The Kitchen Congregation: A Daughter's Story of Wives and Women Friends

by Nora Seton

In dazzling prose, Nora Seton passes on the rich dialogues between women in her life, the shared comfort and pain of motherhood, the bewilderments of men, and favorite recipes--coded love handed down through generations in the kitchen--the heart of the home.
Written in a style that echoes the language of women, the fluid comma-after-comma way our thoughts spill out amidst the intrusions of children, the softly ever-reflecting tone of our internal conversations, The Kitchen Congregation is told in tales from the kitchen, the place where women, mothers and daughters particularly, still congregate, after years of broken traditions and new opportunities.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food Writing

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seton's words about women and food and the kitchen being the heart of the home is pure poetry. I have flagged so many pages because I want to go back and read her writing, which is so descriptive and imaginative, I want to take it in over and over again. Brilliant writing and story!

[Karen Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story of the relationship of Mothers and daughter, friends, children all centered around the kitchen - the center of the home. Good recipes included!

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third time I've read this book. It is beautifully written. The prose is exquisite. It is a narrative of the author's memories of growing up in the kitchen and the life that happens in the kitchen. She writes of her mother, her friends, her children. I realize this review can't capture the beauty of this book but if you like beautiful prose, almost poetic, and warm encounters with family and friends, then you will love this book.

Sept 9, 2024 I just finished it again and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first three times!
I had underlined several beautifully written paragraphs and I still loved them. Her love for her family is very evident.

[Catie]

Recommendation from @carogrison - 5/17/2017

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my 2015 notes: This was a really interesting book, beautifully, poetically written. I don’t know why it took me so long to finish it, I think I was reading it around the time L was born. Nora Seton writes about her friends and family and food, including the loss of her first baby. So many things that speak to me, although I am not at all like her - we don’t have a culture really of in and out of kitchens.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good in parts but probably more interesting if you are a mother. Rather navel-gazing. The author describes herself as a needy child and this theme seems to apply to her as an adult too. Themes which are interesting at the start are repeated ad nauseum and I was pleased to have finished the book. Liked the chapter towards the end of the friend who moved out of her family home into the barn.

[Lud Berdu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I´ve tried to finish this book (stopped at page 70) but I couldn´t get over that the author uses the kitchen as a place that all women share, love and belong to. Maybe it´s because my mother was opressed into cooking (which she hates) as it was socially expected in her time, maybe it´s because my father is the one that enjoys cooking, or even because I have no children and feel no obligation to feed people that are capable of doing it themselves, but I felt a bit offended by the attempt to convice me that "mother and daughters share the kitchen a common knowledge of women passing their lives there." As if staying in the kitchen was a real choice for women in the past, or even nowadays.
Sorry, but no. My book list is long and it was about time I moved on.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its fun, the author shares fun family stories and receipes! It is sad as the author shares her grief over the loss of her mother and stillborn child! Go ahead and read. You won't want go out the book down till the end!

[The Farmer's Wife · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seton is an exceptional writer. No doubt. This book, though...just too heavy, dark and brooding to be a truly good read.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about women and kitchens-the conversatio0ns, the cooking and the children.It was an ok read.

[phya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flowed like butter, stunningly portrayed memories of motherhood and womanhood. Overall, it feels like a tender embrace of kitchen morning light.

[Hannah Fearon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It made me cry. Was sad to reach the end.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book called to me, and I very uncharacteristically bought it. It was a healing read for me, and helped me in my grief over my father's death. It also got me reading again. I'm not sure I can comment specifically to the writing or content, but for me this captured something magical and timeless about kitchen culture...

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is kitchen literature rather than a cookbook, although I have marked a number of recipes to try. It's a memoir of a daughter and her mother and friends, their lives certering around their kitchens. I loved it and my husband loved it. I've pulled it down to read again, and might even try a recipe.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is so much less than I thought it would be when I picked it up. Nora Seaton is a bystander in her own story. She stands at the edge of her life and speaks to us. She says look at my sad, little loved life and pity me.

This book is great for anyone who is experiencing insomnia. In no time at all she will have put you right to sleep.

[Niki Costantini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro parla di sentimenti e di donne. Leggerlo è stato come ritrovarsi con una amica attorno al tavolo di cucina, bevendo té' e mangiando fette di torta appena sfornata, raccontandosi storie di vita e scambiandosi ricette, risate e lacrime.
Letto in un particolare momento della mia vita, l'ho amato moltissimo.

[Mollie Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the memories that are made in and flow from our kitchens. Good recipes tucked into pages! I love how you feel like you are right there with her in the kitchen listening to her hurts, fears and triumphs.

[Jennivie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I bought it for a buck. I wish I had bought 20 more to give out. It has a few recipes in it even.

[Chelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, personal, personable, memoir-type read about food and cooking and how they bind people together.

[Christie Modzeleski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too slow...not bog on memoirs...