Rossant's Books
I finally finshed all of Collete Rossant's delicious memoirs beginning with Apricots on the Nile, moving on to Return to Paris and concluding with The World in My Kitchen.
Rossant's life is truly an adventure. She was cradled as a child in Egypt inside a lively and loving Jewish family. During her middle school years, she was sent to a Catholic boarding school by a distant and absent mother masquerading during the WWII years as a Roman Catholic (though it was perhaps an honest conversion - though not even Rossant was certain). Colette returned (immediately post-war) to a strict Parisian bourgeois grandmother where life took on the semblance of a finishing school. And then, as a very young woman, she married an American architect and, after a short stint in Italy together, they moved to New York. Her life is anything but boring.
Rossant's books are brash, opinionated, charming and full of courageous, interesting stories and recipes. Collette was consistently closest to those who helped and served in the households in which she lived and it is their loving attention to her and to food that she both inherits and shares with us. While there is some repetition in the collection of books, I enjoyed all three. The set would make a fabulous Christmas present for a mother, daughter or friend who loves to cook.
I love hearing about new books, I'm always looking for something to add to my "to read" list. Thanks for the suggestions.
Posted by: Brilynn | Friday, November 03, 2006 at 06:52 AM
Recipes and stories: a perfect combination.
Posted by: patry | Monday, October 30, 2006 at 05:17 PM
I read Apricots on the Nile and really enjoyed it, must check out the others. Thanks for the reminder.
Posted by: carolyn | Monday, October 30, 2006 at 04:56 PM
These books look like my cup of tea. Thanks for the recommandation. I will put them on my wish list.
Posted by: Britt-Arnhild | Monday, October 30, 2006 at 10:12 AM
Thank you so much for the recommendation.
Cherry
Posted by: Cherry Menlove | Monday, October 30, 2006 at 06:01 AM
Thank you very much for sharing these books with us! They sound lovely & I really would like to read them.
Posted by: Vintage Wine | Monday, October 30, 2006 at 02:02 AM
Oh, thankyou for this. A new author to me. I will seek out some of her work now. You have conjured up a facinating woman.
Posted by: herhimnbryn | Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 01:48 PM