I'm returning this to the library today. Very clumsy writing, lots of stereotypes, trite images. Yuck. ( )

Second time I've read this book and I believe it has the potential to be a classic. A story about family, love, and marriage partners. A story about the end of the crazy dot com days and a pretty accurate look at the bay area during that time period. ( )

I enjoyed the setting--place (sucker for books set in my hometown) and that time (1999--2001). Goodman did a good job with both, especially with capturing the odd frenetic dotcom world, with all its out-of-touch-with-reality greed. She also juggles many characters, giving most of them decent attention.

The title mislead me for the first part of the book--but I went along for the ride, and enjoyed it...I do, now, want to go back and read more about some of those cookbooks! (and perhaps re-think space--apparently I could store lots more cookbooks if I'd be more creative with storage space). ( )

Where do I even begin? It wasn’t until chapter 15 that I really started enjoying the book’s content. Prior to that, the characters were compelling enough to keep me reading, but once chapter 15 arrived, the book got more interesting and more in-depth.

I loved hearing about the cookbook collection. That whole stretch of chapters was my favorite.

I did find that there were so many characters that sometimes, there would be a reference by name, of a minor character, and I could not recall who that was.

There were, at times, long descriptions of business and/or technology, and it seemed to slow the story down.

I’ll admit that some things left me puzzled [no spoilers] but the ending left me feeling sad and almost let down by its simple sentences and what it seemed to imply. I’m hoping I got that wrong and will go and look up what others had to say, in the hopes that I overlooked an important fact.

When I bought The Cookbook Collector, I didn't anticipate that one of the main subjects is about Jewish religion and tradition. I believe that for people that know nothing or a little bit about the faith and its traditions, they should read it through the audiobook.
On the other hand, the primary and secondary characters have a chance, and they understand the meaning of life not only because of the 09/11 terrorist attacks.
When I bought The Cookbook Collector from my secondhand bookstore because of the period, it takes place. I have read a book that takes at the same time, and I have an unread one on my TBR shelf.
I loved the relationship between Emily & Jess, the two sisters. They were one for each other in good times as well as in bad times, even though their believes and ideologies are different.
The Cookbook Collector is a book with a lot of sub-plots. There were times that it is too much for a book. It felt dense. I enjoyed Allegra Goodman's writing even when I felt parts dragging, and I am happy that I read this book while listening to the audiobook through the Audible app. ( )