In this food memoir, an unemployed New York woman has to make do on $20 per week for groceries and food. She weaves her job search with cooking simple recipes. The book shows how it is possible to survive, and to eat well, with very little money. But this book is really about how the recession has impacted the lives of everyday Americans, including many professionals who are not used to being broke and living on the edge. Genevieve weaves her prose with references to newsworthy topics such as the Earthquake in Haiti, the Copenhagen Climate Summit, and the partisan politics in Washington. All that, and the hint of romance too. All in all, a sweet dish.
(This is an abridged copy of the hardcover version which will come out later this year.)
Available in PDF for Adobe Digital Editions Format
Okay. I see that this author has a lot of fans. But Five stars? Come on. It is an interesting concept, yes. But this is not a five star book. There are many issues with it not the least of which is that it is totally unfinished. It is way too short and the fact that she can survive three weeks on $20.00 is hardly a big deal. I would have liked to see her develop this a bit more and tell us how it works for her up to three months or even longer. A year would have been nice. Plus, the cover is all wrong for this project. She needs to do some work with a graphic designer and come up with a better cover. For example, there's a pizza on the cover and in the book she expressly says she's not eating flour. So what's up with a pizza on the cover? The other thing is I would have delved more deeply into the political angle and talked more about how other people, like her friends and family are being affected by the recession. She touches on it and I think that is the main selling point of the... More > book, but it's not enough. It is too superficial and I think it needs more depth and expansion. I would not give this book any more than 3 stars. I would give it 2 1/2 but that is not an option. It has potential but I think it's unfinished and needs to be almost twice as long as it currently is.< Less
My friend Genevieve wrote this book and I encouraged her to publish it as an e-book because I think it is a timely subject and that many people are in the same position she found herself. I also like the e-book format because not only is it technologically savvy, it is also cost-effective. Genevieve artfully weaves the zeitgeist into her prose by discussing what is happening in Washington and around the world, while she cooks, eats, and job huts. What is brilliant about it is that the author never sinks to self-pity about not having money for food. She finds a way to use $20.00 to buy the most pleasant and delicious things and to eat and live simply. I think others who are similarly situated, and according to statistics that would be millions of people, can take note that just because there is a recession doesn't mean that life is not worth living and living well. Maybe the lesson of the recession is that many of us need to simplify our lives and also simplify how and what we eat. For... More > one thing, we will all be a little bit thinner.< Less
My friend recommended it and I downloaded it just for the hell of it. But I must say I did enjoy this book. It is a simple concept and easy recipes. It is uplifting for people who may think they can't hack it because they lost their jobs. Kudos.
Send a copy of this to the GOP. They really need to be made aware of what is going on in this country while they play games in Washington with the lives of the American people. Kudos to Genevieve for the work she did here. I think it is excellent the way she is able to focus and stay positive. She is one of the lucky ones as she acknowledges. This country is in serious trouble though and Washington continues to play deaf and dumb. I am curious if any senator or representative whether Democrat or Republican has had a home foreclosed? Or has lost their jobs and have their unemployment check run out? I personally know too many people who are in the predicament Ms. Smith discusses in her book. God bless her that she is able to live on $20.00. But There are families in this country who can't live on $20.00 per week. It' just not possible. They have had extensions on their unemployment benefits that have run out. They may not even be getting that in the first place for any number of... More > reasons. I don't believe in big government any more than the next guy but this is a crisis situation and I don't think the political fat cats get it. They don't get it at all.< Less
