Two very sad things are conspicuous about Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent
Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton: she was essentially abandoned
as a kid, and her parents probably have no clue what they missed. In spite of being
neglected, or perhaps because of it, Hamilton developed an inner strength and the
talent to express herself through food – and writing.
Hamilton appears as baffled by her life circumstances as any reader. She recounts
a happy early childhood as the youngest of five children in rural Pennsylvania.
However, those years were short-lived. Her family disintegrated through her parents’
divorce, and she was left to her own devices. With only a trace of bitterness
(mostly directed toward her mother), Hamilton recalls what it was like eking out
a living when she was still a kid.
By age 13, she knew she needed a job. She hasn’t stopped working since, and much of
her employment has been in restaurants or catering, it’s almost always been related
to food. Hamilton’s writing is vividly descriptive making it easy to not just see the
images she depicts, but also to feel the cool morning dew or to smell the smoke from
a pit fire or taste “a cold ham sandwich on good buttered grainy bread.”
Today, Hamilton is an accomplished chef and owner of Prune restaurant in New York City,
and her writing is stellar. Still, who leaves an almost-12-year-old to fend for herself,
even if the ultimate outcome appears to be exceptional?
Four and a half Bookmarks
Random House, 2011
291 pages
The Blue Page Special 
great review…….sounds like Santa needs to bring this book!!!! Oh! I am Santa! here I go…….
Ho ho ho! I hope you enjoy it!