Book Reviews : Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard &  Iron House by John Hart

Book Review by Cos Barnes

I found “Lunch in Paris, a Love Story with Recipes” by Elizabeth Bard, light and entertaining reading. Maybe it was because I had just finished a historical account of the county where I was born and a history of my Mother’s church, the church I attended as a child. Both were heavy tomes in all respects, so I found this memoir by Bard easy reading. And since I do very little cooking any more, I was surprised that I read her recipes, pondered over some of the ingredients and quietly savored some of the results.

An American journalist, the main character falls in love with Gwendal, a French computer engineer from Brittany, at their first luncheon meeting. She also falls in love with French cuisine. After moving in with Gwendal, she spends her days at the open-air markets, buying their wares and learning to cook and serve them à la française. As the plot develops, she discovers blending two cultures is more than learning to speak the language and cooking the recipes they both enjoy. It is understanding the customs and appreciating them.

As her own career fails to develop, and her husband’s career sky-rockets, she learns to appreciate his family and also her own. As a Jewish New Yorker, she understands the importance of their family celebrations, which center around food. American women will love her discovery; French women stay slim in spite of the fact that their dining celebrations stretch for eight hours. They drink lots of water and allow no snacking. She does not shed her American heritage. She even calls the butcher Matt Dillon, and she realizes she has not gained a single ounce since she moved to Paris. A French portion is half of an American portion, and a French meal takes twice as long to eat. “You do the math,” she says.

I have also read all four of John Hart’s books, and I must admit I could not turn the pages of his latest, “Iron House,” fast enough. What a story! However, I was appalled with all the violence and the low life depicted in this novel. I heard Hart speak at the Country Bookshop in Southern Pines some months back, and he took a totally different route from other writers. He did not read from his novel; he simply identified himself as a recovering lawyer and talked about his writing career.

“Iron House” depicts how two brothers, one strong and capable of taking what life dishes out, and the other weak but arty, are left in an icy creek by a grossly disturbed mother. Their stories consist of one trauma after another as they are sheltered in an orphanage, neglected by those in charge and tortured by bullies whose lot it was to also live in Iron House.  Still, the filial bond is strong, and they eventually find each other again after much destruction, heartache, searching and disillusionment.

Michael, an enforcer for a shadowy mob figure, is the hero. It is his destiny to protect his brother, Julian, who has been spared the rough upbringing Michael had. Michael wants to escape his past, marry the mother of his unborn child, but he faces a tough road. Read the book. It is exciting.