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<book id="1180645">
  <title><![CDATA[The Epicure's Lament]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0767910303]]></isbn>
  <isbn13><![CDATA[9780767910309]]></isbn13>
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  <default_description>Hugo Whittier&amp;#8211;failed poet and former kept man&amp;#8211;is a wily misanthrope with a taste for whiskey, women, and his own cooking. Afflicted with a rare disease that will be fatal unless he quits smoking, Hugo retreats to his once aristocratic family&amp;#8217;s dilapidated mansion, determined to smoke himself to death without forfeiting any of his pleasures.  To his chagrin, the world that he has forsaken is not quite finished with him. First, his sanctimonious older brother moves in, closely followed by his estranged wife, their alleged daughter, and his gay uncle. Infuriated at the violation of his sanctum, Hugo devises hilariously perverse ploys to send the intruders packing. Yet the unexpected consequences of his schemes keep forcing him to reconsider, however fleetingly, the more wholesome ingredients of love, and life itself.</default_description>
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  <original_publication_year type="integer">2004</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>The Epicure's Lament</original_title>
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  <average_rating><![CDATA[3.69]]></average_rating>
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  <authors>
        <author id="85746">
      <name><![CDATA[Kate Christensen]]></name>
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      <average_rating><![CDATA[3.37]]></average_rating>
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    <review id="42033299">
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    <name><![CDATA[Jess]]></name>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 05 18:14:46 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jan 12 11:25:03 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[So great. This book was hilarious and dark and bitter and in parts so so wrong. I loved it! There were sentences that were so perfect that I had to re-read them and share them aloud. Part of me secretly wishes I could be more like Hugo: brutally honest, crusty, self-indulgent and totally not care wh...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42033299">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42033299]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="74818457">
    <user id="404084">
    <name><![CDATA[Joyce]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ridgeland, WI]]></location>        
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Thu Oct 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Oct 17 08:40:01 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 17 09:11:14 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An amusing book. Sometimes snarky &amp; vulgar, but sometimes tender and insightful. The main character, Hugo Whittier, is living out his declining years on the family's once-grand estate, Waverly, which overlooks the Hudson. Hugo has Buerger's disease, caused and advanced by his heavy smoking. He's con...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74818457">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74818457]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="63982703">
    <user id="360913">
    <name><![CDATA[Sarah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/360913-sarah]]></url>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Merri-Su]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jul 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 18 09:40:28 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 18 10:09:45 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Although We are set up to disapprove of Hugo, the main character, I would  be surprised if any reader really disliked him.   He is a self-described hermit who has little patience for other people, even his own family.   But really he is charming, impish, subversive, and, most winningly, acutely awar...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63982703">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63982703]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="77235701">
    <user id="976700">
    <name><![CDATA[Alex]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/976700-alex-roberts]]></url>
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</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Nov 09 13:39:02 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 16 05:41:55 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Kate Christensen's The Epicure's Lament is a thoroughly entertaining read. Though there isn't much in the way of narrative thrust or, frankly, any terrific resonance, the narrator's erudite biliousness is a scintillating treat. <br/>Ensconced in an ancestral upstate manse and fortified with family-...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77235701">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77235701]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="37214505">
    <user id="225492">
    <name><![CDATA[Jan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[San Francisco, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/225492-jan]]></url>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[misanthropes and carnivores]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Nov 08 17:37:05 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Nov 08 17:44:33 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[whoa.  why did it take me this long to read kate christensen?  she is amazing!  i loved this book for its offbeat (and yet not pretentious) protagonist.  anti-protaganist?  he's both anti and pro and a lot of things in between.  the descriptions and settings are beautifully rendered, and the black h...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37214505">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37214505]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="49133073">
    <user id="1666671">
    <name><![CDATA[Neil]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Williamsburg, VA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1666671-neil]]></url>
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    <book>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Mar 13 05:25:03 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 23 06:37:21 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The character of Hugo Whittier has to be one of the great fictional creations, a real nasty piece of work but still strangely likeable. He's a forty-year-old failed poet and essayist whose life gave him enough ill turns--a lousy childhood, a cheating wife--that he's closed himself up in the family e...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49133073">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49133073]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="64587823">
    <user id="2076721">
    <name><![CDATA[Djrmel]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Schererville, IN]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2076721-djrmel]]></url>
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    <book>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 22 18:21:42 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 03 06:48:58 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Telling a story about an anti-hero is a tricky balancing act.  The &quot;anti&quot; portion of the character doesn't lend itself to arc or development.  If not handled correctly, they turn into a plot device that the other characters react to, and the protagonist goes no where.  Christensen more tha...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64587823">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64587823]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="17283140">
    <user id="336445">
    <name><![CDATA[Ann]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Livermore, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/336445-ann]]></url>
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    <book>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
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  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Mar 07 20:49:26 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Mar 25 19:11:05 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A protagonist as neurotic as Niles and as sex-obsessed as Jack of Sideways, and a gourmet cook, to boot. What's not to like? Seriously, all the characters are well-developed and individual (with the possible exception of Schlomo) and the story is very compelling. I enjoyed this a lot, and found much...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17283140">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17283140]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="64092078">
    <user id="71264">
    <name><![CDATA[rebecca]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/71264-rebecca]]></url>
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    <book>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jul 19 09:51:58 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 19 10:22:18 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I very much enjoyed The Great Man by Christensen a few months ago.  This book is structured around the musings of 40 year old dying trust fund baby in upstate NY.  He's dying because he wont stop smoking.  He lives alone and reviles most everything and everyone, exceptions being women he wants to &quot;...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64092078">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64092078]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="12974234">
    <user id="82466">
    <name><![CDATA[Emily]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Minneapolis, MN]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/82466-emily]]></url>
    <image><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1200864937p3/82466.jpg]]></image>
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    <book>
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  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jan 20 12:50:22 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jan 20 12:53:53 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The wonderfully misanthropic Hugo Whittier narrates this account of his life after many years of a hermit-like existence are interrupted as his relatives and ex-wife descend upon his house. Perfect reading for a dark, ornery mood, or even if you are just in the mood for a well-executed turn of phras...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12974234">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12974234]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="36832464">
    <user id="1002268">
    <name><![CDATA[Maggie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Portsmouth, VA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1002268-maggie]]></url>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
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  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Nov 17 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Nov 03 11:30:47 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 17 07:09:17 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I enjoyed this book; the protagonist reminds me a lot of House.  Christensen's mastery of the language is superb, on par with Henry Miller.  (and we all know how I feel about Henry Miller)]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36832464]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="60864966">
    <user id="2180440">
    <name><![CDATA[Melissa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Saint Paul, MN]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2180440-melissa-klug]]></url>
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  <id type="integer">148216</id>
  <isbn>038572098X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780385720984</isbn13>
  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 23 19:14:12 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 23 19:16:55 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I was introduced to Christensen by Michele Filgate of RiverRun Bookstore. She never steers me wrong with recommendations. This book features one of the most charmingly unlikable yet lovable main characters I've read. I read it in a day and a half. It reminded me a lot of &quot;The Royal Tenenbaums&quot;...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60864966">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60864966]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="42476760">
    <user id="758476">
    <name><![CDATA[Anisha]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Seattle, WA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/758476-anisha]]></url>
    <image><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">148216</id>
  <isbn>038572098X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780385720984</isbn13>
  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jan 09 11:26:43 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jan 09 11:35:44 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[About half-way through the book - the writing is crisp, almost hard, which is what gives me so much pleasure. I can't help however having the sense that the main character is somewhat pretentious - I don't whether whether this is deliberate or whether it is a an unconscious creation of the author.]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42476760]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="22420424">
    <user id="70100">
    <name><![CDATA[Ellen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/70100-ellen]]></url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">148216</id>
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  <isbn13>9780385720984</isbn13>
  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Thu May 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat May 17 05:21:18 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat May 24 05:10:31 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I freely admit that the protagonist of this book may not charm everyone the way he did me.  On the surface of it, Hugo Whittier is a difficult character to love.  An irascible, misanthropic hermit with alcoholic tendencies and a smoking habit that is killing him, Hugo finds his happy solitude at the...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22420424">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22420424]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="72192614">
    <user id="2599582">
    <name><![CDATA[Aviva]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Netherlands]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2599582-aviva]]></url>
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  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Sep 22 20:58:14 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 04 01:46:13 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is probably the only time I'll write something about a book I haven't read yet, but I've got a personal story about it. Although I've not yet read any of her books, I actually have met Ms. Christensen, through her sister who's a friend of mine. I've been meaning to read some of her work for age...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72192614">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72192614]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="46549335">
    <user id="1760882">
    <name><![CDATA[Ikonopeiston]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Atlanta, GA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1760882-ikonopeiston]]></url>
    <image><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1232374458p3/1760882.jpg]]></image>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">5</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1180645.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Feb 16 13:54:36 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Feb 16 13:56:42 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I loved this book so much I could not bear to finish it.  So I dragged out the last pages for more than a week, reading a phrase, rolling it on my mental tongue, then reading it again and again.  <br/><br/><br/>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46549335]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="75091139">
    <user id="1506860">
    <name><![CDATA[Erin]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Medford, OR]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1506860-erin]]></url>
    <image><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">148216</id>
  <isbn>038572098X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780385720984</isbn13>
  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 19 21:11:18 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 19 21:12:58 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I liked this almost as much as A Good Man, Christensen's other really good book. An interesting antihero who is kind of loathsome, a rich culinary background....just a vivid, enjoyable story!]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75091139]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="76290155">
    <user id="264344">
    <name><![CDATA[Miquela]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Austin, TX]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/264344-miquela]]></url>
    <image><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1186633230p3/264344.jpg]]></image>
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  <id type="integer">148216</id>
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  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Oct 31 07:27:28 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 31 07:28:37 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Recommended by a friend as one of her favorite books this year. One reviewer called it Snarky. I am moving it to the top of my list. ]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76290155]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="65942177">
    <user id="766765">
    <name><![CDATA[Chris]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Los Angeles, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/766765-chris]]></url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">148216</id>
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  <isbn13>9780385720984</isbn13>
  <ratings_count type="integer">278</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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      </shelves>
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  <read_at>Mon Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 02 20:02:17 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Aug 26 16:14:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Why are novels told from the point of view of the misanthropic so damn enjoyable? I could have spent another novel's worth of time with Christensen's narrator. The supporting cast successfully supported, but Hugo Whittier's voice is what kept me from wanting to put the book down. As this was my firs...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65942177">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65942177]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="60218139">
    <user id="1214125">
    <name><![CDATA[Bex]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[La Jolla, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1214125-bex]]></url>
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  <title>The Epicure's Lament</title>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172193951m/148216.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148216.The_Epicure_s_Lament</link>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 18 15:28:06 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 18 15:31:53 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Another one I couldn't put down. She captures the main character's misanthropic self-satisfaction perfectly.  ]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60218139]]></url>
</review>
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