Luann's Reviews > Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America

Candyfreak by Steve Almond

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651844
's review
Oct 25, 10

bookshelves: nonfiction, adult, alex-award, 2010, biography
Recommended for: anyone who likes chocolate
Read on October 25, 2010

I had to read this one quickly because it was bad for me. Very bad. Is there anyone who has read this and didn't feel the overpowering NEED to eat chocolate while reading this book? If so, please post in the comments to this review because I want to know where you get your incredible willpower! And the problem was that if I wasn't eating chocolate, I just had to be eating something, anything, while reading this book! I defy anyone not to salivate at his descriptions of chocolate. Here's just one example of his description of a favorite candy bar:

The Caravelle tasted more like a pastry: the chocolate was thicker, darker, full-bodied, and the crisped rice had a malty flavor and what I want to call structural integrity; the caramel was that rarest variety, dark and lustrous and supple, with hints of fudge. More so, there was a sense of the piece yielding to the mouth. By which I mean, one had to work the teeth through the sturdy chocolate shell, which gave way with a distinct, moist snap, through the crisped rice (thus releasing a second, grainy bouquet), and only then into the soft caramel core. Oh, that inimitable combination of textures! That symphony of flavors! And how they offered themselves to the heat and wetness of the mouth--the sensation of the crisped rice drenched in melted chocolate, chomped by the molars in the creamy swirl of caramel. Oh, woe and pity unto thee who never tasted this bar! True woe! True pity!

He had me laughing from the very beginning with his bit about Baker's Chocolate as the cruelest food product ever invented. I have vivid memories of biting into that block of chocolate as a child despite warnings from my mom that I wouldn't like it.

There were parts I didn't find quite as humorous or as interesting - such as when he would veer off-topic into his thoughts on politics. But overall, I found this quite fascinating. They need to market this book with a sample box of all the candy bars mentioned! Some I had never heard of, and some I haven't eaten in a while and now need to go find, such as the Big Hunk! Ah, the memories.

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Reading Progress

10/25/2010 page 1
0.0%
10/25/2010 page 30
11.0% "Funny!"
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Comments (showing 1-5 of 5) (5 new)

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message 1: by Lisa (new) - added it

Lisa Vegan It's been on my shelf since I first heard of it. Too dangerous for me. Even your review is making me want candy. Ha! It does sound interesting.


Luann Luckily it was a quick, interesting read. If it took as long to get through as it's taking me for Moby Dick, I would gain 50 pounds in the process. :)


message 3: by Lisa (new) - added it

Lisa Vegan Ha! Funny!


Krista the Krazy Kataloguer That's why I'm afraid to read it!!


Luann It's worth reading, Krista! Just make sure you have some chocolate on-hand - and then read it very quickly! :)


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