Book Review-The Pat Conroy Cookbook

A cookbook? A review of a cookbook? Ah, but it is a memoir disguised as a cookbook.

I have never written a book review for a cookbook, so I am a bit amused that I am writing a review for this one. Not that I have anything against the cookbook genre, I don’t usually enthusiastically read a cookbook from cover to cover. The fact that Pat Conroy wrote the book makes a difference in my selection. He is, of course, a well-known and popular novel writer. I had read The Prince of Tides when I lived in Atlanta, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as the book was partially set in Atlanta, where I went to gradual school. The cultural and geographic details that he integrated into the story made the book even more familiar. Conroy’s writing style atop the great story and details made me a Pat Conroy fan.

There is a unique flow, a lyricism, to Conroy’s writing; the prose comes slowly and smoothly, with the lingering taste of life in the south in my mind, seductive and comforting. Numerous authors throughout history have been assigned the niche of “Southern writers”. These writer’s writings are suffused with the same qualities that drew me to Conroy’s writing. I can’t technically put my fingers on the how’s and why’s of “Southern” writing, but I feel the South when I read their books. The words flow directly from my eyes directly into my soul and surround me with the South while at the same time transporting me there. I can feel the humidity of an Atlanta Summer night and I can smell the sweet smell of dogwoods when I read Conroy.

Even with all my respect and love of Conroy’s writing, I was still hesitant about reading the book. I finally bought the book because I was curious about southern recipes that someone like Conroy would consider to be essential and I was hoping to be rewarded with some snippets of Conroy’s lyrical writing. As it turned out, the subtitle of the book is Recipes and Stories of My Life spelled out Conroy’s intention distinctly; he had written this cookbook as a convenient vessel for his memoir. I realized that I had hit the jackpot as I read the Introduction and the first chapter, the title is: Natalie Dupree, who is an Atlanta institution and a well-known television chef. Dupree is as southern as they get, I remember reading about and seeing her when I lived in Atlanta. She is articulate and smart, which comes through the television programs that she hosted and Conroy brought my memories of her to life.

One of the identifying traits of a “Southern” writer is their unique story telling style. There are great story tellers in the literary world, but the “Southern” writers have a unique and seductive manner in the way they write the stories, giving us the story in an intricate and creative way. This was quite evident as I dove into the  twenty-two chapters in this book of recipes. Each of the twenty-two stories met and mostly exceeded my yen for drama, humor, and pathos. Conroy also added other stories to precede some of the recipes, which were welcomed as bonus stories. The recipes are for dishes that are integrated in each chapter as a part of the main story.

He introduces us to his friends, and he discusses his difficult relationship with his father, how he managed to reconcile with his father, and how he has thrived despite the less-than-ideal childhood. He takes us on reminiscences of a life well lived and shares experiences that are observed from his perspective, all presented as Pat Conroy stories. He introduces us to some unique characters; characters that I would never have been able to meet personally, nor been interested in enough to learn about. Conroy is also an unrepentant name dropper, and the stories were richer for the name dropping, it made the stories that much more memorable.

The best part of the book is the stories, although the recipes are intriguing as I am an inveterate foodie. I have yet to make any of them so I don’t know whether  the recipes meet the exacting criteria of being clear, concise, and repeatable. Even though I will be making some of the recipes, the simple ones; the stories are the be all, end all.

Take a chance and read a cookbook, this cookbook. You won’t regret it