The Cookbook Collector

(Paperback, Main)

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Description

At the turn of the last century, two sisters are following very different paths. Twenty-eight-year-old Emily is a CEO of an internet start-up; twenty-three-year-old Jess is a grad student in philosophy, a vegan who rejects the rampant capitalism that surrounds her. Pragmatic Emily is making a fortune in Silicon Valley while capricious Jess works in an antiquarian bookstore. Emily's boyfriend is fantastically successful; Jess's boyfriend is an environmental activist. But as the burst of the Dotcom bubble looms and the falling towers of the World Trade Center cast a dark shadow over America, both sisters are torn between two loves, two lives.

The Cookbook Collector serves up a lively stew of characters: bold young software titans, Berkeley tree-huggers, bibliophiles and a pair of investment savvy rabbis. In an increasingly virtual world, in an era of electronic organizers and onscreen identities, Allegra Goodman reminds us that the one thing that keeps us human is love.

Reviews

"If you're hankering for a feast of love, let yourself fall under the spell of Allegra Goodman's abundantly delicious tale."--"The New York Times Book Review"

"A modern take on "Sense and Sensibility" . . . a beautifully textured tale of two sisters that hits all the Jane Austen high notes . . . [Allegra] Goodman delicately navigates her characters' complex emotions."--"People "(four stars)

"The plot may be IPO-centric, but the novel is old-fashioned and wildly romantic."--"Time"

"Goodman makes us care so much about each character and his or her individual story that the pages cannot turn fast enough."--"Los Angeles Times
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"A novel of impressive elan and real emotional resonance."--"Entertainment Weekly
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"Sisters find that love can be wondrously, or tragically, accidental. Ms. Goodman is a romantic realist who dazzles with wit."--"The Wall Street Journal"

"If any contemporary author deserves to wear the mantle of Jane Austen, it's [Allegra] Goodman, whose subtle, astute social comedies perfectly capture the quirks of human nature. This dazzling novel . . . is Goodman's most robust, fully realized and trenchantly meaningful work yet."--"Publishers Weekly", Starred Review

"Fans of Goodman's lovely, nuanced novels have a treat in store with this tale of two sisters."--"Entertainment Weekly"

"Goodman is remarkably successful in creating rich, engaging characters and a complex story of love and identity."
"--Library Journal", starred review


"From the Hardcover edition."

Author Bio

Allegra Goodman is the author of six novels, including Kaaterskill Falls - a finalist for the US National Book Award. In the UK, her most recent novel Intuition was shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize, and longlisted for the Orange Prize 2009. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.