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From Publishers Weekly
As much a love letter to the Big Easy as it is to the demanding (and sometimes debauched) lifestyle of a chef, horror maven Brite's (Lost Souls) first foray into the trendy genre of foodie lit is a winsome entree. New Orleans natives and lovers John Rickey and Gary "G-man" Stubbs, affable characters from Brite's recent coming-of-age/coming-out tale The Value of X, decide to capitalize on Rickey's brainchild of opening a restaurant with a "whole menu based on liquor." Word passes through the gossipy Nola restaurant scene that two up-and-comers have a hot concept but no money, and soon enough, Rickey and G-man find themselves backed by celebrity chef Lenny Duveteaux, known as "the Nixon of the New Orleans restaurant world" for his habit of taping his phone conversations. At first doubtful of Lenny's motives, the two come to regard him as a mentor even as they question some of his choices. In one of the many conflicts that Brite embroils her main characters (all of which are fun but not too convincing), the yats (colloquial for natives) have to fend off increasingly threatening actions from Rickey's former boss, cokehead Mike Mouton, while experimenting with dishes like white rum–laced fettuccine Alfredo and veal kidneys à la liégeoise. Although Brite rolls her eyes aplenty at the silly dramas and pretensions inherent in any urban restaurant scene, her affection for it is heartfelt. The plot is pretty boilerplate, but Brite's characters are as refreshingly unpretentious as a healthy helping of comfort food.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Cult horror novelist Brite's new book offers quite a change of pace: a fictional foray into the wild and highly competitive foodie scene in New Orleans. The plot centers on two brilliant but underappreciated line chefs who come up with a new concept--a first-class dining establishment where the entire menu comprises dishes prepared with alcohol in one form or another, from whiskey to exotic liqueurs. This is a high-energy tale of restaurant intrigue, but there are also plenty of straightforward, realistic scenes depicting the lives of the small army of people who manage to create exotic meals that seem to materialize effortlessly at one's table. Brite serves up course after course of culinary passion and politics, sauteed in humor and garnished with the history of the Big Easy. Like Timothy Taylor's Stanley Park (2002), it will be an eye-opener for anyone who has never seen what really goes on behind the scenes in a fine-dining kitchen. So kick back, put on a zydeco CD, and dig in. Elliott Swanson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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First Sentence
It was the kind of October day for which residents of New Orleans endure the summers, sparkling blue-gold with just a touch of crispness, and two old friends were sitting on a low branch of an oak tree in Audubon Park drinking liquor. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
It was the kind of October day for which residents of New Orleans endure the summers, sparkling blue-gold with just a touch of crispness, and two old friends were sitting on a low branch of an oak tree in Audubon Park drinking liquor. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Midnight in the garden of good and tasty....,
By
This review is from: Liquor: A Novel (Paperback)
I'll admit it... I've loved Poppy Z Brite secretly since I first read Drawing Blood. She knows how to make her characters come alive, and she knows how to keep her readers turning pages. I will admit also that I approached this novel with some trepidation. The last couple of Poppy's novels which I'd read were moving away from what I regarded as her strengths -- characterization, whimsy, and ... believe it or not, hope -- into the realm of splatterpunk -- gore for the sake of gore. With Liquor, she seems to have regained touch with her muse. At its heart, Liquor is a love story. Love of food. Love of cooking. Love of a dream. Love of a longtime companion and friend. It makes you want to believe that with a little luck and a lot of hard work, dreams can come true. It has its moments of grotesquerie, of course. Kidney recipes. The Napoleon Mask. The potato peeler incident. But it also has moments of hysterical irony. Chapter 16 in particular had me laughing so hard that I had to put the book down to catch my breath. I know she'll keep writing. I only hope that she is able to maintain the quality she has demonstrated in this novel, without burning herself out on the genre. Thank you, Poppy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brite's best yet,
By A Customer
This review is from: Liquor: A Novel (Paperback)
My favorite Brite book yet. Whether writting about ultraviolence, rock divas, or chefs, she is the best. I almost said she is like many writers in one, but a consistency in her voice extends from her very first rambling and flowery novel 'Lost Souls' (1992) to this sparer, much more entertaining one. Instead I'll just say she is a writer who continues to grow and change, which is a Good Thing. 'Liquor' has been compared to 'A Confederacy Of Dunces.' Like that book, the main characters of 'Liquor' are wonderful but the secondary ones really shine too. I was left wondering 'is Lenny as scarey as he seems?' 'will Terrence become a great cook?' 'will New Orleans foodies eventually get sck of this concept?' I hope next year's sequel answers some of these questions!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warning: potentially incoherant praise ahead,
By
This review is from: Liquor: A Novel (Paperback)
Start out with likable and believable characters. Add equal parts suspense, humor and romance and season with the most realistic portrayal of New Orleans you're bound to ever read and you have Liquor, by Poppy Z. Brite.It's hard to say what impresses me most by this book. It could be the fact that it has neither too much or too little of anything. It's a perfect balance of romance, suspense and humor. All fitting perfectly to tell a very satisfying story Maybe it's the dialog. Liquor manages the rare feat of having characters say things in the way that, you know, people naturally speak. Ms. Brite is known to say that dialog is her weak point. Either she's artificially humble or the woman needs to have her head examined. Her dialog is brilliant! It could be the completely believable characters. People who fit to no literary or P.C. stereotype, yet you can't help but love and root for each and every one of them (with a couple of exceptions)! The book manages to be funny without being ridiculous. Maybe that's my favorite thing? Her descriptions of New Orleans show a complete love and knowledge of the city, warts and all. No sappy romaticizations (as with other local authors) here, folks. Just the beautiful, dysfunctional city I've been blessed and cursed to live in for the past eight years. Having worked a number of years bartending and waitressing, I was almost offended by the attitude toward front-of-house restaurant workers. Then I reminded myself that this is exactly the way most cooks feel about us and Ms. Brite was forgiven. I could definately relate to the bartender, Laura's, reaction to being called a waitress and confess to laughing coffee right out of my nose when I read it Some of the characters were obviously based on real-life New Orleans celebrities (including one VERY famous New Orleans chef, who's reaction to his character I would have gladly paid to see). The relationship between G-Man and Ricky was both touching and believable. I almost went a little misty reading the description of how G-Man felt about Ricky. Why can't all men be like G-Man? All in all, Liquor managed the almost impossible feat of being a novel I wouldn't change a thing in. Well, I might cchange one thing... Poppy Z. Brite's husband is a very good chef and Liquor IS the perfect concept for a New Orleans restaurant. So, where is it??????
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