I did not expect my next four-star read to be a non-fiction
I did not expect, as in not at all, that my next four-star read would be a non-fiction. I do not read non-fiction. But since I moved to the UK I tried to learn as much as I could about the local culture (including history) and someone recommended I read Hungry.
It was so worth it. I'm very picky when it comes to books, but when I find something I like, I do not let it go.
Grace Dent has a fantastic way to tell a story. She uses the type of irresistible British humour that mixes sarcasm with irony and pervasive self-deprecation and adds a crude matter-of-factness. Her writing is light and funny (count how many times I'll refer to humour in this review) and she makes all the people she talks about come alive on the page.
The last chapters are very emotional. They kind of threw me off (I was really enjoying the lighthearted mood throughout the first 70%) but they give the book a down-to-earth spin. There is an emphasis on the importance of family throughout the story that's very touching. It shows how much Dent's loved ones shaped her life, and that's a topic that deserves attention in memoirs and the such.
I'm usually not one for long chapters (yeah, also count how many times I'll say this book took me out of my comfort zone) but I didn't mind their length in Hungry. The fact that their theme revolved around memories of specific foods that marked Dent's life was: a) a nice thread throughout the book, b) so very fitting with Dent's profession.
And I have learnt so much about UK culture, principally of the working class. It felt as if I were living with the Dent family. This type of window story, told very simply but with so many details, is thousands of times more useful than any history lesson.
Hungry reminds me a bit of the series Derry Girls, which is set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s and uses a similar kind of humour and style in telling its story. It's very British, to describe the daily life of the working class like that.
It was so worth it. I'm very picky when it comes to books, but when I find something I like, I do not let it go.
Grace Dent has a fantastic way to tell a story. She uses the type of irresistible British humour that mixes sarcasm with irony and pervasive self-deprecation and adds a crude matter-of-factness. Her writing is light and funny (count how many times I'll refer to humour in this review) and she makes all the people she talks about come alive on the page.
The last chapters are very emotional. They kind of threw me off (I was really enjoying the lighthearted mood throughout the first 70%) but they give the book a down-to-earth spin. There is an emphasis on the importance of family throughout the story that's very touching. It shows how much Dent's loved ones shaped her life, and that's a topic that deserves attention in memoirs and the such.
I'm usually not one for long chapters (yeah, also count how many times I'll say this book took me out of my comfort zone) but I didn't mind their length in Hungry. The fact that their theme revolved around memories of specific foods that marked Dent's life was: a) a nice thread throughout the book, b) so very fitting with Dent's profession.
And I have learnt so much about UK culture, principally of the working class. It felt as if I were living with the Dent family. This type of window story, told very simply but with so many details, is thousands of times more useful than any history lesson.
Hungry reminds me a bit of the series Derry Girls, which is set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s and uses a similar kind of humour and style in telling its story. It's very British, to describe the daily life of the working class like that.