Each of Lara Vapnyar's six stories invites us into a world where food and love intersect, along with the overlapping pleasures and frustrations of ...
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Feb 06, 2011
Nesa
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These six short stories all feature Russian immigrants to the United States who eat together and whose lives are depressing with occasional moments of joy.
Nina's husband, a talented musician, leaves her. She's alone with the fresh vegetables she always buys but never cooks until she meets a man who loves to cook and finds a touch of redemption.
Sergey goes to a prostitute, to his shame, but sees the wife and mother in her as she makes him borscht.
Katya discovers h More...
Nina's husband, a talented musician, leaves her. She's alone with the fresh vegetables she always buys but never cooks until she meets a man who loves to cook and finds a touch of redemption.
Sergey goes to a prostitute, to his shame, but sees the wife and mother in her as she makes him borscht.
Katya discovers h More...
Nov 29, 2010
Tanya
rated it: 
I feel bad giving a mostly negative review to creative work produced by a fellow Soviet expat, but that is also the very reason why I *must* give an honest, not so glowing review.
Initially, I was compelled to pick up this collection of stories because I like reading fiction about the immigrant experience, especially if it's written by someone who shares a lot of the same memories and experiences that I do, having come to the States from Russia in 1993.
I was more than a litt More...
Initially, I was compelled to pick up this collection of stories because I like reading fiction about the immigrant experience, especially if it's written by someone who shares a lot of the same memories and experiences that I do, having come to the States from Russia in 1993.
I was more than a litt More...
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Jun 11, 2010
Sue
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Sue Russell - Library Journal
This collection by Vapnyar (Memoirs of a Muse) follows up her first collection, There Are Jews in My House, which won the Prize for Jewish Fiction by Emerging Writers from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture in 2004. Among the growing number of writers, including David Bezmozgis and Ellen Litman, who use eloquence and sardonic wit to capture the experience of Eastern European immigrants from the Communist bloc resettling in American cities, Vapnyar More...
This collection by Vapnyar (Memoirs of a Muse) follows up her first collection, There Are Jews in My House, which won the Prize for Jewish Fiction by Emerging Writers from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture in 2004. Among the growing number of writers, including David Bezmozgis and Ellen Litman, who use eloquence and sardonic wit to capture the experience of Eastern European immigrants from the Communist bloc resettling in American cities, Vapnyar More...
Jun 03, 2008
Yuzhi
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A savory book, only wish it was longer. Each short story was like a well-crafted puff pastry, the layers just keep coming off, revealing a flavorful center worth thinking about for days. My favorite is the one titled Luda and Milena; the ending was just too much black humor. First published in The New Yorker, it was funny but also bleak.
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Oct 11, 2009
Derek
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Lara Vapnyar has a fascination with food, although not of the type usually written about and praised. Vapnyar's selection of food resembles her approach to fiction, which is simple, straightforward, and sustaining. Her first collection of short stories ("There are Jews in My House") showed the promise of a gifted story writer, and this second collection (a novel was published in between) confirm earlier expectations. The Russian born writer, now living in New York, came to the U. More...
Aug 04, 2011
Stephen
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I bought this book of short stories for two reasons: (1) it has "broccoli" in its title and (2) the author's first name is "Lara" and I liked that character in Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago," especially as she was played by Julie Christie in the 1965 movie. To say that a collection of Russian short stories about Eastern European émigrés living in America is sad is perhaps to be redundant. Vapnyar wanders around the intersection between food and love, as she prom
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Jan 09, 2011
Jacob
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In "A Bunch of Broccoli on the Third Shelf," Nina stocks the refrigerator with vegetables but never has time to cook; but when a sudden change in her life gives her all the time she needs, a different problem arises. In "Borscht," a lonely Russian emigrant finds more comfort in a stranger's cooking than in the sex she offers. Two women--"Luda and Milena"--employ food as their weapons as they fight for the attention of the same man, while others, in three other sto
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Jul 21, 2010
Daisy
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What I learned from this book: Chop garlic, chop parsley, mix together with salt, put in a bowl, add hot borscht. See recipe chapter--it's funny.
Well I liked these stories much better than Memoirs of a Muse: A Novel, which I barely remember. Funny that usually the first and last stories of a collection are placed to be the most powerful or poignant, but I liked the middle stories best, especially Borscht. A quick read and a cute premise: Eastern European immigrants in New York and More...
Well I liked these stories much better than Memoirs of a Muse: A Novel, which I barely remember. Funny that usually the first and last stories of a collection are placed to be the most powerful or poignant, but I liked the middle stories best, especially Borscht. A quick read and a cute premise: Eastern European immigrants in New York and More...
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Jan 08, 2010
wild pear
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A fun, fascinating, poignant, and sometimes funny collection of short stories set among the Russian ex-pat community in the U.S. Vapnyar's writing is a joy to read: keenly observant, evocotive, and efficient. Her characters are so real they seem to join you in the room, and the food she weaves into her tales takes the mundane and makes it seem tasty and new. Thoroughly enjoyed this quick read.
Aug 31, 2008
AC
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Vapnyar returns to a short stories, after a novel as the follow up to the excellently done There are Jews In My House, with a collection focusing on Russian immigrants and food. It is an interesting approach, a themed collection that isn't really about the theme. As before with her short stories, she rarely wastes sentences, making everything count and contribute. Aside from the tragically awful 'Borscht' (which is throughout a major misstep and only near the end begins to show a glimmer of t
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Jun 04, 2008
From an article in today's NY Times about Lara Vapnyar:
"When she was growing up in Moscow in the 1970s and 1980s, her family — like most other Soviet-era Russian families — had one cookbook: 'It was a big book full of canned food, published by the government,' she said. That book, The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, was first published in 1939, a move by Stalin’s regime to replace what had been Russia’s classic cookbook from 1861 until 1917, when it was banned: the aristocratic More...
"When she was growing up in Moscow in the 1970s and 1980s, her family — like most other Soviet-era Russian families — had one cookbook: 'It was a big book full of canned food, published by the government,' she said. That book, The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, was first published in 1939, a move by Stalin’s regime to replace what had been Russia’s classic cookbook from 1861 until 1917, when it was banned: the aristocratic More...
Mar 29, 2011
Rachel
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A series of short stories which use food as the basis of relationships, the author provides a unique view into new immigrants' lives in NYC. Given that these are short stories I shouldn't be surprised that some of the characters lacked development, nevertheless I enjoyed the read. It is a perfect before bed book.
Aug 11, 2011
Brian
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A nice collection of short stories that follow the lives of Russian immigrants and their interactions with food and love. The stories flow together, leaving the reader thinking about the curious combination of food and how it plays a part in each of the stories' romance between the characters.
Feb 12, 2011
Lil' Grogan
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2.5 stars. Snapshots of lives. Food is used as a trigger, as an accomplice, as comfort. But, I felt for the most part that I wanted something more substantial to chew on (heh). Liked "Luda and Milena" the best for its cattiness and humour. Mostly, unmemorable.
Mar 02, 2009
Lai-san
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Not bad, but somewhat forgettable. I found some of the story endings a bit pat, but she still has a strong knack for description and touching situations. I haven't tried any of the recipes included, but I now do want to eat borscht for the first time ever.
Jan 26, 2010
Colettemariehayes
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Like the surprise of glowing orange heirloom tomato under an ordinary leaf of lettuce, Lara Vapnyar's subtle, savory scent-ences will catch you off guard. These deliciously crafted stories are ones I won't soon forget.
Oct 22, 2008
Alsy
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I find Russian authors terribly depressing and I mean that in the best possible way. They have a knack for churning out stories about love and loss in the most beautiful, poetic fashion. Vapnyar does all of this by making food the focal point that brings all her characters to life and connects them to their homeland, mother Russia. From a dissatisfied blue collar man who finds comfort in borscht rather than a night of passion with a call girl to two old women who fight over a man with a final
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Nov 04, 2009
Megan
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Not too bad. It's sort of weird that it has recipes from the stories at the back but also sort of neat. Food seems to be really popular in books right now. Food is all the rage.
Jan 11, 2009
Ikyoto
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While all of these short stories aren't stellar, there is an amazing overall quality to the book above my average experience with short story collections.
Dec 16, 2010
Elisabeth
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First half was roughly enjoyable. Second half was funnier and more profound. Overall, I recommend it.
May 02, 2009
Lauren
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I liked these short stories which all center around food and love. Each story was like a little snack - a pastry with a surprisingly savory filling.
Feb 26, 2010
RH
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Funny heartbreaking stories about the comforts and consolation of food and friendship.
Apr 22, 2009
Maureen
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I found it interesting to read but it just about put me 'off my feed' for a bit.
Jun 04, 2008
From the NYT Dining section!
"In “Luda and Milena,” two Russian-born women in their 70s compete for a man in their English language class, each elbowing the other aside with platters of spinach pie and cheese puffs. The man finally chokes to death on the day that both women make Russian meatballs: juicy patties enriched with cream-soaked bread, onion and garlic, and fried until crusty and brown. It is, however, impossible to know from the story which woman’s meatball was the fatal inst More...
"In “Luda and Milena,” two Russian-born women in their 70s compete for a man in their English language class, each elbowing the other aside with platters of spinach pie and cheese puffs. The man finally chokes to death on the day that both women make Russian meatballs: juicy patties enriched with cream-soaked bread, onion and garlic, and fried until crusty and brown. It is, however, impossible to know from the story which woman’s meatball was the fatal inst More...
Apr 20, 2009
Erika
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I want to make more Russian salads. . .
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Nov 02, 2008
Vicky
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A collection of funny short stories based on Russian migrant's experience in America. The author talks about alienation, nostalgi and isolation. Her stories sad and light at the same time. Her heroes are pensioners at the Language Centers, young women turned between the parents expectations and the call of a new life and parents struggling with depression after the loss of status and selfworth.
Jul 02, 2008
Bob
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Utterly charming, sly, and very satisfying.If you know any Russian emigres and the food they love, these stories will ring true. But although the background is Russian, there's something universal about the connections between food and human emotions that these tales illuminate.
Nov 14, 2008
Moishy
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Refreshingly Russian, however it seems that the storys where like she read a how to guide on short stories. none the less it is still a great book, i read it in one sitting, and there are receipes in the back relating to the stories.
