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There are currently 16 member reviews
for It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
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Eileen (New York NY)
5 stars if you are a foodie
An entertaining book about the role food has played in one woman's life. It would have been an even more compelling read had she revealed more about the other people in her life and how they influenced her. An adventurous book club could easily have a potluck dinner using the intriguing recipes included in the book. A mouth-watering discussion would be sure to follow.
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Beverly (Palm Harbor FL)
echoes of Ruth Reichl
What a life ! I love reading about food and the associated memories Ms.Hodgson shares her unusual early years, growing up all over the world, while telling stories of family, friends and travel AND includes recipes. She has a breezy, casual style that makes this book an easy read.
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Lois (Redding CA)
Would you eat snails?
Well Moira Hodgson did and to find out about how she thought about them you are going to have to read; "It Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time". [Personally, I've never had the "pleasure" or should I say "horror". So far I'm keeping an open mind.]
I feel this book should have given more information about the people, places, and yes, even the food. The writing is "choppy" and just doesn't flow for me. However, I suppose this being a memoir, it is to be expected to have something of a diary quality to it? I didn't care for the way people would pop in from nowhere and then disappear without any comment. I feel authors who use phases or quotes from other languages other than English need to assist the reader by offering clues in the context at the very least. I guess I am just an old fussy woman, but oh well!.
All that being said, I already recommended the book to two or three of my friends and relatives who are into Traveling, Food, and By-Gone-Days of The Steam Ships. A delightfully entertaining book. Do not let my opinion about the writing put you off this is a great read, especially if you like to read about food, watch the Food Network, or eat!
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Patricia (Richmond VA)
It Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time
From England to Vietnam and places in between and beyond, this was an informative, and mostly fun, book to read. Writing about her adventures with her family, friends and solo were very good and Ms. Hodgson was adept at bringing her reader along with her. Her obvious knowledge of and devotion to food and its history and preparation will appeal to foodies (and make them hungry). My criticism would be that there are some parts of the book that warrant more background, detail and/or explanation but all in all, it was a book that I would recommend to readers who love travel and food adventures.
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Melissa (McKees Rocks PA)
Expected more
This book did not live up to the expectations I had for it. Hodgson wrote very descriptive passages which elicited vivid pictures of the people and places she saw, yet the complete writing was very disjointed. It felt more like a series of postcards from a well traveled friend. In reality I'm sure she learned quite a bit about herself and life, but I never really felt that she got that across to the reader.
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Sally (Murfreesboro TN)
Not Such a Good Idea
There were descriptions of meals, descriptions of travel and some events in the author's life, but none of it flowed. New chapters and even new paragraphs would jump to something not remotely connected to what was written previously, and it seemed very disjointed. This was a constant irritation.
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Kathy (Hamilton MT)
It May Have Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, But...
Moira Hodgson is undoubtedly an interesting, widely traveled, and well educated woman, but her book of “adventures in life and food,” It Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time, consistently failed to engage me. From its earliest pages, this personal memoir reads more like a private diary for her own later reference than a set of stories intended to entertain, inform, and amuse an outside audience. It’s a dense dump of sequential memories, and deciphering her shifts and transitions of time and place are not often easy for the reader. The addition of section and chapter headings: “Egypt,” “Stockholm,” Vietnam,” “New York,” “Losing my parents” etc. – and courteously including more foreign phrase translations and inside joke explanations – would have greatly improved its clarity and flow.
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