Reviews

Selected reviews of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

The book has been on a number of "best of" and "top 10" lists, including
Top 10 Summer Foodie Reads - Chowhound.com
One of the Top 10 Cookbooks of 2007 - Sara Moulton, Good Morning America
One of the 20 Best Food Books of 2007 - Leite's Culinaria

"Food books have become a popular subspecies of memoir in the past couple of years and this tasty new offering by a Seattle-based writer seems destined to earn an honored place on the crowded bookshelves of many foodie readers. Kathleen Flinn recounts one of those signal moments in life and the risky step that came afterward -- the former newspaper reporter loses her corporate middle-management job in London and decides to use up her savings to pursue her longtime dream of enrolling at Le Cordon Bleu, the fabled cooking school in Paris. What results is a charming, yet surprisingly suspenseful account of the education of a chef (with some classic recipes and many tips), but also one woman's inspiring story of rising to, and surmounting, an imposing challenge."
   -- John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intgelligencer, Fall Book Guide (9/27/07) 

"The book is best when [Flinn] sticks to cooking, France's culinary history, diverse regional traditions and the challenges of meeting the impeccable standards of Le Cordon Bleu's demanding chefs. A fascinating look inside a famed elite institution." - Kirkus Reviews

I can never get enough of true stories about people who stop in the middle of their life's journey to ask, ‘What do I really want?' and then have the guts to actually go get it. Kathleen Flinn's tale of chasing her ultimate dream makes for a really lovely book— engaging, intelligent and surprisingly suspenseful.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

“The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry is an engaging story about a fantasy fulfilled. It's Under the Tuscan Sun goes to cooking school.”
—Michael Ruhlman, author of The Soul of a Chef

""The [book] gives a fascinating look into the world of chefs and the various personalities that descend on the culinary institute – all driven by a love for cooking. Those who relish the adventures to be found in food will undoubtedly enjoy this tale of a corporate middle manager who followed her heart into the heat of the kitchen and came out a triumphant graduate of Le Cordon Bleu."
- Christian Science Monitor

"A terrifically entertaining account of an experience most people can only dream about -- attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. The behind-the-kitchen door account of life at the school is fascinating, but, her story goes beyond that, as she figures out who she is and what she wants from life. I really identified her... "
  -- A reader review, Powell's City of Books

“Although I can't cook my way out of a sac de papier, I found this book a joy to read. It's is a compelling story about learning to cook and learning to love at the same time, told with humility, humor and passion.”
--Bill Radke, host of public radio's Weekend America
Kathleen's vivid story of her adventures at Le Cordon Bleu Paris had me smiling page after page. It's about what you should always think about in the pressure behind a hot stove – the pure romance of cooking.”
—Jerry Traunfeld, award-winning chef and author of The Herbfarm Cookbook and The Herbal Kitchen 

"Flinn's journey is funny, romantic and mouthwatering." - Elle magazine, December 2008 reader commentary; voted top book in first round of non-fiction for the 2008 Elle Reader's Prize.  

"Kathleen Flinn guides us with humor through the culinary terra incognita of Paris's famous Cordon Bleu cooking school" - National Geographic Traveler

"While other all-encompassing personal narrative-turned-how-to books can be accused of over reaching, Flinn’s friendly, well-crafted tale works." - Alli Marshall, Asheviillle, N.C., Mountain Xpress

"I have always heard of this infamous school (Le Cordon Bleu Paris) in passing. A side note to stories of famous chefs. The place where Julia Child studied and cooked, learned and grew. In my mind I imagined white marble and silver, everything polished and gleaming. Chickens roasting in pans with buttery juices overflowing. Chefs in white coats tasting the delicacies with their pinky fingers and expressing, "Mais oui!" to their proud students. In reality, as you will learn from Flinn’s wonderfully honest and enjoyable memoir, the path is bumpy and uphill. Gutting a fish never entered my mind but it was certainly a part of Flinn’s journey. In the end, this is a story of the unusual turns and twists our lives take when we reach for dreams, challenge ourselves and seek new destinations on our journey. A beautiful memoir and a wonderful read for the food-filled holiday season." - Bookfinds.com

"The memoir chronicles Flinn’s cooking school experience as well as her adjustment to her new Parisian life. Mixing the wonderment of Julia Child with the wryness of food blogger Julie Powell, Flinn tells her story with the unique perspective of a Francophile lost in Paris, a young woman who reveres the culture as much as she is hindered by it.
        As the narrative follows her journey from Basic to Intermediate to Superior Cuisine, Flinn’s descriptive, sometimes cynical style continues to captivate. Whether she's boning quails or cleaving the heads from rabbits, she is both comical and endearing—and surely anyone who has spent time doing dirty work in the kitchen can relate." - Nancy Guang, TheFoodPaper.com

"There is a reason why we're so seduced by stories of glamorous cities and memoirs by interesting people- they are stories of dreams and reality and ripe potential and how the two can meet if you just have the courage to do it. Kathleen Flinn's tale of her own life is really about having the guts to stop listening to what we ought to do and jump into what we want to do. It's a sprightly read, moving from Kathleen's humiliating dismissal from a glamorous job to the humiliations and intense pressure of a kitchen, and the thrilling ride of a new love. It's about one woman shaking off her expectations and learning to suck the marrow out of life. The book is full of juicy-sounding recipes and is fun and inspiring." - Amazon.com reader review

"Two of my favorite books last year were the Julia Child autobiography, My Life in France and Bill Buford’s memoir, Heat. Now there is The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by local author Kathleen Flinn. In 2003, Flinn was fired from her high-powered corporate job in London. With some encouragement from her boyfriend (living in Seattle), she decided to try and fulfill her lifelong dream of attending Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. For such a prestigious school, the application process was as easy as it was expensive and Flinn found herself leaving London for Paris in a very short time. This memoir is a result of that education. It is funny, poignant, informative and actually contains some terrific recipes. And, of course, there is l’amour." ~Patti, Queen Anne Bookstore staff reviews.

"I thought the subtitle 'Love, Laughter and Tears' sounded kind of corny -- until I read it. It is such a cliche but I literally laughed and cried while reading this book. It's fun, intriguiging and ultimately an inspirational story about what happens when you take a risk to pursue your dreams. A great book club selection." - Barnes & Noble customer review

"Like Elizabeth Gilbert in 'Eat, Pray, Love,' this author has enormous wit, and is not afraid of humor at her own expense, whether its dealing with kitchen fumbles or the trouble caused by her own (initially) poor French. There are many touching, emotional passages as well, such as when she talks about her sister, who never had the chance to live her dream of attending the Sorbonne due to a tragic family illness. The story follows her lessons at school as she weaves cooking tips, chef tricks and culinary history that teach as you read, and layers that on top of messages about love and life... Each chapter has a recipe a la 'Like Water for Chocolate.' In a way, this reminded me of that that book with its connections between love and cooking, although I can see other, more obvious comparisons to 'Under the Tuscan Sun' or 'The Making of a Chef.' I think a lot of women will identify with this story, whether they cook or not." - Powells.com review.