Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
Publication date: October 1, 2024
Genres: Book Clubs, Non-fiction, Cookbook, Memoir
Bookshop
I certainly can’t speak for all of you, but I’m still adrift this week trying to deal with feelings of disbelief and dread. I have a tremendous need for comfort in my reading and thankfully, I found it from one woman who on the surface may have appeared shy and self-effacing, but who has lived her life by “jumping off cliffs”. I’m talking about Ina Garten, cookbook author and Food Network star, and her memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
Born in the 1950s Garten came of age at a time when women were daring to look beyond traditional definitions and to make their own decisions about their futures. In Be Ready the reader follows Ina from a childhood that will mold (and haunt) her until middle age up to an unconventional man and marriage that allowed her to become the woman she wanted to be. She is self-effacing, but with an extraordinary self-awareness that allowed her to trust her instincts even when every other indicator told her ‘no’. Such as leaving her career in Washington, D.C. as a writer of nuclear energy briefs to buy a food store in Westhampton, NY or knowing she and her husband needed to live separately for a time to make their marriage a true partnership.
An integral part of Garten’s journey is food and how best to use it. It may have only been considered as fuel in her family, but she saw (and sees) it as an expression of love, pleasure, and comfort. This belief translated itself into her wildly successful store, The Barefoot Contessa, followed by several cookbooks, until finally, the era of food television began. An idea she had no interest in. But maybe?
When I used to watch the Food Network obsessively, The Barefoot Contessa, was one of my favorite shows because Garten was such a lovely, gracious, smiling hostess, showing everyone how to prepare food that was simple, easy, and delicious. Less about calories and presentation and more about the kind of food you craved and wanted to share with friends. Be Ready When the Luck Happens is no different than the woman herself. I reveled in Garten’s stories, whether light and fun or more serious, and every aspect of her voyage. Her charm, wit, caring, and depth comes through on every page. The perfect gift for anyone in your life who loves food, women’s lives, cooking, or memoirs.
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Catherine, your review made me want to read this book even more than I already did! I have it on hold from Libby because I love a memoir on audio! Thank you for sharing with us!
I heard she’s the narrator!! I may have to buy it just to listen to that soothing voice. I may buy a copy of the print- which is huge for me. I don’t buy a lot of books, but it’s that good.