The Hundred-Foot Journey

This is one of those books you know you are going to love after just a few pages. The author, Richard Morais, wrote for Forbes for years and combines a great fictional narrative, full of deep characters, with the detailed observations typical of magazine reporters. I was especially impressed with how the language could go from florid and beautiful to dirty and raw in a single sentence without losing balance. Morais' ability to capture the essence of places and peoples is absolutely transfixing with such visual and aural descriptions that I remember more of a movie than a book. This cinematic quality is not surprising since the intent was to have his friend, Ismail Merchant (of the Merchant-Ivory producing team), develop the narrative into a film. Unfortunately, the producer died unexpectedly before the manuscript was complete. This exploration of family, personal development and professional relationships, all wrapped in the evolution of various food movements is a must read for anyone who likes to travel, cook, and explore new cuisines.

Buyer beware -- this is a story for foodies! If food is not your great interest, skip it. Hassan Haji, the main character, has an innate talent for cooking, recognised by the former enemy of his family, Chef Mallory, who has her own successful restaurant. But first there are fireworks when the large Indian family arrives in her town in the Jura, promptly buys a mansion, and then turn it into an Indian restaurant, just opposite hers. She did not take kindly to this "invasion"! It is, however, never explained how an extended family from India can simply take up residence in Britain, and then decamp to France, tour the country, and when one of their cars break down in a small town, stay right there, buy a huge mansion and open a restaurant! I mean, France has immigration laws!! Never once is it suggested that the family has any problems simply taking up residence in a French town! Hassan Haji, only a youth at the start of the book, becomes a highly successful chef (no spoilers, and anyway, too long to summarize here). The problem is, his run of luck is just too good to be true. No, the story is pure fiction, and it gripped me as it went on, but the author pulled rabbits out of hats for Hassan! The characterization is good in some instances, and as far as other characters go, not so good. There are some gaps in the story, and for me the book ended rather abruptly when not all problems had been sorted out yet. It's also never explained how the young Hassan managed to give up his Indian cooking heritage at the drop of a hat, and turn into a classic French cook. I cannot deny that I enjoyed the book very much. I have not seen the film so cannot draw comparisons. But as a work of fiction it does have some flaws.

I enjoyed the film more than the book. I thought the book was beautifully written, but I also thought at times, it meandered. I enjoyed the film's story more. Hassan Haji was destined to be a chef. His grandparents owned and operated a very popular restaurant in India, but after a tragedy, the family moved to England. His father was aghast that Indian cuisine was relegated to a minor note. The family traveled, tasting everything, and finally landed in Lamiere, France. There, the family runs afoul of the formidable Madame Mallory. Surprisingly, Madame Mallory becomes Hassan's biggest advocate and supporter, teaching him the hospitality business and the workings of a restaurant. There are subplots that I didn't care for. So that is why I thought the book meandered a bit. Still it is a very entertaining, enjoyable story.

but somewhere in the middle of this book, I forgot I was reading a novel and started to believe I was reading Haji's memoirs! We will soon be traveling to India, and I very much enjoyed meeting the Haji family, and their transition to European life. Even to the point as his Parisian career started to take off, I started thinking to myself, "yes -- the big ego has emerged." And I nodded to myself -- oh, Paul Verdun, Le Coq D'Or, yeah I remember that place. Not that WE could have afforded it...although we did once dine at Arpege. The storytelling is fantastic. For anyone who thinks they are a "foodie" and has been seduced by travel in general and by Paris in particular (guilty on all counts) this is truly enjoyable experience. When I began reading the acknowledgements at the end, my first thought was: Who was the ghost writer? Of course, to come crashing into reality with a burst of laughter as I was reminded this WAS a novel. Perhaps it was reading it as an ebook...where one doesn't see the actual cover each time she picks up the book, added greatly to my "confusion." Regardless, the joke was on me, and I thoroughly relished this wonderful read.

The first half of this book is heavenly, gorgeous, scrumptious, and I couldn't put it down. The first half explodes with color and vibrancy, the characters seem to pop off the page, and you can almost smell the delicious food. The descriptions of the small village in France was so lovely I wanted to buy a plane ticket right away and go there. I laughed, I cried, I told my husband that this is easily the best book I have ever read. Then I hit the middle of the book and everything skidded to a halt. The story just seemed to stop, the characters became two-dimensional, and instead of a story I was reading some Time Magazine "Lifetime in review" of the chef. I have no idea what happened. Where did the interesting people go? Where did the storyline go? Was this even written by the same author? The beautiful prose was still there, there was just no character development, no plot, no humor, no point. I'd still recommend people read this book because the first half is sooooo good. I just wish, I really wish, that the author would go back and fix the second half. Or just cut the book in half and end in Lumiere. I hear this will be made into a movie, so I hope the movie fixes the blatant flaws in the story-telling. That being said, I look forward to reading other work by this same author, because I know he can write (btw he is a journalist by trade). I just hope some editor can sit down and help him fix his plots so he can produce a more cohesive novel in future.

This was a great journey. I enjoyed the whole of Hassan's story, from the beginning in India then to England and finally France. The writing was descriptive and insightful with pathos and humour as the story evolved into a visual experience. The characters were bought to life, Hassan of course and particularly the portrayal of his father and Madame. The culinary experience through Hassan's love of food and his determination to succeed was so literal you could feel it. The geography and social content was like a travelogue,with the the Indian and French landscapes a contrast but integrated through the 2 nation's food cultures. Then there was the human aspects of winning and losing and the ultimate triumph at the end. I look forward to reading more of Richard Morais works.

As an avid read and avid foodie I was thrilled when my book club selected this title (at NPR's suggestion). I enjoyed the book as a foodie and the insight it gave into haute cuisine, but as literature, it left many things to be desired. Some things were critical events and never discussed again, others were all tied up in a too-tidy bow at the end. Main character Hasan starts out an angry confused teen in India who is very introspective for the reader. As he travels the world and rises in the French Haute Cuisine scene, he loses his depth, interest and introspection (his himan side). While this book did not strike me as serious literature, that does not take it out of contention for an enjoyable summer read. Especially if you are a foodie.

The Hundred-Foot Journey covers many miles and many years, and covers it an engaging manner that draws the reader in and doesn't let go. The author fully develops the numerous quirky personalities, allowing the reader to know them, and seamlessly weaves their life stories into one. The richness of the various cultures, from India to France, come across as well fleshed out. The love for food, its preparation, its subtleties and nuances, makes the reader long to be able to sit down at the table and taste a few of the dishes that the book's hero prepares. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a novel, and not a "you were there" sort of recitation of a true story. I loved every page, and every minute of it.

this is what one would call a simple fun read i for one am not a person that loves being in the kitchen or am really into food, but the whole story was nicley written and easy going sort of a book you can take on vacation and finish it on the way there:) but my tip, the movie really didnt do it justice. movies normaly dont but in this case the story was quite different anyway, i dont recomend it, it was a nice book to read

A perfectly believable tale, It felt more like reading an autobiography! So well written, you could smell the heat and spices as if you were there. I was sorry when I came to the end and will be looking out for the film. Thank you for this masterpiece!

Good story. Interesting to know all the details of places and food. Always better than the movie. Love it totally

A really intriguing story - especially good when it is read aloud to you. My daughter did this for me - it just added another dimension. Richard Morais was well-travelled and really was able to make one feel the atmosphere as a journalist can do. The story was sad, and humourous and his descriptions of places made you feel you were there. The characters were very well portrayed. I have recommend this to all my friends.

Quite well written but rather predicttable. Will be an enjoyable film probably with a "good feel" approach by the director