What readers think of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, plus links to write your own review.

Loved this book. Dark. Creative. The characters were just so well conceived in my opinion. I tend to like off the wall books, and ones that focus on "random" people, and this was completely up my alley. Will definitely read more from this author!!!

In her ninth year little Rose makes an amazing discovery. She can tell what a person is feeling by eating the food they prepare. Rose learns that her happy go lucky mother is actually very sad and unfulfilled. That her brother is almost disappearing in his reclusiveness. These insights slowly become a curse for Rose, because she is also learning too many secrets, both painful and desperate, that she can only bear witness to.

The impersonal vending machine is the only thing that offers relief, and a respite from holding in so many unwanted feelings. At least she doesn't know who made the crackers or candy bars that she retrieves.

I haven't mentioned the wonderful mesmerizing writing style that Aimee Bender is becoming famous for. It's such a treat to read someone with such skill and imagination.

I thought the book was excellent, and am looking forward to more from this author.

This book is fiction and that fact needs to be remembered by the reader! Aimee Bender has created a character who has a terrific burden to bear. I liked her. I thought she stood up so solidly whenever she began to realize what she was eating had an emotional effect for her. The story had a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor, and Rose's brother, Joseph, seemed to be full of it. Their grandmother was outstandingly humorous while bestowing gifts, without even knowing it. This is an unusual story, and I really enjoyed it.

I may have missed the author’s intent in this book. I never really connected to the characters but the energy of the TV show Pushing Daisies with splashes of Alice in Wonderland did keep me turning the pages looking for that elusive moment. At times I missed the quotation marks that were nonresistant.
The story is divided into four parts. It is the story of a girl with a gift, from eight years old into her twenties. Rose lives with her father, a fact only lawyer, the fanciful mother, and the brother, Joseph, with his own weird gift. It is a story of a dysfunctional family with each person having a part that is just not typical.
Rose’s gift is the’ gift of food tasting’ but not just the flavor of the food, but the growing, marketing and finally the cooking. All of the steps it takes from beginning to end. She can tell you the local it was grown, how it was marketed, and what the cook was feeling it was prepared. This is not all good.
The phrasing was wonderful and I would stop and just re-read sentences.
‘A name so vague I never remember it.’
‘Out the window, the breezeless stillness of a desert spring.’

This is a very strange book. Not much story. The only reason I stuck with it was because I wanted to see how one of the storylines panned out. I was ultimately disappointed.

I didn't actually READ the book - I listened to the audio version which was narrated by the author - who did a TERRIBLE job. If they'd have sprung for a professional narrator it might have been more interesting.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Wanted to read this book for some time, have seen it on top book lists for a while. It is very weird and I only finished it because I thought I may have been missing some part of the story. The end was worse than the other three-quarters. Learned my lesson...no more "best sellers for me". Terrible read.