This is just about as close to 4 stars as you can get without crossing the line. If you enjoyed The Elegance of the Hedgehog, you will likely enjoy this one too, but it really isn't nearly as good, so don't expect it to be.

Barbery uses a phrase in Gourmet Rhapsody that I think perfectly describes her style: a symphony of language. This is her debut novel, however, and I think we can easily see the orchestra is just practicing. She has a marvelous turn of phrase, and her insight is still good, but the novel is uneven, still rough in places.

We know from the very beginning that food critic Pierre Arthens is dying. He reflects on his life's experiences with food, the places he savored flavors, and the people with whom he shared it. In alternate chapters are the people who should have been close to him throughout his life, and, for the most part, who hated him.

In this reverie of flowers and vegetables, beneath my dust-brown feet I crushed the dry thick grass of the garden, and grew drunk on its fragances.

and

People think that children don't know anything. It's enough to make you wonder if grownups were ever children once upon a time.

No, it isn't as good, but it's short and worth a little time.