Helpful Score: 2
Lately, I've been inexplicably drawn to foodie books in all their incarnations. It makes little sense to me, really. I don't cook. I'm a picky eater. I hate grocery shopping. Nevertheless, I've picked up quite a few of the books in the past months. Some I've loved . Some, however, I've been slightly ambivalent towards. Unfortunately, Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee falls into the latter category.
Trail of Crumbs is a chronicle of Kim Sunee's twenties living abroad, focusing primarily on her stay in Provence and Paris as the girlfriend of a rich French businessman. Much of the memoir revolves around food and the concept of home and how the two are almost always linked---from her grandfather's gumbo in her childhood New Orleans, to the fresh air markets of France near her home with her lover, to the street vendor food in the Korea in which she was born and abandoned.
All the ingredients for a great memoir are here- tragedy, romance, drama, the hope for redemption. Unfortunately, I found Sunee slightly unsympathetic which made reading and caring about her life quite difficult. I am sure this says more about me than I'd care to admit, but, it was near impossible for me to muster much sympathy for a 22 year old woman living in the lap of luxury in a charming French village with her incredibly wealthy lover. At times, I struggled to find the motivation to finish the book.
But, finish it I did, a fact I owe almost entirely to the quality of Sunee's writing. The food parts are descriptive and highly readable. The writing is fluid without being flowery, and kept me reading long after my initial interest had waned.
Trail of Crumbs is a chronicle of Kim Sunee's twenties living abroad, focusing primarily on her stay in Provence and Paris as the girlfriend of a rich French businessman. Much of the memoir revolves around food and the concept of home and how the two are almost always linked---from her grandfather's gumbo in her childhood New Orleans, to the fresh air markets of France near her home with her lover, to the street vendor food in the Korea in which she was born and abandoned.
All the ingredients for a great memoir are here- tragedy, romance, drama, the hope for redemption. Unfortunately, I found Sunee slightly unsympathetic which made reading and caring about her life quite difficult. I am sure this says more about me than I'd care to admit, but, it was near impossible for me to muster much sympathy for a 22 year old woman living in the lap of luxury in a charming French village with her incredibly wealthy lover. At times, I struggled to find the motivation to finish the book.
But, finish it I did, a fact I owe almost entirely to the quality of Sunee's writing. The food parts are descriptive and highly readable. The writing is fluid without being flowery, and kept me reading long after my initial interest had waned.
Helpful Score: 1
I felt this was well written, the food parts were really captivating, but, like others reviewers, I felt no sympathy for the young woman. She seems to have little to no regard for her adoptive family, little appreciation for the fact that she was basically able to live in France without actually working, using other people's money and adoration of her. she pretty much left me cold
Sallianne D. (traveller) reviewed Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home on + 80 more book reviews
This is a very interesting book as far as the travel aspect goes, but it is far too long, with repetitious accounts of the author's various love affairs. One can not feel sorry for the author, who has the choice to live a very lavish life style in France with a wealthy lover, but cannot decide what she wants out of life; in the real world most of us do not have all those options. I was also somewhat disappointed as there was no actual conclusion, and I felt that somehow the recipes got in the way of the story. These days who could afford the ingredients anyway! Apart from the above, it made fascinating reading.
Rhona L. (Roobee) reviewed Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home on + 72 more book reviews
I liked the book very much but I do agree with some of the other comments. I didn't see any conclusion and felt the last part of the book was too rushed and left out information that made understanding her situation murky. I don't agree that she was less sympathetic because she was living a charmed existence through her wealthy lover. The whole thrust of the book was about her early childhood abandonment and the lack of self-awareness that resulted. I would love for her to do a follow-up book to flesh out the rest of her story and address how the search for her birth family has gone.
Roxanna M. (em1br2sa3gi4) reviewed Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home on + 46 more book reviews
Wandering tale of an adopted Korean girl, now a young woman......long story of her confusion over how to grow into herself....but this is a long book that meanders and ends rather abrubtly. Glad I read it but not a favorite.
Pat W. (3ladybug) reviewed Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home on + 531 more book reviews
Kim Sunee was abandoned as a 3-yr old in a Korean marketplace. She is adopted by a couple in New Orleans, LA. Sunee tries to find where she feels she 'belongs,' a place she can call 'home.' She eventually returns to Korea, looking for her real mother. her beginning, searching for love and happiness. When Sunee 21-yrs old, she begins trying she experiences various travels and adventures with the French businessman she has fallen in love with. Among her adventures with the French mogul, Sunee has becomes his mistress, a step-in mother to the man's young girl, and an exotic cook. She entertains the numerous people the French mogul encounters through business ventures and deals. Sunee moves on to other relationships, all in the search of trying to find where she 'belongs.' The book reflects Sunee's emotional roller-coaster at times, as well as her travels and adventures to many countries An exceptional read of a woman seeking to belong and to find the place she can call home.
