Synopsis
Anna Rossi grew up in a home where every meal was boiled until the flavor was gone. Now, years later, a gifted cook, she finds her own appetite draining away as her marriage dissolves into blandness. Desperate to hold her lawyer husband's attention for more than five minutes, she convinces him to go on a second honeymoon in New Hampshire - only to find that, in the end, they have nothing left to say to each other.
Taking her six-year-old daughter, Sara, Anna begins a new life as a kitchen assistant in a friend's busy ski-area New Hampshire restaurant. With the help of the critical sous chef, James, Anna begins to rediscover the simple pleasures of a life lived on one's own terms - along with the sweetness of fresh blueberry jam, the salty tang of blue cheese, and the warm, comforting and earthy taste of mushrooms. But just as Anna's appetite begins to make a healthy reappearance, a phone call from her less vibrant past forces her to make an important choice. Anna's decision may change the way she has come to view the world, and have devastating effects on the flavor of her future.
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About the Author
Jane Ward is the author of HUNGER (Forge 2001) and THE MOSAIC ARTIST (shortlisted for the 2015 Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize). Her third novel, BRILLIANT RISING (She Writes Press), releases in fall 2021.
Jane graduated from Simmons College with a degree in English Literature, and began working almost immediately in the food and hospitality industry, trying her hand at catering for Creative Gourmets in Boston, planning corporate parties at The 95th Restaurant in Chicago, and baking on the weekends at Quebrada Bakery in Arlington, Massachusetts. She has been a contributing writer to the online regional and seasonal food magazine, Local In Season, and blogger for and occasional host of cooking videos for MPN Online, an internet recipe resource affiliated with several newspapers across the country.
Although a Massachusetts native, Jane recently settled in Chicago after returning to the US from Switzerland.
Reviews
Simple recipes for meals and marriages add charm to this first novel about a cook who leaves her husband for a taste of freedom, but the book never quite achieves the rich heights of the most flavorful food-inspired fiction. Starved for affection from a repressive father and repressed mother, food analyst Anna Rossi reluctantly acknowledges the collapse of her own marriage when her lawyer husband, Michael, falls asleep over her meticulously prepared salmon with salsa. An attempt to put the spice back into their relationship by taking a second honeymoon at a New Hampshire inn only serves to underscore that Anna and Michael have lost their appetites for life and each other. Michael returns to Chicago while Anna stays, taking a job as kitchen assistant in a local restaurant where James, the chef, takes her under his wing. When Anna's mother suffers a stroke, she ponders the choices her parents made as she makes choices of her own. Will she face the future with James or Michael? Will Anna forgive her mother, and will her five-year-old daughter in turn forgive her? How much is too much fennel in fish soup? Like Anna's cooking, Ward's style is simple and direct, with carefully selected enhancements. Childhood memories, such as young Anna taking refuge from her parents' overcooked meals in a neighbor's kitchen, or adult nightmares, like the dinner party that inevitably ends in a fight, show a keen sense of detail. Unfortunately, Michael and James remain stock characters, defined by their tastes in food and sex and friends, and lacking depth and subtlety. The result is a story that is less about a woman finding herself and more about sending a husband back for one with more flavor and heat.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Ward's debut novel blends family and marital problems with the different flavors and textures of food. Anna Rossi feels dissatisfied in her marriage, and her husband, Michael, rarely has time for their relationship. Attempting to make their life appear perfect, Anna creates elaborate dinners in the hope that the food will attract needed attention from her distant and overworked husband. Although an excellent cook, Anna does not truly appreciate the subtle joys of eating and working with food until she begins to satisfy her emotional appetite. Reassessing her childhood memories and the early college years with her husband, Anna begins to learn how to live her life anew. Predictable family drama takes place between courses, but the way Ward tells Anna's story of her search for independence makes this a perfect story for those interested in the passionate side of cooking and enjoying food. Michelle Kaske
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Hunger
Seller: Library House Internet Sales, Grand Rapids, OH, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Anna Rossi grew up in a home where every meal was boiled until the flavor was gone. Now, years later, a gifted cook, she finds her own appetite draining away as her marriage dissolves into blandness. Desperate to hold her lawyer husband's attention for more than five minutes, she convinces him to go on a second honeymoon in New Hampshire - only to find that, in the end, they have nothing left to say to each other. Taking her six-year-old daughter, Sara, Anna begins a new life as a kitchen assistant in a friend's busy ski-area New Hampshire restaurant. With the help of the critical sous chef, James, Anna begins to rediscover the simple pleasures of a life lived on one's own terms - along with the sweetness of fresh blueberry jam, the salty tang of blue cheese, and the warm, comforting and earthy taste of mushrooms. But just as Anna's appetite begins to make a healthy reappearance, a phone call from her less vibrant past forces her to make an important choice. Anna's decision may change the way she has come to view the world, and have devastating effects on the flavor of her future. Remainder mark Solid binding. Moderate shelf wear. Please note the image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item. Book. Seller Inventory # 123765875
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Hunger Ward, Jane A.
Seller: Desoto Books, Tampa, FL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 3 out of 5 stars
Condition: As New. Seller Inventory # 4O-R459-NSNQ
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Hunger
Seller: Glands of Destiny First Edition Books, Sedro Woolley, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Like New. Publisher: Forge/Tor, New York, 2001.First Edition, First Printing. FINE hardcover book in FINE dust-jacket. As new. Unread. Not remainder marked. Not price-clipped. Not a book club edition. Not an ex-library copy. All of our books with dust-jackets are shipped in fresh, archival-safe mylar protective sleeves. Seller Inventory # SKU1032078
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Hunger
Seller: Robinson Street Books, IOBA, Binghamton, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Prompt Shipment, shipped in Boxes, Tracking PROVIDEDFiction - General. Good clean copy no dust jacket. First edition. Seller Inventory # bing91315287
