MADreads

Reading with gusto

February 17th, 2009 Molly - Central

I really want you to like Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs.  The main character, Augusta (Gus) Simpson, is a Martha Stewart-like celebrity who hosts her own show on the CookingChannel.  She is a wonderful cook, always perfectly dressed, attractive and everyone loves her.  She’s turning fifty and having a hard time with the fact that time is marching on.  I, on the other hand, am having a hard time keeping track of all the secondary characters surrounding Gus.  So, if you love The Friday Night Knitting Club and are interested in reading more Kate Jacobs, here is a little cheat sheet for you to print out and keep handy while you read:

• Augusta (Gus) Simpson - celebrity cook, widow, turning 50, needs to loosen up a bit.
• Sabrina - youngest daughter of Gus and flaky interior designer who wears bright clothes.
• Aimee - oldest daughter of Gus and serious economist for the UN. Likes to watch game shows.
• Christopher - husband of Gus who died 20 years prior to the beginning of the novel.
• Hannah - next door neighbor of Gus and former tennis prodigy banned from the sport à la Tonya Harding.
• Troy - Sabrina’s ex-boyfriend and promising young fresh fruit vending machine entrepreneur.
• Billy - Sabrina’s new fiancé and upstanding guy.
• Porter - Gus’s producer and longtime friend.
• Alan - the CookingChannel network guy.
• Carmen - former Miss Spain, culinary institute graduate and Gus’s rival at the CookingChannel.
• Oliver - former Wall Street guy, now hunky sous-chef for Gus, dated Carmen briefly.
• Gary - New Age group facilitator at hotel retreat.
• David - money swindler to the stars.
• Priya Patel - wins online contest to cook on air with Gus and the gang.
• FBI Agent Jeremy Brewer - investigating David’s money swindling crime.
• Lunch Bunch - show that launched Gus’s career on the CookingChannel.
• Cooking with Gusto! - show that Gus is currently working on.
• Eat, Drink, and Be - new concept show starring Gus and most of the aforementioned characters.
• Even more characters that I cannot remember, like Porter’s wife, Alan’s girlfriend, Priya’s husband and kids, etc.
• Rachael Ray, Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Diane Sawyer, Chris Cuomo, Robin Roberts - starring as themselves.

There you have it.  Aside from the seemingly never-ending array of characters, the plot was enjoyable and would make a great, madcap movie starring Diane Keaton as Gus.  I will highlight some of my favorite bits: the cooking show takes place in Gus’s amazing, fully equipped home kitchen.  There is a ton of cooking and drinking and eating - each dish more delicious than the next.  Life on cable TV is not so nice!  And even though there are so many of them, the characters are likeable (or evil) enough for you to want to know what happens to them.  Now that you have my handy cheat sheet to refer to, you can sit, read, and be.

Entry Filed under: Recreational Fiction, Romance