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There are currently 46 member reviews
for The Kitchen Daughter
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Pat M. (san antonio, TX)
The Kitchen Daughter
The protagonist faces unique problems and situations, but food is a constant. I was surrounded by smells and tastes while reading this book. While slicing and dicing, the author cooks up a recipe for success and insight into a rare state of being. If my book club read this book we would have to serve food at our meeting. The book was yummy.
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Pamela D. (Wheaton, IL)
The Kitchen Daughter
The Kitchen Daughter is a wonderful, magical story that I was unable to put down until I had finished the book. The author has written a wonderful main character in Ginny, a young woman with Asperger's. The story enables the reader to live inside the mind of someone with Asperger's and also see how it affects family members, especially when dealing with loss and grief. This book really touched me as I have a three year old grandson who is autistic and I believe we need to understand so much more about autism than we do now. I cannot wait to recommend this book to my book group.
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Susan G. (Charlotte, NC)
Food is love
Food is comfort. Food is love. Food is memory. All of these themes are explored in a story about family, about recipes and secrets passed down through generations, about accepting who you are. What might have been an overly-sweet story is rescued by the author who does not give in to easy resolutions. Although somewhat distracted by the references to the Normal Book, which I thought unnecessary, I found myself engrossed and caring very much about what was happening to the characters. A very good selection for a book club, especially if the hostess for the discussion has to supply the refreshments. The Midnight Cry Brownies would be a divinely perfect tie-in.
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Nancy (Burlingame, CA)
The Kitchen Daughter
I particularly enjoyed The Kitchen Daughter because of the typical interaction between sisters in an atypical situation, the agony suffered by siblings from the death of a parent, and the struggle to do what's right with what's left. Being a foodie, the recipes and references to food tickled my palate. I received further education of Asberger's Syndrome, appreciating the knowledgeable and compassionate writing.
I would recommend this book to book groups because it is sure to elicit a mix of opinions.
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Ruth O. (Downingtown, PA)
Interesting view of Asperger's Syndrome
‘The Kitchen Daughter’ explores the world of a young woman who most likely has Asperger’s syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum, and how she emotionally reacts after her parents suddenly pass away. It is evident from the first pages that her personality is unlike that of so-called ‘normal’ persons, and developments throughout the book support this observation. One of her coping mechanisms when distressed is cooking, hence the title of the book. There are some supernatural aspects to the story, which in general I dislike, but these events fit well into the storyline. I enjoyed the book, although it didn’t ‘grab’ me and it took me some time to finish it since I was able to put it down. It did interest me enough to find out more about Asperger’s and other autistic disorders, and I’d recommend it especially to readers who would be interested in a first-person view of Asperger’s.
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Cecilia Z. (Montclair, New Jersey)
Interesting story, but too many unnecessary distractions.
This is an unusual novel with a unique narrator, a young woman with Asperger's syndrome, who is coming to terms with her parents' sudden deaths and her now uncertain future. She turns to cooking, which has been her way of connecting and, in her words, finding "normal." How she copes with the changes in her life would have been enough to make this a compelling, well-written novel. Unfortunately, the story takes on other directions - ghosts conjured by her cooking, family secrets and other tragedies - all of which diminish the story with unnecessary distractions. Too bad - it is well-written and would have been much better without these distractions.
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Carole C. (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Next to Normal
As does the popular musical whose title I borrowed, "The Kitchen Daughter" challenges its audience to question the definition of "normal." Told through the voice of a young woman with Asperger's Syndrome, this book gives the reader insights into the thoughts, feelings, and reactions of Ginny Selvaggio as she struggles with the sudden death of her parents and the persistent demands of her sister Amanda and society at large. Jael McHenry writes with clarity about Ginny's grief, fears, and uncertainties; she writes with passion about the soothing effects of cooking in the family kitchen, following beloved recipes of family members.
While this book is engaging and readable, there are aspects not as convincing or rewarding. The episodes of ghost-conjuring did not inspire a "willing suspension of disbelief" for this reader. Also, the last chapter, really an epilogue, tied up all loose ends without explaining how essential issues were resolved.
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