Kirkus
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The popular cookbook author and Food Network star looks back on a life filled with hard-won opportunities. For those who may have wondered if Garten’s life is truly as fabulous as depicted in her East Hampton–based cooking show, rest assured: it most certainly is. Garten’s memoir chronicles a remarkably productive, well-lived life filled with exciting travel, notable career opportunities, enviable home properties, celebrity friendships, and delicious food—lots of delicious food (an advisory note to have something to nosh on while reading). There’s also her husband, Jeffrey. Their marriage, spanning half a century, serves as a rock-solid foundation in her life. Narrated with humor and panache, Garten proves to be a marvelous storyteller. Though her journey is extraordinary and often inspiring, there were certainly bumps along the way. Growing up in suburban Connecticut with intensely cold, unloving parents, Garten recounts her experiences as a smart, ambitious, modern woman aiming to make something of herself within the restrictive confines of the 1960s and ’70s, when the only thing expected of a woman was to marry a successful man. Though she found that in Jeffrey, their relationship took some time to evolve into an equal partnership. After years of floundering in high-level roles, including as a budget analyst at the White House, Garten launched the career of her dreams with Jeffrey’s support. She purchased the Barefoot Contessa specialty food store in West Hampton, diving into the food business. Years of hard work led to expanding and relocating to East Hampton. Her success spawned bestselling cookbooks and eventually her cooking show. Though a good deal of luck often came through for her along the way, Garten’s lively memoir emphasizes how hard work and unrelenting tenacity were what made the magic happen. An entertaining foray into this well-loved cooking host’s illustrious life. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.