It has recently been debated on how acceptable it is for bloggers to receive free copies of books in the hope they will read and review it favourably. I personally do not have a problem with it if an honest review is written. I'm quite sure all food and wine bloggers I read would give an honest review - good or bad.
So when the publisher of Molly O'Neill's book Mostly True offered me a free copy I said yes. Books tend to be ridiculously expensive in New Zealand and it takes a while for many books to reach here. I was being offered a book that was unlikely to be available here. I knew who Molly was as I have a copy of her New York Cookbook . Forty Eight percent of my readers are from the United States so it seemed appropriate to accept the offer.
For me the book was a little heavy on the baseball and I would have preferred more of her experiences as a chef and food writer. Baseball is not a popular sport in New Zealand or Australia, however I'm sure Americans who grew up with baseball will enjoy reading about the O'Neill family's dedication to the game.
It seems growing up in the fifties and sixties in America was much like growing up in Australia at that time. Molly portrays the period well and her words brought back fond memories of my own childhood and teenage years.
I mostly enjoyed the chapters on Molly's life as a chef and food writer. It never ceases to amaze me how hard chefs work. It is not a career for the fainthearted.
Mostly True is a light hearted read, a book to pick up and put down as the mood takes. A book to be enjoyed by men or women.
