person you love is just across the hall. It's a brilliantly touching book if you've been so sad and so empty and somehow found yourself up and moving the next day. It's like the book equivalent of not getting out of bed till you actually hate your bed so much you'd rather hoover. it's the book equivalent of sobbing to Pretty Woman and then getting the hell out on a coach to 5k run.
And yes, knowing enough about the author to know that when she describes the softness of the foot of a child she wishes she was mothering, it is because she has simply ached to have a child, helps. It's good to read a book knowing the author has been in the depths of where you are instead of secretly grumbling that it 'isn't like that'.
It's a book with depth, and sunken depths, and hope and enlightenment. It didn't teach me anything new about myself but it reminded me how much I've grown.
I guess that makes it a feel good novel.
But it also makes it good enough that it will get out of my Kindle and on to The Shelf at some point too.
*salute*
DBM - you don't really need to ask. You'll cry, but with her.
And now I've given her book 5/5 on Amazon and I feel like I'm sucking up to the popular girl in class.
Only I'm not. I don't give away 10/10 or 5/5 easily. To get either you have to pass the read again/have on THE shelf/ recommend to Alison and then some criteria.
Life from Scratch is actually good enough, for me, to do all those things. But it did something else too, something that a book just has to be good for, something a book doesn't need clever language or even clever ideas for. Something that a person telling their story, or a story with all their heart and soul can do.
It just touched me.
It's a book about someone who is sad and a little self absorbed, going through a tough time and losing everything. She's sad because her marriage is gone, she's sad because she isn't sure who she is or what she can do. She'd like children, though that isn't a major theme. She doesn't quite fit in her family, though she loves them. She's just a little busy with her own self and sadness and a little blind and trying really quite hard to get back on her feet and not be dumb and to try new things (and new boyfriends) and she gets up and she gets knocked down and then... well... you have to read it.
Of course it also helped that it is a book about a woman with a blog. Heavens, what's not to like? ;)
I'm not saying this is a brilliantly clever book (sorry Mel!) but it is a brilliantly touching book, especially if you've ever sat on your sofa and wondered if you could BE more lonely in a house where the person you love is just across the hall. It's a brilliantly touching book if you've been so sad and so empty and somehow found yourself up and moving the next day. It's like the book equivalent of not getting out of bed till you actually hate your bed so much you'd rather hoover. it's the book equivalent of sobbing to Pretty Woman and then getting the hell out on a coach to 5k run.
And yes, knowing enough about the author to know that when she describes the softness of the foot of a child she wishes she was mothering, it is because she has simply ached to have a child, helps. It's good to read a book knowing the author has been in the depths of where you are instead of secretly grumbling that it 'isn't like that'.
It's a book with depth, and sunken depths, and hope and enlightenment. It didn't teach me anything new about myself but it reminded me how much I've grown.
I guess that makes it a feel good novel.
But it also makes it good enough that it will get out of my Kindle and on to The Shelf at some point too.
*salute*
DBM - you don't really need to ask. You'll cry, but with her.
June 14, 2016
Life from Scratch is about cooking, blogging, and failed relationships. The "failed relationships" component takes center stage. The cooking part isn't so much about love of cooking or food--this is not a foodie book--as it is about an attempt to get over total ineptitude in the kitchen (and perhaps in life). The food is not a character in its own right as it is in some foodie books.
Melissa Ford is probably used to comparisons to "Julie and Julia" by this time, so I will make one. Both have emotionally stunted main characters prone to overreaction. I liked Ford's Rachel more than I did Julie. But I'm afraid I wasn't particularly interested in either character's perpetual relationship drama. Since that was a central part of this novel, I could never get involved in it despite Ford's obvious skills as a writer.
If you like "Sex in the City," this book might be up your alley. If you are looking at it for the food or the blogging subplots, you will more than likely be disappointed.
Melissa Ford is probably used to comparisons to "Julie and Julia" by this time, so I will make one. Both have emotionally stunted main characters prone to overreaction. I liked Ford's Rachel more than I did Julie. But I'm afraid I wasn't particularly interested in either character's perpetual relationship drama. Since that was a central part of this novel, I could never get involved in it despite Ford's obvious skills as a writer.
If you like "Sex in the City," this book might be up your alley. If you are looking at it for the food or the blogging subplots, you will more than likely be disappointed.
July 22, 2011
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade, unless you're Rachel Goldman then you might make lemon custard or use the lemon to roast a chicken. Rachel Goldman is the main character in Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford. Rachel has just gone through a divorce and must decide what she wants to do with her life.
Rachel is a 34-four-year old woman that was married for 12 years and has been divorced for less than a year. She has taken a year off from her job as a graphic artist working for the New York Public Library. She didn't hate her job but she just isn't quite sure what she wants to do, so she decides to learn how to cook and document it on a blog. Rachel thinks of her blog as a food or cooking blog but after she's nominated for and wins a Bloscar (an award for various blogs in assorted genres), she realizes that her blog is basically an online diary and the best therapy available. Her other "therapist" and confidante is her best friend Arianna.
Post-divorce Rachel discovers that she enjoys being an aunt since she never had children. She also learns that she has been a lousy friend by ignoring what has been happening (or not happening) in Arianna's life. It was somewhat amusing to see Rachel fall in lust with Gael, the Spaniard with the gorgeous smile. At first glance they seem to be made for one another with their similar interests, but Gael isn't the man Rachel thinks he is or exactly what she wants. What she discovers she wants is her ex-husband...pre-law practice. Ultimately Rachel discovers that life goes on after a divorce, it may take awhile to grieve over the relationship but that's fine. Rachel seems to epitomize the average woman that has gone through a non-acrimonious divorce. You may not be able to go back and change the past but you can start from scratch using the lessons learned from past experiences and mistakes. Life From Scratch is a sometimes humorous but realistic look at life after divorce. A quick and good read for anyone...married or single!
Rachel is a 34-four-year old woman that was married for 12 years and has been divorced for less than a year. She has taken a year off from her job as a graphic artist working for the New York Public Library. She didn't hate her job but she just isn't quite sure what she wants to do, so she decides to learn how to cook and document it on a blog. Rachel thinks of her blog as a food or cooking blog but after she's nominated for and wins a Bloscar (an award for various blogs in assorted genres), she realizes that her blog is basically an online diary and the best therapy available. Her other "therapist" and confidante is her best friend Arianna.
Post-divorce Rachel discovers that she enjoys being an aunt since she never had children. She also learns that she has been a lousy friend by ignoring what has been happening (or not happening) in Arianna's life. It was somewhat amusing to see Rachel fall in lust with Gael, the Spaniard with the gorgeous smile. At first glance they seem to be made for one another with their similar interests, but Gael isn't the man Rachel thinks he is or exactly what she wants. What she discovers she wants is her ex-husband...pre-law practice. Ultimately Rachel discovers that life goes on after a divorce, it may take awhile to grieve over the relationship but that's fine. Rachel seems to epitomize the average woman that has gone through a non-acrimonious divorce. You may not be able to go back and change the past but you can start from scratch using the lessons learned from past experiences and mistakes. Life From Scratch is a sometimes humorous but realistic look at life after divorce. A quick and good read for anyone...married or single!
April 28, 2015
I loved this book. Whether you are going through a divorce, contemplating a divorce or even happily married I believe you could take something meaningful from this book. If you are happily married you might find yourself seeing all the things that you doing right and recognizing that you aren't in a good place by chance, it took work on both parts to get there. If you are contemplating a divorce you could see that there are two sides to every story, and to think it through, and do what needs doing because you can't go back in time. If you are divorced and reading it you might recognize yourself in Rachel a little. You might see that life can go on if divorce is the road you end up on. I almost felt like I was reading a memoir the writer made Rachel seem so real. I wanted to find the blog, and read it for real and felt a little disappointed that it was not. Most of all I felt that sometimes life sends you certain books that you need to read, gives you real world advice in the disguise of a fictional book.
January 26, 2012
I started this book because I liked the premise of moving through the pain of divorce by learning to cook. There is a saucy man with an accent to spice it up as well. I enjoyed all the trials and tribulations the main character went through. I have to say, at the end I was disappointed. Spoiler--Why would you go back to your husband, back to comfort when you had come so far and stood on your own? I really felt like all her personal growth was wasted by the time the end came. Still there were a few jewels in the story.
"One needed to be self-sufficient when surrounded by those who treasured paper over people."
On describing the spicy (brief) love interest, "His honesty is like swallowing a chunk of jalapeno."
My favorite line was, "I've known his face for so long that I can't help but allow my eyes to travel to all my favorite spots." Ahh, I know exactly what that feels like.
The best advice the book offered-"that there is not point in saving face if it makes you lose everything else."
"One needed to be self-sufficient when surrounded by those who treasured paper over people."
On describing the spicy (brief) love interest, "His honesty is like swallowing a chunk of jalapeno."
My favorite line was, "I've known his face for so long that I can't help but allow my eyes to travel to all my favorite spots." Ahh, I know exactly what that feels like.
The best advice the book offered-"that there is not point in saving face if it makes you lose everything else."
July 16, 2012
This book was a really pleasant surprise! I got it for free as a deal-of-the-day on Amazon for my Kindle and thought, as is usually the case, that it would just be a very light throwaway little book but I ended up loving it! I couldn't put it down and when I finished, I was genuinely sad that the book was over. The story is about a woman who is recovering from a divorce after her marriage of 14 years ends abruptly. In order to do so, she decides that, being a native New Yorker and thus never having learned, she needs to learn to cook. And she decides, with the help of her friend Arianne, to blog about her progress, both in the culinary and emotional senses. She is a fun character and very real, making the same kinds of mistakes that people who are in relationships make, and she is very likeable. The book is fast-paced and the language well-chosen. I imagine that the book is lower in price (and sometimes free) because it does remind one of it's more popular and well-known predecessor Julie and Julia, but if you're a fan of that book then that shouldn't be a problem.
September 13, 2016
I absolutely loved this book. It is an engrossing story about a woman who gets divorced, and realizes that since she can't afford to eat out every night, she needs to learn how to cook. Her new cooking skills are acquired as she navigates the dating world and her relationship with her BFF. She also has to decide - is she, or isn't she over her ex???
The voice of the main character, Rachel, was so real, that I originally thought this novel was a memoir. I went on line to find and subscribe to her blog, to find out that Rachel came from the imagination of the writer, Melissa Ford, who does have a blog . . . but a very different one from the novel's.
I alternated between wanting to stay up late to keep reading, with wanting to savor every chapter. I ended up doing a little bit of both. And the ending was very original - I am very much looking forward to a sequel so that I can read more about Rachel's life.
The voice of the main character, Rachel, was so real, that I originally thought this novel was a memoir. I went on line to find and subscribe to her blog, to find out that Rachel came from the imagination of the writer, Melissa Ford, who does have a blog . . . but a very different one from the novel's.
I alternated between wanting to stay up late to keep reading, with wanting to savor every chapter. I ended up doing a little bit of both. And the ending was very original - I am very much looking forward to a sequel so that I can read more about Rachel's life.
November 24, 2010
Rachel has been divorced for less than a year. Since she and her now-ex-husband, Adam, signed the papers, she’s been very lost. So she starts a blog and decides to learn to cook.
It’s Julie & Julia, right?
No. Because you know how (especially in the book), Julie Powell is kind of annoying? Rachel isn’t. At all. She’s smart and funny and she’ll probably remind you of your best friend (or, in some cases, the best friend you wish you had).
I think what I loved most about this book was the fact that Rachel was very authentic. We all feel lost and unheard from time to time, and Rachel spent the last few years of her marriage in a constant state of loneliness. This book is about how she found her voice (and an audience).
Absolutely recommended.
According to her website, Melissa Ford’s working on a sequel. I can’t wait to read it.
It’s Julie & Julia, right?
No. Because you know how (especially in the book), Julie Powell is kind of annoying? Rachel isn’t. At all. She’s smart and funny and she’ll probably remind you of your best friend (or, in some cases, the best friend you wish you had).
I think what I loved most about this book was the fact that Rachel was very authentic. We all feel lost and unheard from time to time, and Rachel spent the last few years of her marriage in a constant state of loneliness. This book is about how she found her voice (and an audience).
Absolutely recommended.
According to her website, Melissa Ford’s working on a sequel. I can’t wait to read it.
May 17, 2011
I am between 2- 3 stars on this one. I enjoyed it, but I thought it was a real story of someone's blog and was surprised at the end that it was fiction. I'm married to a lawyer who works too many hours, so much of the frustration and misunderstandings that occur in this book I could relate to. But once I realized it was a novel, it was much more obvious where the story was going.
I guess one downside of the Kindle is not having the cover readily availalbe which says "A Novel" (although several others in book club thought the same thing while reading the physical book too).
I guess one downside of the Kindle is not having the cover readily availalbe which says "A Novel" (although several others in book club thought the same thing while reading the physical book too).
June 1, 2011
This is not the type of book I normally read, but I decided to give it a chance because it was being offered for free on the Kindle. This was a novel written in the form of a memoir by a recently divorced woman writing a blog about learning how to cook. The main character was so self-absorbed and awful that the book was hard to read. Her whole cooking blog was her wining about how miserable she was. I am not clear why anyone would want to read such a thing. Aside from unlikeable characters and annoying self help type dialogue, the end was obvious from the beginning.
April 14, 2011
This one was kind of... strange for me, I guess. I thought this was more of a "getting on with my life by learning how to cook" book, not a "little bit of cooking and lots of diatribes against the ex-husband and marriage in general" book. It's difficult for me when the main character goes on diatribes against marriage for pages when I am happily married myself. I guess I just had a hard time relating at all to the main character, and it was a different type of book than I had expected.
July 12, 2011
Close to a 5 star read- I give those out rarely. I really enjoyed this book - the main character is a newly divorced girl, who turns to blogging, and teaching herself to cook to get through the months post divorce. I began to really care what happened to the character by the end, and the blog entry alternating with narrative means of storytelling was fantastic.
September 27, 2011
Life From Scratch is the story of Rachel Goldman's journey to discover more about herself and in the process she discovers what is really important to her. The story was short, sweet, and simple. Bloggers will particularly enjoy it.
January 8, 2011
I'll be reviewing this book on my blog, but in short, I loved it. I've always loved Melissa's writing, and I think she translates well in fiction.
March 10, 2011
Good not great. It held my attention but I don't consider it to be one of the better books I've read this year.
March 18, 2011
the book was good. the only negative in my case was i couldn't relate. i'm not divorced, but other than that it was a good easy read
September 10, 2016
I feel like I read a Lifetime movie for women. At least it was free.
June 26, 2020
This was a well-paced novel. A bit of Julie & Julia meets Eat, Pray, Love with familiar tones of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Sex And The City. It’s a fun read if you’re looking for something light and well-written.
Once I hit chapter two I really got into the book and breezed through it within a day. The writing style made it a fun and easy book to get through. The plot made me pause and struggle a bit between my knee-jerk reaction and subsequent internal discussion.
I think, back in 2010 when the novel was first published, my 20-something self would have recognized herself a bit in Rachel. My 2020, “feminist sensibilities”, were a bit annoyed by the her cliched dependency on men. This dependency felt a bit contradictory to the journey of self-discovery. This initial reaction made me pause, because this judgmental way of thinking is inherently contradictory to feminism. I’ve been mulling over the paradox ever since.
If I were to write a high-school analysis on Life From Scratch, I’d say the book nudges you to realize the importance of open, clear, consistent communication. Problems and solutions are more easily identified when we communicate our frustrations, limitations, and needs. It is both a conscious and subconscious theme throughout the novel.
I started reading this for a distraction but walked away doing some introspection. I look forward to reading the remaining two books in the series to see how Rachel evolves and what impact the books might have on my thinking.
Once I hit chapter two I really got into the book and breezed through it within a day. The writing style made it a fun and easy book to get through. The plot made me pause and struggle a bit between my knee-jerk reaction and subsequent internal discussion.
I think, back in 2010 when the novel was first published, my 20-something self would have recognized herself a bit in Rachel. My 2020, “feminist sensibilities”, were a bit annoyed by the her cliched dependency on men. This dependency felt a bit contradictory to the journey of self-discovery. This initial reaction made me pause, because this judgmental way of thinking is inherently contradictory to feminism. I’ve been mulling over the paradox ever since.
If I were to write a high-school analysis on Life From Scratch, I’d say the book nudges you to realize the importance of open, clear, consistent communication. Problems and solutions are more easily identified when we communicate our frustrations, limitations, and needs. It is both a conscious and subconscious theme throughout the novel.
I started reading this for a distraction but walked away doing some introspection. I look forward to reading the remaining two books in the series to see how Rachel evolves and what impact the books might have on my thinking.
February 15, 2018
First fiction book in a couple of years - a pleasantly absorbing three-hour read. Better than going to a movie! Delightfully crafted word pictures. It was lovely to have a middle-aged, less than perfect Rachel. I didn't see the ending coming until it arrived, then the final few pages were predictable.
But the book is not much about food. Yes, she cooks, but that takes a back seat to the the drama of Rachel's life. One lovely character is Arianna... I liked her quite a bit. I must be getting old fashioned for I didn't care for the speed with which Rachel falls into bed for the next guy she dates. This probably rules out some bodice-busters from my reading list.
I would read this author again, and would read a sequel, if there were one. Melissa Ford, I will be perusing the fiction aisle of the library more often, thanks to you.
But the book is not much about food. Yes, she cooks, but that takes a back seat to the the drama of Rachel's life. One lovely character is Arianna... I liked her quite a bit. I must be getting old fashioned for I didn't care for the speed with which Rachel falls into bed for the next guy she dates. This probably rules out some bodice-busters from my reading list.
I would read this author again, and would read a sequel, if there were one. Melissa Ford, I will be perusing the fiction aisle of the library more often, thanks to you.
March 25, 2018
I actually would give this book a 3.75, but obviously can't, so I always round down. This book is a modern day chick-lit book to the fullest extent. I really enjoyed how the main character discovered truths about herself, and I enjoyed her blogs and cooking lessons intermingled in the story, but at times it felt like she was in her head too much, looking at the same issues from every single possible angle, and we the readers got to come along for the ride. Overall I'm hoping to continue reading the series (library only has the first book), but it's not one I would pay for to find out what happens to her.
November 17, 2020
I would really give it more stars if there was a little more substance and less repetiveness. The characters were all different and some likeable, some not. I think Rachel went on a bit much about moving on for someone who never gave herself a chance to. The ending was not a shock except that it just kind of ended, guess they loved happily ever after ..
Quick read for someone who just needs to kill time at a doctors appointment or carrider line at school...or whatever you need to waste a few hours.
Quick read for someone who just needs to kill time at a doctors appointment or carrider line at school...or whatever you need to waste a few hours.
November 10, 2020
Earlier this year, the fish tank on top of my book shelf leaked and this book was one of the casualties. Only, I didn’t realize it until the bottom half of the pages developed mold. So, I guess if I read a mildewed book, it has to be pretty decent. It was a little slow to start, but I really enjoyed the last half— and it made me hungry!
June 5, 2018
Enjoyable read but not much substance. To me, Rachel seemed very self-abosorbed and immature for her 34 years. I find it hard to relate to all the drama she was focused on in her life. The ending was left up in the air but I assume she hooked back up with her ex-husband having never really dealt with what caused the breakup in the first place. I'm so over these drama queens!!
May 9, 2019
I whipped through this book so quickly, enjoying the story of a very difficult childhood, a loving but absent mother, wonderful recipes, and family and friends who got this strong young woman to a happy ending. Such a treat!... and now I have to copy some of those recipes!
May 6, 2017
An interesting book, I enjoyed how Ford processed her life's twists and turns.
August 2, 2017
Anticlimactic ending
I kept thinking the book was going no to get better but it really never did. It was just sort of blah.
I kept thinking the book was going no to get better but it really never did. It was just sort of blah.
August 16, 2018
I liked this book. The main character was very real. The book felt honest. Good read.
June 12, 2019
Super cute read and very enjoyable!
January 7, 2021
The story started out well but at about the middle of the book the main character became this needy, narcissistic, crying witch that you just wanted to shake and yell, ‘grow up’.
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