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83rd out of 240 books
—
290 voters
Bone in the Throat
A wildly funny, irreverent tale of murder, mayhem, and the mob.
When up-and-coming chef Tommy Pagana settles for a less than glamorous stint at his uncle's restaurant in Manhattan's Little Italy, he unwittingly finds himself a partner in big-time crime. And when the mob decides to use the kitchen for a murder, nothing Tommy learned in cooking school has prepared him for wh...more
When up-and-coming chef Tommy Pagana settles for a less than glamorous stint at his uncle's restaurant in Manhattan's Little Italy, he unwittingly finds himself a partner in big-time crime. And when the mob decides to use the kitchen for a murder, nothing Tommy learned in cooking school has prepared him for wh...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 16th 2000
by Bloomsbury USA
(first published 1995)
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"Bone in the Throat" was wildly entertaining. A mafia, gangster crime first novel by celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain.
Lots of murder, beatings, cooking and description of food scattered throughout.
The main character, Tommy, is the sous-chef at The Dreadnaught, a restaurant run by a a criminal, Harvey being used by the FBI to trap some local gangsters. Tommy's uncle, Sally, is the local gangster who collects money from Harvey and who got Tommy the job there. However, Tommy really does have passio...more
Lots of murder, beatings, cooking and description of food scattered throughout.
The main character, Tommy, is the sous-chef at The Dreadnaught, a restaurant run by a a criminal, Harvey being used by the FBI to trap some local gangsters. Tommy's uncle, Sally, is the local gangster who collects money from Harvey and who got Tommy the job there. However, Tommy really does have passio...more
I normally would never think of picking up a novel written by a tv show host, but I have a lot of respect for Anthony Bourdain and enjoy his non-fiction pieces, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm glad I did. It's rare enough to find a multi-talented artist, but that's exactly what Bourdain is proving himself to be. Add fiction writing to his growing repertoire of skills.
"Bone in the Throat" is a divertingly fun romp through Tony's New York--dark, gritty, often desperate, but with a distinctiv...more
"Bone in the Throat" is a divertingly fun romp through Tony's New York--dark, gritty, often desperate, but with a distinctiv...more
Got this book on recommendation from my cousin, and while I like watching Anthony Bourdain on TV, I'm not sold on him as an author. Perhaps it was the subject matter, the New York Mafia and its involvement in the restaurant business, but the book never really brought me in. It started promisingly, with a scene in the coroner's office after another floater was pulled out of the water with clear evidence of it being a mob hit, but it took until nearly the end of the book before the scene connected...more
Muito se tem falado do Anthony Bourdain nos últimos tempos, principalmente com a sua recente vinda ao nosso país. Embora não o tenha descoberto agora, não posso dizer que seja um seguidor. Isto é, vejo o "No Reservations" sempre que me lembro e gosto do que vejo. O problema é que nem sempre me lembro. No entanto, apesar de já conhecer o Anthony Bourdain há algum tempo, este livro obriga-me a ficar ao lado daqueles que só agora aprenderam que ele existe. Sou sincero: sabia que ele era um chef de...more
Not. Bad.
Tried to read this once before, but the author's voice and repetitive cadence kept getting into my head. If anything, that's proof that I need to watch less TV. Also, the way food and kitchens come in to play right off the bat, and the way the food is described in scenes where it's not even important made it hard for me to take this book seriously at first. At much as I like Tony, I kept thinking "Your a chef! I GET it!"
Anyway, today was jury duty and I took this in with me, and before...more
Tried to read this once before, but the author's voice and repetitive cadence kept getting into my head. If anything, that's proof that I need to watch less TV. Also, the way food and kitchens come in to play right off the bat, and the way the food is described in scenes where it's not even important made it hard for me to take this book seriously at first. At much as I like Tony, I kept thinking "Your a chef! I GET it!"
Anyway, today was jury duty and I took this in with me, and before...more
This "novel of death and digestion" (to quote from the dust jacket) delivers what it promises: murder in a culinary setting. The story is both gory and brutal, but so is the subject matter: Mafia control of the restaurant industry. The story focuses intently on the use of drugs and alcohol but these are (according to Bourdain's non-fiction books) the daily realities of restaurant life. The book is both profane and obscene but so is the author, if one believes the self-drawn caricature by which h...more
Even before he was big-time, Mr. Tony had a real clarity of voice and tone that help this novel cohesive and kept me reading. He does a nice job of rotating chapters through the eyes of many characters without getting bogged down by the variety; each chapter also advances the admittedly thin plot. I would've enjoyed more mystery and less novel, the ending was a foregone conclusion, though he did build some nice suspense especially during the face-in-the-meat-slicer scene, which was particularly...more
I like Anthony Bourdain. I like by-the-numbers crime fiction with a bit of a spin. By the end of this book I was fairly happy with it (hence the 3 stars). While I was actually reading it, however...
I read another Goodreads review that started with 'Librus Interruptus' and went on to tell the story of a man who read the first two thirds of this book, then lost the book out of his pocket on a motorbike ride. He never tried to find another copy, thus explaining his opinion of the book.
I spent a g...more
At first I thought, "Bourdain, shut up already with your food prep porn... " but after awhile it's what starts to make you relate to the character. In a movie, this might come of faster and at the same time you're seeing other parts of the plot. It really started to capture me.
Without knowing Tony, I might not have gotten past the dust jacket, nor the first few chapters. But I'm really glad I did. It transported me right into the mind of a chef. Surprisingly easy to read and enjoyable, you just...more
Without knowing Tony, I might not have gotten past the dust jacket, nor the first few chapters. But I'm really glad I did. It transported me right into the mind of a chef. Surprisingly easy to read and enjoyable, you just...more
Book Review: Bone in the Throat@ai-books
like Anthony Bourdain as a chef and I like his TV shows. I got this book because I was curious to know how Bourdain would write a fiction. Besides, I always love a culinary/food related mystery/crime/thriller books.
However, I’m sorry to say that I was greatly disappointed with this book. The pace is slow, the dialogue is poor and boring and the characters are poorly constructed. I had a hard time keeping track of what’s going on and who the characters ar...more
like Anthony Bourdain as a chef and I like his TV shows. I got this book because I was curious to know how Bourdain would write a fiction. Besides, I always love a culinary/food related mystery/crime/thriller books.
However, I’m sorry to say that I was greatly disappointed with this book. The pace is slow, the dialogue is poor and boring and the characters are poorly constructed. I had a hard time keeping track of what’s going on and who the characters ar...more
This is a story of wise guys in the restaurant business in NYC. A mob story.
Tommy and the Chef are interesting characters who accidentally get involved with the mob. How Tommy stayed away from the lifestyle is amazing especially since his Uncle Sally is involved with the mob.
The author is a real chef so naturally wanted to make the restaurant and kitchen scenes life-like. Unfortunately, the detail of the cooking took away from the mob story.
I didn't like all the F*** cuss words. Yeah, I know thi...more
Tommy and the Chef are interesting characters who accidentally get involved with the mob. How Tommy stayed away from the lifestyle is amazing especially since his Uncle Sally is involved with the mob.
The author is a real chef so naturally wanted to make the restaurant and kitchen scenes life-like. Unfortunately, the detail of the cooking took away from the mob story.
I didn't like all the F*** cuss words. Yeah, I know thi...more
So here's the thing. I was gonna just slap it in my finished list and give it some stars until I realised that I wasn't sure HOW many stars to give it. And that started a whole barrage of questions, so I think I'll just talk out loud here.
Of course I liked the book. It has all the things I love: murder, swearing, the mob, everyday people just being people, people who smoke, people who casually drink, people who casually do drugs, food porn, real porn, and unflinchingly real descriptions of mund...more
Of course I liked the book. It has all the things I love: murder, swearing, the mob, everyday people just being people, people who smoke, people who casually drink, people who casually do drugs, food porn, real porn, and unflinchingly real descriptions of mund...more
I knew going into this book that Tony Bourdain was a pretty good writer, having already digested Kitchen Confidential and Nasty Bits.
The most amazing thing about this book was the level with which I found myself really caring about the characters. In particular, the chef Michael and his sous chef Tommy. Watching Michael wrestle with his heroin addiction and his desire to turn his life around was very moving. I am sure this was partly biographical, as Bourdain himself suffered from the same issue...more
The most amazing thing about this book was the level with which I found myself really caring about the characters. In particular, the chef Michael and his sous chef Tommy. Watching Michael wrestle with his heroin addiction and his desire to turn his life around was very moving. I am sure this was partly biographical, as Bourdain himself suffered from the same issue...more
One of the books I purchased from The Ravenous Readers in the last days it was open. Love Bourdain's TV show and liked a memoir he wrote after this. Pat, from RR, said she enjoyed his foray into mystery, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was fine, not great, but fine. I have another and will be curious to see how his writing improves. (His language is pretty f--- heavy, but hey, he was writing about chefs and about gangsters. He's excused.)
VERY enjoyable. Sharp, quick and witty and Bourdain displays a good ear for dialect. The characters are constructed well and the story is well written with very good pacing with quick action divided amongst the many chapters. A good book to read when you don't have much time as it's very easy to get into and out of, and is very addictive so is sure to draw you straight back in again.
I enjoyed this book way more than I expected given the author. i liked kitchen confidential, but that was a true account of parts of Anthony's life...writing fiction seems different...more difficult. This was a restaurant-centric mob story that kept me reading all the way through...but it wasn't like I couldn't put it down. Just a solid book.
This is my first foray into Anthony Bourdain’s writings. I’m a big fan of his show No Reservations, so I wanted to see what he had to offer in the world of literature. I’m not a huge fan of mob stories...they just aren’t a topic that interests me much. Bone in Throat reads really fast, though, and is packed with Bourdain’s sardonic sense of humor. Not a stellar piece of writing, but still enjoyable.
Very raw and graphic but so good. It's interesting to see the sheer violence of the mob scene intermixed with such beautiful descriptions of food and food prep. Bourdain does a great job of making you squeamish one moment and salivating for a meal the next. Loved it.
Seriously this book could have been great but honestly I got 70% through the book before it started getting "decent."
I am a fan of Bourdain's other works, but his fiction attempt seems consistently bland and nothing happens for a great deal of the book. Then suddenly something happens, and its over. Disappointing.
I am a fan of Bourdain's other works, but his fiction attempt seems consistently bland and nothing happens for a great deal of the book. Then suddenly something happens, and its over. Disappointing.
Libris interruptus...I was traveling on my motorcycle to see a film at the Zurich Film Festival with this book in my jacket pocket, but when I arrived at the venue, the book was gone. I was about two-thirds of the way through the book at the time of its disappearance. I guess it is a testament to how little I was engaged with the story that I did not make a search for the book after it went missing.
The story was okay. The characters were okay. The writing was okay. Therefore my rating on the fi...more
The story was okay. The characters were okay. The writing was okay. Therefore my rating on the fi...more
Sep 14, 2012
Cassie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
mysterious chefs
Recommended to Cassie by:
Dad
This is the first of Bourdain's fiction that I've read and in all honesty, it isn't too far from his travel and food writing. The main character is a tall, skinny, tough-guy sous chef working in a restaurant who just wants to get out of his current situation. Not so different from Tony himself in Kitchen Confidential. The humor and flow of the novel reads like it sounds coming from Bourdain's mouth. It's very definitively his novel.
I didn't even know Anthony Bourdain wrote fiction until I saw this. I was pleasantly surprised. A murder in the kitchen of a restaurant in Little Italy. I could hear Bourdain's voice narrating. Kept my interest the entire way through.
An entertaining story about a chef and sous-chef who become entangled in a web woven by mafia bosses and underlings, FBI agents, US attorneys, and informants.
There are definitely some striking similarities to Bourdain's memoir Kitchen Confidential.
There are definitely some striking similarities to Bourdain's memoir Kitchen Confidential.
Stereotypical take on NYC mob/restaurant business. I like Bourdain's voice but prefer his seemingly more personal experiences. This was predictable. His writing/work on Treme is much more interesting than this.
Mr. Bourdain really makes me laugh. This fictional account of life in the hospitality industry, mixed with a little dirty business is fast-paced, a little bit naughty, and very entertaining. I really loved the ending ;)
Once I got going on this book I couldn't stop reading. It brought images of The Sopranos back really strong. Great night time reading if you don't mind a bit of graphic violence served up with your fois gras.
Loved Kitchen Confidential, didn't realize what this book was when I bought it... I'll admit I didn't even finish it. seemed written at a YA level. the characters are cliche and not likable.
In Bone in the Throat Anthony Bourdain, yes that Anthony Bourdain, weaves a short tale of mafia thugs, drugs, and violence. It's a modern version of an old pulp detective novel from the thirties.
very raw language but a very crazy insight as to how the resturant business and the organized crime mobs are in kahoots 2gthr. i am a huge bourdain fan and really enjoy his brutal honesty.
I tried reading this after reading another one of Bourdain's books and really enjoying it. I couldn't get 30 pages in. His fiction is much less compelling than his real-life stories.
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Anthony Bourdain is the author of the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo, in addition to the megabestsellers Kitchen Confidential and A Cook’s Tour.
His work has appeared in the New York Times and the New Yorker, and he is a contributing authority for Food Arts magazine. He is the host of the popular television show No Reservations.
More about Anthony Bourdain...
His work has appeared in the New York Times and the New Yorker, and he is a contributing authority for Food Arts magazine. He is the host of the popular television show No Reservations.
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