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How to Eat a Small Country: A Family's Pursuit of Happiness, One Meal at a Time
" How to Eat a Small Country shares a few key traits with Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love in particular an infectiously likeable narrator and mouthwatering descriptions of European food. But Finley’s memoir is less precious, more honest, and ultimately more rewarding." -- Boston Globe
A professionally trained cook turned stay-at-home mom, Amy Finley decided on a whim to send in an audition tape for season three of The Next Food Network Star, and the impossible she won. So why did she walk away from it all? A triumphant and endearing tale of family, food, and France, Amy’s story is an inspiring read for women everywhere.
While Amy was hoping to bring American families together with her simple Gourmet Next Door recipes, she ended up separating from her French husband, Greg, who didn’t want to be married to a celebrity. Amy felt betrayed. She was living a dream—or was she? She was becoming famous, cooking for people out there in TV land, in thirty minutes, on a kitchen set . . . instead of cooking and eating with her own family at home.
In a desperate effort to work things out, Amy makes the controversial decision to leave her budding television career behind and move her family to France, where she and Greg lived after they first met and fell in love. How to Eat a Small Country is Amy’s personal story of her rewarding struggle to reunite through the simple, everyday act of cooking and eating together. Meals play a central role in Amy’s new life, from meeting the bunny destined to become their classic Burgundian dinner of lapin à la moutarde to dealing with the aftermath of a bouillabaisse binge. And as she, Greg, and their two young children wend their way through rural France, they gradually reweave the fabric of their family.
At times humorous and heart-wrenching, and always captivating and delicious, How to Eat a Small Country chronicles the food-filled journey that one couple takes to stay together.
A professionally trained cook turned stay-at-home mom, Amy Finley decided on a whim to send in an audition tape for season three of The Next Food Network Star, and the impossible she won. So why did she walk away from it all? A triumphant and endearing tale of family, food, and France, Amy’s story is an inspiring read for women everywhere.
While Amy was hoping to bring American families together with her simple Gourmet Next Door recipes, she ended up separating from her French husband, Greg, who didn’t want to be married to a celebrity. Amy felt betrayed. She was living a dream—or was she? She was becoming famous, cooking for people out there in TV land, in thirty minutes, on a kitchen set . . . instead of cooking and eating with her own family at home.
In a desperate effort to work things out, Amy makes the controversial decision to leave her budding television career behind and move her family to France, where she and Greg lived after they first met and fell in love. How to Eat a Small Country is Amy’s personal story of her rewarding struggle to reunite through the simple, everyday act of cooking and eating together. Meals play a central role in Amy’s new life, from meeting the bunny destined to become their classic Burgundian dinner of lapin à la moutarde to dealing with the aftermath of a bouillabaisse binge. And as she, Greg, and their two young children wend their way through rural France, they gradually reweave the fabric of their family.
At times humorous and heart-wrenching, and always captivating and delicious, How to Eat a Small Country chronicles the food-filled journey that one couple takes to stay together.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
19 people are currently reading
944 people want to read
About the author
Amy Finley
13 books10 followersAmy Finley (born 1973 in San Diego, California) is a cook and writer who was the winner of the third season of The Next Food Network Star and was thus awarded a commitment to host a cooking show on the Food Network. Her program, The Gourmet Next Door, premiered on October 14, 2007 and aired for six episodes before Finley, citing a family crisis, controversially cancelled further episodes and moved with her husband and children to a rural farm in Burgundy, France, an episode she chronicles in her memoir, released by Random House in April 2011,
How to Eat a Small Country
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
June 29, 2023
I was really excited about this book until I got about 1/4 through it. I loved the discussion of food, regions, and especially what it's like to do this type of trip with two small children in tow. Amy Finley's writing style is actually very genuine and easy to relate to, but her commentary on her relationship is very whiney. There's something about the way that she portrays herself throughout the entire novel that makes her look like a victim rather than a person in a marriage with problems. I think the relationship either needed to be fleshed out more, or much less. There is a murky middle ground that she drifts in and out of discussing and I felt like I was trying to help her with an internal emotional struggle with her husband rather than enjoy the journey she was on.
By the end of the book I didn't really care what happened to their marriage, because up until the end she still leaves you feeling like when they get back to California they're probably going to get divorced because California is normal life and France is an alternate universe they've created to avoid their problems. My other big issue was this didn't empower me as a woman with career goals. I can only assume empowerment was not her intention... because she leaves you feeling confused over whether or not her career choices, and family choices were the right ones.
Ultimately, if she had talked a whole lot less about how much she hated her husband I may just have enjoyed this book.
By the end of the book I didn't really care what happened to their marriage, because up until the end she still leaves you feeling like when they get back to California they're probably going to get divorced because California is normal life and France is an alternate universe they've created to avoid their problems. My other big issue was this didn't empower me as a woman with career goals. I can only assume empowerment was not her intention... because she leaves you feeling confused over whether or not her career choices, and family choices were the right ones.
Ultimately, if she had talked a whole lot less about how much she hated her husband I may just have enjoyed this book.
January 3, 2012
The idea of this book intrigued me: the story of a woman who walked away from what she thought she wanted (a glamorous career with her own tv cooking show) for what really mattered: her family. However, Amy Finley's story falls flat.
She briefly describes her short-lived rise to "fame" (I'd never heard of her before this book) and how somehow it was her husband's fault (and his alone) that they were on the brink of divorce, even though it was she who left her family behind to go to New York and live her "dream".
To save her marriage, she decides she should take her family (husband and two small children) on a trip to France, where she and her husband fell in love and start fresh.
Along the way, Finley regales us with stories of local cuisine and a bit of a history lesson on the region. Note: we don't really care about that part!
The part I did care about, how France was going to save their marriage, was more of a footnote and involved a lot of her whining.
The author's description on the jacket cover tells me that she and her husband are still together, so at least something good came out of this book.
She briefly describes her short-lived rise to "fame" (I'd never heard of her before this book) and how somehow it was her husband's fault (and his alone) that they were on the brink of divorce, even though it was she who left her family behind to go to New York and live her "dream".
To save her marriage, she decides she should take her family (husband and two small children) on a trip to France, where she and her husband fell in love and start fresh.
Along the way, Finley regales us with stories of local cuisine and a bit of a history lesson on the region. Note: we don't really care about that part!
The part I did care about, how France was going to save their marriage, was more of a footnote and involved a lot of her whining.
The author's description on the jacket cover tells me that she and her husband are still together, so at least something good came out of this book.
April 19, 2011
This book is a wonderful explanation of how you save a marriage. Not that you have to go live in France to get over marital troubles but you do have to be willing to sacrifice and work really hard. Though this book is marketed as a food memoir, and there is a lot of eating, it is the emotional maturation and strengthening of the marriage that catches you.
As a woman who feeds a family every day, how can I not love a book that includes the following passage?
"And seriously, what's scarier than facing down your hungry, needful loved ones, never wanting to disappoint, always wanting to delight? And how many people stay out of the kitchen essentially because they're afraid? Afraid they can't do it, afraid they'll mess up, afraid they'll make a mess, afraid they don't have the time, or the energy, or the right pants, or whatever. Home cooks are warriors."
So all you warriors out there, be proud of your efforts. And just for following the rules-sake. I did receive this book from the goodreads program.
As a woman who feeds a family every day, how can I not love a book that includes the following passage?
"And seriously, what's scarier than facing down your hungry, needful loved ones, never wanting to disappoint, always wanting to delight? And how many people stay out of the kitchen essentially because they're afraid? Afraid they can't do it, afraid they'll mess up, afraid they'll make a mess, afraid they don't have the time, or the energy, or the right pants, or whatever. Home cooks are warriors."
So all you warriors out there, be proud of your efforts. And just for following the rules-sake. I did receive this book from the goodreads program.
July 18, 2012
I was absolutely transported to a place where nothing was familiar. Not the food, the way of living, the scenery, the expectations - everything was something new and fresh.
I found the monologue about the author's family issues to be superfluous to the real content and crunch of the storyline. In most cases I could do without the descriptions of the children's less then perfect appearances or them knocking dejectedly on the neighbors door looking for playmates. I also felt that the author promoted a much more mature vocabulary to children of their age and that may have been part of the difficulty in digesting those sections of this book brimming with so many tasty morsels.
There are two distinct times that the relationship with her children grounded her story in a meaningful manner. The first was when she and her son Indy just went off on what started as a miserable day and found joy in simple pleasures. Hasn't every parent captured a moment such as that? It becomes relatable. The second was the time that Scarlett, her daughter, went missing. That fear, that overpowering feeling of failure at the very concrete of your existence is something that parents can easily swap out their own experiences for. We have all lost that little hand from ours in the mere blink of an eye.
The author's relationship with her husband appears to be complex and I don't feel that she gave the readers enough information to formulate an opinion one way or another. Too many variables are behind heavy drapes and those that only have gossamer coverings still only show shadows of what is an obviously variegated relationship between two individuals struggling to maintain the oneness that once seemed full of promise.
If you were looking for a love story, you will be disappointed although there are hints at the end that love conquers the dirty "d" word. If you were looking for a story that is relatable because of its quirky familiarity to your own family, I am afraid that is going to be missing.
What makes this book such a clear success and pulls the reader in is the descriptions of food. Food becomes the lover, the family, the friend, the foe. It becomes the mountain to climb; making mayonaise brings about the same satisfaction as climbing the rocky path to the waterfall at the end of their travels.
It fascinated me as an audience of one to travel from region to region in pursuit of the culinary specialities that are only found in specific territories. I will never eat beheaded frogs, chicken feet, unmentionable swine parts, rabbits or calves heads. These are foods that I have categorized with venison or bison or blue fish or duck - no interest in them and cannot imagine finding enough joy in preparation or eating for them to be on my list of must have foods. There are so many other more personally appealing options out there. None of the reasons that I won't have anything to do with these are due to her artful descriptions; painting a canvas so that the audience can sit and actually appreciate the scents that she has experienced and the cacophony of taste-buds exploring and appreciating and finding a special sweet spot just for a particular dish. I never knew the process of making escargot and now that I do, it changes nothing in making me anticipate the next time in my life that garlic snail butter meets my mouth. If anything, it makes me miss those minxes even more.
I was lulled into such a lush love affair with her description of cheeses that I found myself abjectly disappointed when a descriptions would end before I was ready to let it go.
My personal favorite descriptions of meals were the simplest ones. The first being the fondu. Fondu pots just trying to edge their ways back into American kitchens, we are not overly bombarded by cubes of bread dipped into the perfect blend of cheese and wine and then dipped again into fresh cracked pepper. As a novelty right now, I can only hope it does not lend itself to pre-packaged fondu mixes that will take away the whole essence of what the true intent of the dish may be; because true intent is, of course, in the mind of the chef. The other meal that resonated with me was the simple butter and mushroom dinner that was a treat found from the very grounds that had been foe and folly during their stay.
This book was electrifying and could easily be used as a recommended read by the French tourism bureau. Food and France have always seemed to have a special link in my mind; an association picked up from snippets of conversations, items I have read and the esteemed Julia Child.
This is not Julia Child's France. Nor is this another version of the same cadence as Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love"; which I also gobbled up trying to remember my manners to at least wipe my lips on whatever napkin might be available while I salivated over new discoveries.
In my opinion this book is not only a Goodread, it is a great read.
I found the monologue about the author's family issues to be superfluous to the real content and crunch of the storyline. In most cases I could do without the descriptions of the children's less then perfect appearances or them knocking dejectedly on the neighbors door looking for playmates. I also felt that the author promoted a much more mature vocabulary to children of their age and that may have been part of the difficulty in digesting those sections of this book brimming with so many tasty morsels.
There are two distinct times that the relationship with her children grounded her story in a meaningful manner. The first was when she and her son Indy just went off on what started as a miserable day and found joy in simple pleasures. Hasn't every parent captured a moment such as that? It becomes relatable. The second was the time that Scarlett, her daughter, went missing. That fear, that overpowering feeling of failure at the very concrete of your existence is something that parents can easily swap out their own experiences for. We have all lost that little hand from ours in the mere blink of an eye.
The author's relationship with her husband appears to be complex and I don't feel that she gave the readers enough information to formulate an opinion one way or another. Too many variables are behind heavy drapes and those that only have gossamer coverings still only show shadows of what is an obviously variegated relationship between two individuals struggling to maintain the oneness that once seemed full of promise.
If you were looking for a love story, you will be disappointed although there are hints at the end that love conquers the dirty "d" word. If you were looking for a story that is relatable because of its quirky familiarity to your own family, I am afraid that is going to be missing.
What makes this book such a clear success and pulls the reader in is the descriptions of food. Food becomes the lover, the family, the friend, the foe. It becomes the mountain to climb; making mayonaise brings about the same satisfaction as climbing the rocky path to the waterfall at the end of their travels.
It fascinated me as an audience of one to travel from region to region in pursuit of the culinary specialities that are only found in specific territories. I will never eat beheaded frogs, chicken feet, unmentionable swine parts, rabbits or calves heads. These are foods that I have categorized with venison or bison or blue fish or duck - no interest in them and cannot imagine finding enough joy in preparation or eating for them to be on my list of must have foods. There are so many other more personally appealing options out there. None of the reasons that I won't have anything to do with these are due to her artful descriptions; painting a canvas so that the audience can sit and actually appreciate the scents that she has experienced and the cacophony of taste-buds exploring and appreciating and finding a special sweet spot just for a particular dish. I never knew the process of making escargot and now that I do, it changes nothing in making me anticipate the next time in my life that garlic snail butter meets my mouth. If anything, it makes me miss those minxes even more.
I was lulled into such a lush love affair with her description of cheeses that I found myself abjectly disappointed when a descriptions would end before I was ready to let it go.
My personal favorite descriptions of meals were the simplest ones. The first being the fondu. Fondu pots just trying to edge their ways back into American kitchens, we are not overly bombarded by cubes of bread dipped into the perfect blend of cheese and wine and then dipped again into fresh cracked pepper. As a novelty right now, I can only hope it does not lend itself to pre-packaged fondu mixes that will take away the whole essence of what the true intent of the dish may be; because true intent is, of course, in the mind of the chef. The other meal that resonated with me was the simple butter and mushroom dinner that was a treat found from the very grounds that had been foe and folly during their stay.
This book was electrifying and could easily be used as a recommended read by the French tourism bureau. Food and France have always seemed to have a special link in my mind; an association picked up from snippets of conversations, items I have read and the esteemed Julia Child.
This is not Julia Child's France. Nor is this another version of the same cadence as Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love"; which I also gobbled up trying to remember my manners to at least wipe my lips on whatever napkin might be available while I salivated over new discoveries.
In my opinion this book is not only a Goodread, it is a great read.
April 10, 2011
This book is bi-polar. The food and travel sections are good to great. The sections that deal with the author's family are just painful and drag the whole book down. The kids are undisciplined brats, who of course act out of control. I came to feel sorry for them as it became apparent that their needs were not being met. The mom/author has serious issues and seems headed for divorce, not fun to read about. It makes her very unsympathetic. Really, most of the family/personal stuff should have been in her private diary, or told to a therapist - not suitable for public consumption. Had it been purely about the food and travel, I would've given it 3-4 stars. This was a Goodreads giveaway book, which I probably wouldn't have read otherwise.
June 25, 2011
I haven't even finished this book yet (my Nook is charging back up) but I can't wait to read more. The author won a 'win-your-own-cooking-show' contest in 2007 or so and it nearly destroyed her family. To save it, she and her husband dipped (majorly) into savings and took the two little kids with them to France for 6 months. Why France (why not)? Because that's where they met and fell in love, and it seemed like a good place to rebuild their family.
I love the honesty, the food info, the quirky stuff that happens, and I admire their guts in the face of human frailty and weakness. Maybe my husband and I should have a major crisis so we, too, can go to France for 6 months and eat our way to marital bliss.
I love the honesty, the food info, the quirky stuff that happens, and I admire their guts in the face of human frailty and weakness. Maybe my husband and I should have a major crisis so we, too, can go to France for 6 months and eat our way to marital bliss.
October 17, 2011
Gave up half way through after finding the author's descriptions of her unhappy marriage and undisciplined children tedious. The final straw was her temper tantrum over a waiter in a French restaurant changing out of his uniform and into his street clothes and appearing at their table, thus traumatizing her offspring. Like seeing Santa without his red suit or some such nonsense. I decided to quit wasting my time and find a better book about travel and food.
May 18, 2011
Winner of a Food Network show who had the opportunity to create her own cooking show, then dropped it because her husband didn't want a public life (which made me super angry) moves to France for a year to take culinary trips and live.
I really loved the descriptions but was upset as to how her husband could have squashed her dreams and how she let him.
I really loved the descriptions but was upset as to how her husband could have squashed her dreams and how she let him.
September 29, 2014
I disliked this book for so many reasons that it's hard for me to know where to begin in reviewing it. I think my biggest problem with it was that Finley is not a good story teller and so she doesn't draw the reader into her story or set up her story at all. She also doesn't show the reader the details she just tells, tells, tells. She also goes off on so many tangents that it's hard to figure out what she's talking about. Every chapter would start out something like: we were traveling to Bordeaux which reminds me of a time a few weeks earlier when my husband was being a jerk….and so on and so on. While reading this I realized that I like memoirs much more when I like or at least can identify with the person writing the memoir. I didn't find Finley likable at all and she doesn't make any effort to win her readers over.
As far as I could tell, the story that she is trying to tell is that she won a season of America's Next Food Network Star, got her own cooking show and then something happened with her husband and she quit the cooking show and picked up and moved her family (including two small children) to France for 6 months. But, she never explains what made her want to go on the show in the first place or what happened while she was on it with her husband (did he have an affair? was he mad about her celebrity? did he threaten to leave? did he actually leave and if so, what happened to her kids since she was in NYC filming her show?). All we know is that he is in the dog house and that somehow going to France and traveling around and eating in restaurants with two young kids will hopefully save their marriage. Yeah, that seems like a horrible idea! One trip to a restaurant with young kids is enough to destroy a marriage, not save it! And how were they paying for all this? And why if, as she says, French home cooking is so marvelous, are they eating in restaurants all the time? Finley is also completely ridiculous about eating in restaurants, there's one scene in the book when they are at a restaurant and the waiter changes into his street clothes and this is her reaction:"My first impulse is to shield Scarlett's eyes as if a flasher had just walked into the room. Honestly, it would have been preferable had he come back in stark naked, because what he has down is actually much, much worse." p. 152 WHAT??? Is she serious? Is she kidding? Then she goes on for another two pages about how shocking and horrible this is for her children to see a waiter in street clothes. Why? I just couldn't take her seriously after reading passages like that.
I decided while reading this that I don't like books where people think that taking their problems overseas will magically solve them. Somehow that's what happened here even though we know almost nothing about her husband besides the fact that she hates him and that they have horrible problems. She never explains how living in France fixed whatever was wrong in her marriage. And if the problem was that he didn't want her to be on tv, why did he agree to having her write a book?
My other problems with the book included her using French phrases and not explaining or translating them for her readers, her mocking how her neighbors spoke English, and the fact that they were traveling all around France but there was no map in the book for the reader to follow along.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you are looking to read a book about French food written by an American woman, please read Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah instead.
As far as I could tell, the story that she is trying to tell is that she won a season of America's Next Food Network Star, got her own cooking show and then something happened with her husband and she quit the cooking show and picked up and moved her family (including two small children) to France for 6 months. But, she never explains what made her want to go on the show in the first place or what happened while she was on it with her husband (did he have an affair? was he mad about her celebrity? did he threaten to leave? did he actually leave and if so, what happened to her kids since she was in NYC filming her show?). All we know is that he is in the dog house and that somehow going to France and traveling around and eating in restaurants with two young kids will hopefully save their marriage. Yeah, that seems like a horrible idea! One trip to a restaurant with young kids is enough to destroy a marriage, not save it! And how were they paying for all this? And why if, as she says, French home cooking is so marvelous, are they eating in restaurants all the time? Finley is also completely ridiculous about eating in restaurants, there's one scene in the book when they are at a restaurant and the waiter changes into his street clothes and this is her reaction:"My first impulse is to shield Scarlett's eyes as if a flasher had just walked into the room. Honestly, it would have been preferable had he come back in stark naked, because what he has down is actually much, much worse." p. 152 WHAT??? Is she serious? Is she kidding? Then she goes on for another two pages about how shocking and horrible this is for her children to see a waiter in street clothes. Why? I just couldn't take her seriously after reading passages like that.
I decided while reading this that I don't like books where people think that taking their problems overseas will magically solve them. Somehow that's what happened here even though we know almost nothing about her husband besides the fact that she hates him and that they have horrible problems. She never explains how living in France fixed whatever was wrong in her marriage. And if the problem was that he didn't want her to be on tv, why did he agree to having her write a book?
My other problems with the book included her using French phrases and not explaining or translating them for her readers, her mocking how her neighbors spoke English, and the fact that they were traveling all around France but there was no map in the book for the reader to follow along.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you are looking to read a book about French food written by an American woman, please read Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah instead.
April 21, 2012
After a whirlwind courtship with a French man who supported her through culinary training in Paris and promised to show her the world, Amy Finley packed up her chef's knives and wanderlust to be a stay-at-home mom of two in a small cottage in her mother's San Diego backyard. She was doing everything she thought she was supposed to do and trying to ignore the fact that she wasn't exactly happy in her life. She stopped cooking, even for her own family, instead serving up "a tantalizing smorgasbord of guilt, resentment, and blame."
Then Finley heard about a contest put on by the Food Network and sent in an audition tape to be their next star chef. She was flown to New York, competed in and won the competition, and began shooting her own show, "The Gourmet Next Door."
How to Eat a Small Country is Finley's way of explaining why, in a highly publicized move, she walked away from the show after only six episodes and moved her family to France. It's the deeply personal story of a woman who sees her life falling apart around her and admits that she doesn't have a clue what to do about it, other than hold her family close. She's trying to save her marriage, protect her small children, and bring joy back to her family through the sights, sounds, and flavors of six months in the French countryside.
We learn that Finley kept the contest a secret from her husband until she was chosen, and that he was against her leaving the family from the start. Lines were drawn as Finley refused to give up the show and her husband threatened divorce. She is unflinchingly honest in recounting their arguments, even when she and her husband don't come off well in them.
The book is not just a memoir of a marriage, but also of food, with Finley re-absorbing herself, with gusto, in her lost love of French food. I enjoyed her restaurant vignettes, even if most of them dealt with eating brains and kidneys rather than croissants. The author also displayed real skill in sharing the social and historical back stories of French cuisine in an interesting way.
Sometimes I had trouble with the book's two very different objectives—part light-hearted food guide and travelogue, part gut-wrenching story of a marriage unraveling. While I appreciated the author's honesty, the emotional turmoil often took center stage and made for a tense and sad read. Of course, life isn't just in the good (or bad) events, and Finley makes the point that the beautiful and terrible can happen in the same place and time. Sometimes the bad times have to happen to make us see what we're made of—for better or worse.
This review was originally published at StoryCircleBookReviews: http://www.storycirclebookreviews.org...
Then Finley heard about a contest put on by the Food Network and sent in an audition tape to be their next star chef. She was flown to New York, competed in and won the competition, and began shooting her own show, "The Gourmet Next Door."
How to Eat a Small Country is Finley's way of explaining why, in a highly publicized move, she walked away from the show after only six episodes and moved her family to France. It's the deeply personal story of a woman who sees her life falling apart around her and admits that she doesn't have a clue what to do about it, other than hold her family close. She's trying to save her marriage, protect her small children, and bring joy back to her family through the sights, sounds, and flavors of six months in the French countryside.
We learn that Finley kept the contest a secret from her husband until she was chosen, and that he was against her leaving the family from the start. Lines were drawn as Finley refused to give up the show and her husband threatened divorce. She is unflinchingly honest in recounting their arguments, even when she and her husband don't come off well in them.
The book is not just a memoir of a marriage, but also of food, with Finley re-absorbing herself, with gusto, in her lost love of French food. I enjoyed her restaurant vignettes, even if most of them dealt with eating brains and kidneys rather than croissants. The author also displayed real skill in sharing the social and historical back stories of French cuisine in an interesting way.
Sometimes I had trouble with the book's two very different objectives—part light-hearted food guide and travelogue, part gut-wrenching story of a marriage unraveling. While I appreciated the author's honesty, the emotional turmoil often took center stage and made for a tense and sad read. Of course, life isn't just in the good (or bad) events, and Finley makes the point that the beautiful and terrible can happen in the same place and time. Sometimes the bad times have to happen to make us see what we're made of—for better or worse.
This review was originally published at StoryCircleBookReviews: http://www.storycirclebookreviews.org...
May 11, 2013
It all seemed so far-fetched and impossible, so utterly unlikely. Professionally trained chef-turned-stay-at-home-mom Amy Finley, acting on a whim and over the objections of her husband, Greg, sent in an audition tape for Season Three of The Next Food Network Star.
Then the impossible came true when warm, friendly, accessible Finley won her own show, The Gourmet Next Door. It was a reality TV dream-come-true.
Except reality TV is rarely about what is real. While Finley smiled for the cameras and casually chatted about how her son loves chomping on the apple cheeks left over from making apple tarte tatine, her real family was a continent away and her marriage seemed to be as crumbly as that perfect tarte crust.
So when Food Network offered her a second season, Finley turned them down. Instead, she packed up the family, moved to a rustic house in the French countryside and tried to sort things out.
While Finley worked to save her marriage, she gathered material for this scintillating book. How to Eat a Small Country (Clarkson Potter) dishes with bittersweet candor on her six months abroad with Greg and their two children as they grazed their way through the French countryside and culinary history.
The book is about food, but it's also a brave, unflinching and real examination of how relationships get messy, what exposure to millions of TV viewers really means, and the hard choices we're forced to make in our lives and in our kitchens.
Books about food and books about relationships abound. But this one rises above, thanks to Finley's fearless writing and impeccable culinary knowledge. From the gripping, watch through-your-fingers account of Amy and Greg pulling together to turn a live rabbit into a delicious lapin a la moutarde to a tipsy conversation over a slightly gruesome platter of tete de veau, Finley expertly draws a parallel between looking honestly at what's on your plate and what's in your life.
How to Eat a Small Country is as rich, delicious and challenging as a perfect five-course meal, one that will have readers coming back for seconds.
(Adapted from a piece I wrote for UCLA Magazine .)
Then the impossible came true when warm, friendly, accessible Finley won her own show, The Gourmet Next Door. It was a reality TV dream-come-true.
Except reality TV is rarely about what is real. While Finley smiled for the cameras and casually chatted about how her son loves chomping on the apple cheeks left over from making apple tarte tatine, her real family was a continent away and her marriage seemed to be as crumbly as that perfect tarte crust.
So when Food Network offered her a second season, Finley turned them down. Instead, she packed up the family, moved to a rustic house in the French countryside and tried to sort things out.
While Finley worked to save her marriage, she gathered material for this scintillating book. How to Eat a Small Country (Clarkson Potter) dishes with bittersweet candor on her six months abroad with Greg and their two children as they grazed their way through the French countryside and culinary history.
The book is about food, but it's also a brave, unflinching and real examination of how relationships get messy, what exposure to millions of TV viewers really means, and the hard choices we're forced to make in our lives and in our kitchens.
Books about food and books about relationships abound. But this one rises above, thanks to Finley's fearless writing and impeccable culinary knowledge. From the gripping, watch through-your-fingers account of Amy and Greg pulling together to turn a live rabbit into a delicious lapin a la moutarde to a tipsy conversation over a slightly gruesome platter of tete de veau, Finley expertly draws a parallel between looking honestly at what's on your plate and what's in your life.
How to Eat a Small Country is as rich, delicious and challenging as a perfect five-course meal, one that will have readers coming back for seconds.
(Adapted from a piece I wrote for UCLA Magazine .)
July 6, 2012
Amy Finley was the winner of season three of The Next Food Network Star on the Food Network channel. She was given a contract for six shows and at the end of those six shows she gave up her dream of being a reality show chef. She packed up her family and moved to France for a year in an effort to save her marriage and re-discover her love of cooking French food.
After reading this book, I can see why her husband left her. I would have left her as well. I might have returned and rescued the kids and then I would have left. She has to be one of the most annoying, self-centered, narcissistic people that I have ever read about. She goes to France for a year and spends the first six months feeling bad for herself in their country side home. She gets mad at anyone that appears to be happy. Her poor poor kids and her poor husband.
My family went on vacation on France for one magical summer where we went to every famous castle and landmark and then we traveled through the countryside and stayed at some really rundown places. But, we loved every minute of it because we all just enjoyed the experience. Heck, one of our hotels even caught on fire and no one bothered trying to evacuate people. We only found out about it because one of the family went for a walk and returned to the sight of smoke and flames and he ran up and got us out.
The vacation that Finley describes holds no magic or fun times because she is such a downer. She complains about everything and shows little to no affection towards anyone. She brings up some of the issues in the marriage including her closeness with her mother, her unhappiness of living in her mother's backyard, her loving to cook but rarely cooking. But then, never resolves any of these major issues in part because she either ignores her husband or yells at him.
This was the most frustrating book. I just wanted to grab her and shake her and tell her to grow up and talk to her husband. She mentioned that they tried counseling until the counselor wanted to know more about her and then she never went back. HELLO!!!! That is what a counselor does. Get to know you.
I kept reading because I liked the descriptions of the places they went and the food they ate. She is a good writer, just a crappy person.
After reading this book, I can see why her husband left her. I would have left her as well. I might have returned and rescued the kids and then I would have left. She has to be one of the most annoying, self-centered, narcissistic people that I have ever read about. She goes to France for a year and spends the first six months feeling bad for herself in their country side home. She gets mad at anyone that appears to be happy. Her poor poor kids and her poor husband.
My family went on vacation on France for one magical summer where we went to every famous castle and landmark and then we traveled through the countryside and stayed at some really rundown places. But, we loved every minute of it because we all just enjoyed the experience. Heck, one of our hotels even caught on fire and no one bothered trying to evacuate people. We only found out about it because one of the family went for a walk and returned to the sight of smoke and flames and he ran up and got us out.
The vacation that Finley describes holds no magic or fun times because she is such a downer. She complains about everything and shows little to no affection towards anyone. She brings up some of the issues in the marriage including her closeness with her mother, her unhappiness of living in her mother's backyard, her loving to cook but rarely cooking. But then, never resolves any of these major issues in part because she either ignores her husband or yells at him.
This was the most frustrating book. I just wanted to grab her and shake her and tell her to grow up and talk to her husband. She mentioned that they tried counseling until the counselor wanted to know more about her and then she never went back. HELLO!!!! That is what a counselor does. Get to know you.
I kept reading because I liked the descriptions of the places they went and the food they ate. She is a good writer, just a crappy person.
February 4, 2012
Back in 2007 I was watching Amy Finley and other contestants compete to be the next Food Network Star. The whole time I was thinking she was seriously stressed and really thought she was going to quit. Now I why.
Finley's Book "How to Eat a Small Country" briefly talks about her Food Network Star experience and details her 160 day trip to France afterwards to try and save her marriage. It was a very difficult read for me. I applaud Amy's Honesty and willingness to share how she felt on her trip. The problem for me is many aspects of her life were less than a pleasure to read about.
Finley starts the book out with a tale about butchering a bunny for the dinner table. This prologue documented something that occurred about half way through the trip. I completely agree with finley's take on the experience. The issue I had with it was when you pull an event out of order, and you put it at the beginning of the book, it should draw you into the story. There was little in the prologue to add suspense, intrigue, etc. I wish it was left in timeline with the other events documenting her trip to France.
When I read a memoir, I enjoy the story of people overcoming challenges and adversity to achieve a goal. In this case the story was about out of control, self-inflicted chaos, turned into manageable self-inflicted chaos. I work like crazy to avoid bringing chaos into my life and the last thing I want to do when pleasure reading is to read about said created chaos.
When Finley focused on her passions: Food and all aspect of life that pertained to food, the book was enjoyable to read. There was many references to different locations in France so a small map detailing those places would have been helpful.
If Finley ever decided to write a book strictly about food and its history, I would want to read it. This inside look into her life and choices were hard to get through.
Finley's Book "How to Eat a Small Country" briefly talks about her Food Network Star experience and details her 160 day trip to France afterwards to try and save her marriage. It was a very difficult read for me. I applaud Amy's Honesty and willingness to share how she felt on her trip. The problem for me is many aspects of her life were less than a pleasure to read about.
Finley starts the book out with a tale about butchering a bunny for the dinner table. This prologue documented something that occurred about half way through the trip. I completely agree with finley's take on the experience. The issue I had with it was when you pull an event out of order, and you put it at the beginning of the book, it should draw you into the story. There was little in the prologue to add suspense, intrigue, etc. I wish it was left in timeline with the other events documenting her trip to France.
When I read a memoir, I enjoy the story of people overcoming challenges and adversity to achieve a goal. In this case the story was about out of control, self-inflicted chaos, turned into manageable self-inflicted chaos. I work like crazy to avoid bringing chaos into my life and the last thing I want to do when pleasure reading is to read about said created chaos.
When Finley focused on her passions: Food and all aspect of life that pertained to food, the book was enjoyable to read. There was many references to different locations in France so a small map detailing those places would have been helpful.
If Finley ever decided to write a book strictly about food and its history, I would want to read it. This inside look into her life and choices were hard to get through.
June 30, 2011
Finley and her husband take their two small children to France for an extended period of time, leaving their San Diego home, where they lived in the backyard of her mother’s house.
After watching season three of “The Next Food Network Star” and seeing Finley’s show, “The Gourmet Next Door,” I was curious why she decided to leave. This book doesn’t really answer the question. She hinted that her husband didn’t want her to do the show and discouraged her from continuing. Perhaps in an effort to save her marriage, she didn’t want to directly place the blame on him in writing. She delicately touches on some of her feelings but always ends up diverting her stories over to the food she ate, much of it even her French husband turns his nose up to. I felt uncomfortable for her, like she was constantly walking on eggshells in revealing the tidbits she did.
You have to be a devoted Francophile and foodie to enjoy the book. I have traveled to many of the areas she did and might have found relatability had she written a bit more about a few of the towns and cities she visited. But her focus is primarily on the food, not the places. I also would have enjoyed the book more if she had actually, bottom line, no skirting around, really written about what she was actually feeling about the show she left behind, her marriage, and what she wanted for her future. I know life is messy and there are often no neatly wrapped endings, but I wanted some kind of resolution. What did she learn? What direction did she want her life to take after returning to the U.S? I got a few stories about her children, the weather, and about her eating a lot of not very tasty sounding French cuisine.
After watching season three of “The Next Food Network Star” and seeing Finley’s show, “The Gourmet Next Door,” I was curious why she decided to leave. This book doesn’t really answer the question. She hinted that her husband didn’t want her to do the show and discouraged her from continuing. Perhaps in an effort to save her marriage, she didn’t want to directly place the blame on him in writing. She delicately touches on some of her feelings but always ends up diverting her stories over to the food she ate, much of it even her French husband turns his nose up to. I felt uncomfortable for her, like she was constantly walking on eggshells in revealing the tidbits she did.
You have to be a devoted Francophile and foodie to enjoy the book. I have traveled to many of the areas she did and might have found relatability had she written a bit more about a few of the towns and cities she visited. But her focus is primarily on the food, not the places. I also would have enjoyed the book more if she had actually, bottom line, no skirting around, really written about what she was actually feeling about the show she left behind, her marriage, and what she wanted for her future. I know life is messy and there are often no neatly wrapped endings, but I wanted some kind of resolution. What did she learn? What direction did she want her life to take after returning to the U.S? I got a few stories about her children, the weather, and about her eating a lot of not very tasty sounding French cuisine.
July 18, 2012
I got a free copy of this book via a Goodreads contest.
This is a difficult book to review since it's so fragmented.
The author, Amy Finley, had a brief fling with fame when she sorta won the third season of The Next Food Network Star. Finley's troubled marriage led to her resigning from her new show The Gourmet Next Door. Interesting stuff, no?
Well none of that is in here but on the other hand the first 100 pages, more or less, are filled with annoying whining about her marriage and indirectly there's plenty of evidence here of why her insecurity led to those problems.
So why the 4-star review? When Finley isn't whining, she's a very talented writer. There's a scene in the last third of the book, where Finley finally confronts her devided loyalties between her mother and her husband Greg and she tries to harm Greg with a goat part saying:
"I...was going to hit you...in the face!"
That line followed the internal thought "...now I'm going to beat Greg down with a goat chop"
You're going to have to read the book to find out if she went through with the plan, but believe me, Greg didn't deserve it but the mother probably did.
In any case, if you like books about marital woes, you'll enjoy the first third of this book, the rest of the book is a nice travelogue about the Finley family's travels through France while sampling the food and wine. It's a testament to Finley's skill with words that I managed to read through that first part and was rewarded with the rest.
One odd thing, the book starts with a scene in France where Finley isn't willing to kill a rabbit for dinner. The cover of the book has a small stylized rabbit in the bottom left corner with X-ed out eyes referring to that scene. I thought that was a cute touch.
This is a difficult book to review since it's so fragmented.
The author, Amy Finley, had a brief fling with fame when she sorta won the third season of The Next Food Network Star. Finley's troubled marriage led to her resigning from her new show The Gourmet Next Door. Interesting stuff, no?
Well none of that is in here but on the other hand the first 100 pages, more or less, are filled with annoying whining about her marriage and indirectly there's plenty of evidence here of why her insecurity led to those problems.
So why the 4-star review? When Finley isn't whining, she's a very talented writer. There's a scene in the last third of the book, where Finley finally confronts her devided loyalties between her mother and her husband Greg and she tries to harm Greg with a goat part saying:
"I...was going to hit you...in the face!"
That line followed the internal thought "...now I'm going to beat Greg down with a goat chop"
You're going to have to read the book to find out if she went through with the plan, but believe me, Greg didn't deserve it but the mother probably did.
In any case, if you like books about marital woes, you'll enjoy the first third of this book, the rest of the book is a nice travelogue about the Finley family's travels through France while sampling the food and wine. It's a testament to Finley's skill with words that I managed to read through that first part and was rewarded with the rest.
One odd thing, the book starts with a scene in France where Finley isn't willing to kill a rabbit for dinner. The cover of the book has a small stylized rabbit in the bottom left corner with X-ed out eyes referring to that scene. I thought that was a cute touch.
June 18, 2011
First, thank you Amy Finley for taking the time to write this book. You are a natural and this book was, well, I just ate it up.
Throughout the book Amy is living, traveling through, and most certainly eating in France. This is part of her plan in resuscitating her marriage to Greg and further just giving her time to think about everything. Family, desire for change, boundaries of marriage, the joys (and frustrations) of children.. but she uses food as a place where she brings all of that together into one delightful and at times maddening melting pot. I'm only twenty but this book came at just the right time for me. Growing up with very strong bonds to family yet absolutely wanting a tremendous freedom and the ability to do whatever, any time at all. I hear you Mrs. Finley. The book as a whole nudges the reader to be bold and cook.
'And how many people stay out of the kitchen essentially because they're afraid? Afraid they can't do it, afraid they'll mess up, afraid they'll make a mess, afraid they don't have the time, or the energy, or the right pans, or whatever. Home cooks are warriors.'
I would recommend this book to the women in your life that love to cook and those that find the romance in gourmet, earthy, homemade French cooking. This book is, in a word, delicious.
As per requirement, I did get this book from goodreads, and I'm very very thankful for that.
Throughout the book Amy is living, traveling through, and most certainly eating in France. This is part of her plan in resuscitating her marriage to Greg and further just giving her time to think about everything. Family, desire for change, boundaries of marriage, the joys (and frustrations) of children.. but she uses food as a place where she brings all of that together into one delightful and at times maddening melting pot. I'm only twenty but this book came at just the right time for me. Growing up with very strong bonds to family yet absolutely wanting a tremendous freedom and the ability to do whatever, any time at all. I hear you Mrs. Finley. The book as a whole nudges the reader to be bold and cook.
'And how many people stay out of the kitchen essentially because they're afraid? Afraid they can't do it, afraid they'll mess up, afraid they'll make a mess, afraid they don't have the time, or the energy, or the right pans, or whatever. Home cooks are warriors.'
I would recommend this book to the women in your life that love to cook and those that find the romance in gourmet, earthy, homemade French cooking. This book is, in a word, delicious.
As per requirement, I did get this book from goodreads, and I'm very very thankful for that.
April 30, 2011
I won this book through a goodreads giveaway. I was excited to read it since I had read a preview of it in Good Housekeeping a few weeks before I saw the giveaway.
This was a good book. It is Amy Finley's story about trying to save her marriage after hitting a huge bump caused by her winning Food Network's The Next Food Network's Super Star. She felt like going back to France with her husband and family would help them to start over. They spent their time there trying to heal their marriage and trying all the French cuisine that was available.
I enjoyed this book. I realize after reading it that I wouldn't be able to eat French food all the time. I don't think I could bring myself to eat all the things that they tried. I would recommend it as a good read for anyone who wants to learn about all the different dishes the French cook and eat. She was very knowledgeable about all the different dishes. She was also honest about her marriage and how she felt like she arrived at that point.
This was a good book. It is Amy Finley's story about trying to save her marriage after hitting a huge bump caused by her winning Food Network's The Next Food Network's Super Star. She felt like going back to France with her husband and family would help them to start over. They spent their time there trying to heal their marriage and trying all the French cuisine that was available.
I enjoyed this book. I realize after reading it that I wouldn't be able to eat French food all the time. I don't think I could bring myself to eat all the things that they tried. I would recommend it as a good read for anyone who wants to learn about all the different dishes the French cook and eat. She was very knowledgeable about all the different dishes. She was also honest about her marriage and how she felt like she arrived at that point.
September 25, 2011
On the front jacket, the publishers have written "A family's pursuit of happiness, one meal at a time". It wasn't the impression that I came away with from this book.
Amy is a young mother of two, who tries out for a food network competition to win a job hosting her own show. After making six episodes of her new show, the pressure on her husband and children is ready to implode her marriage. So they pack up and move to France for a year, to regroup and travel around and sample the local food.
Somehow though, I get the feeling that Amy doesn't actually seem to enjoy the year and is essentially frustrated. It always seems to rain, the hotels are mostly run down and the bistros seems a bit old, dusty and tired. Although I didn't expect them to sit around and just eat macaroons and pastries, I got a bit turned off by all the descriptions of meat and offal, and it was enough to make me think of being vegetarian if I toured France.
Amy is a young mother of two, who tries out for a food network competition to win a job hosting her own show. After making six episodes of her new show, the pressure on her husband and children is ready to implode her marriage. So they pack up and move to France for a year, to regroup and travel around and sample the local food.
Somehow though, I get the feeling that Amy doesn't actually seem to enjoy the year and is essentially frustrated. It always seems to rain, the hotels are mostly run down and the bistros seems a bit old, dusty and tired. Although I didn't expect them to sit around and just eat macaroons and pastries, I got a bit turned off by all the descriptions of meat and offal, and it was enough to make me think of being vegetarian if I toured France.
May 1, 2021
Fans of Food Network’s Next Food Network Star will remember Amy Finley as the perky winner of season 3, whose short run show, The Gourmet Next Door, disappeared after just one season. Anyone who wondered why finds out in How to Eat a Small Country. Finley gave up her short stint as a TV chef when her husband threatened to leave. In an effort to put their marriage back together, Finley suggested that they all (husband, wife, and two small children) move to France where they could travel and eat and basically learn how to be a family again. Their trip, arguments and all, is chronicled in Finley’s new food memoir. I was struck by how great Finley is as a writer. Her vivid (and some might say gruesome at times) descriptions of food and cooking methods are fantastic. Amazingly, she also pulls no punches in describing her family life, her frustrations, her fears, and her hopes. I liked Finley and her show quite a bit. I liked her book just as much.
October 1, 2012
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes through Goodreads Firstreads.
I enjoyed How to Eat a Small Country quite a bit. I liked Amy's voice and found her to be a sympathetic narrator. While a good part of the book is centered around her family, the majority of it concentrates on food. I really appreciated that the author was able to focus on the history of food traditions and preparations, and their decline, while maintaining an educational, but not preachy, tone. The antics of her two children are also quite enjoyable to read about. Viewing new food experiences through a child's perspective was interesting as it made me question my own perceptions more.
I enjoyed How to Eat a Small Country quite a bit. I liked Amy's voice and found her to be a sympathetic narrator. While a good part of the book is centered around her family, the majority of it concentrates on food. I really appreciated that the author was able to focus on the history of food traditions and preparations, and their decline, while maintaining an educational, but not preachy, tone. The antics of her two children are also quite enjoyable to read about. Viewing new food experiences through a child's perspective was interesting as it made me question my own perceptions more.
May 24, 2011
First of all, I'd like to thank Goodreads--I was so excited to see this in my mailbox! I am a foodie, and of all the books I tried to win, this one was the one I especially was looking forward to reading! I thought this book was well written. It had all of the foodie-aspects that I love, but it also had an interesting story along with it. At times, Amy's writing felt so realistic that it was almost too difficult to read. You could almost feel the tension that was between her and her husband. I enjoyed this book, although it made me hungry with every page turn! I've talked about it so much that even my husband was waiting for me to finish so he could start reading it!
August 13, 2012
Loved this one! Read it after finishing a few pretty dense books, so this sort of book was ideal. I really enjoyed Finley's show on Food Network, and I've always wanted to understand more about why she didn't renew it when the network offered. Many readers complain that Finley whines and plays victim throughout the whole book and throughout all the drama with her husband, but let's be honest... female readers drink this stuff up and adore it, even if they don't care to admit it. This book was a refreshing quick read, and I would read another book by Finley in a heartbeat, if she ever writes again!
December 13, 2012
3.5 stars, but I'll round up. Interesting account of her family's stay in rural France, and travels throughout the country to experience French cuisine. As someone who cooks for my own family, I enjoyed the detail, even though I'm not a French-style cook (e.g., I loathe wine). Strangely, the book started out in one direction, where the focus appeared to be on healing a marriage...but that theme seemed to vanish about halfway through the book, and the focus went more toward food. The author is an excellent writer, so regardless, I was happy enough to go along for the ride for the vast majority of the time.
March 10, 2013
The author is coming to give a talk at my library and so I thought I would check out her book. What a great find. This is so much more than a travel memoir - there are wonderfully detailed descriptions of french food and the french countryside. There were the extremely funny descriptions of country life and travel through a foreign country with one big dog and two small children. Then there is the reflection on the author's life, goals and relationships. All of this is told in an engaging style. I am looking forward to hearing Amy speak, if she is half as funny and entertaining as her book, it will be an event filled with fun.
April 16, 2011
A fun, quick read. Part travelogue, part food history, part non-fiction about the author's family. The first two topics were definitely, definitely better than the third. But since she was writing after the fact, at least we didn't have to deal with horribly emotional tellings of those sections.
My only real negative feedback was the sense that I got from the author's writing style that she doesn't really respect her husband or children. Given that a lot of her discussion was about how she was fixing those relationships, that's pretty disappointing.
My only real negative feedback was the sense that I got from the author's writing style that she doesn't really respect her husband or children. Given that a lot of her discussion was about how she was fixing those relationships, that's pretty disappointing.
August 12, 2011
I met Amy at a UCLA Dinner for 12 Strangers; this was just a few weeks before her book was published. I put her book on my "to read" list right away. We're going to the Basque country and Provence in a few weeks so I was especially interested in her tales of eating their way around France. I enjoyed the book very much; having met Amy, I pictured her telling the story. Putting her marriage back together was an intriguing part of the story too.
October 13, 2011
Couple with children tries to save their marriage by going to France to eat?
I found both husband and wife mildly unpleasant. Some nice writing, though,
especially about coming through for the hungry people in your life day after day.
However, too much relationship stuff for me - balance and tone of book seems off.
Reminds me of Julie Powell's book "Cleaving," where she mixes floundering marriage
with student butchering, but I liked Powell's book more.
I found both husband and wife mildly unpleasant. Some nice writing, though,
especially about coming through for the hungry people in your life day after day.
However, too much relationship stuff for me - balance and tone of book seems off.
Reminds me of Julie Powell's book "Cleaving," where she mixes floundering marriage
with student butchering, but I liked Powell's book more.
December 13, 2011
This took me several months to finish, because I kept putting it down and having no interest in going back to it other than to see if it got better at the end. Hint: it didn't. This felt very self-indulgent and more a case of "author wants to keep a diary but it somehow got published because she's a celebrity" than a book that others would be interested in reading.
July 14, 2011
I just loved this book maybe because I related to Amy's constant worrying, panic and sometimes dread which she primarily dealt with in her head. The references to the dying cooking methods of France made me very sad to think that the US isn't the only country now losing its cooking traditions.
August 31, 2011
I really enjoyed the author's angst and personal growth as she made her way through this year. I also loved reading about her food adventures and learned a lot! great to read right before a trip to france.
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