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wunderkindl's review against another edition
5.0
Not only is this an interesting read on oysters, but such an awesome portrayal of the New York City history. Oysters are a food which unfortunately leaves me ill, but I come from a oyster-farming family. This book allowed me to bridge an appreciation for my family history with my interest in culinary delights. I want someone to write an awesome book on how oyster-farming transformed the Eastern Shore, any takers?
ameyawarde's review against another edition
5.0
This author wrote "Salt" which is the book that got me hooked on micro-histories, which, along with loving NYC, is why I picked up this book, despite being a vegetarian who has never (TG) eaten any kind of seafood of any sort and is very happy about it. I did tune out when he read off recipes or particularly gruesome bits (I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT RAW OYSTERS ARE ALIVE AND PEOPLE ARE EATING LIVING ANIMALS, OMG. D: ), but I thought it was a really interesting book, and I enjoyed seeing the history of the city through such a specific lens (I have previously read the history of Bellevue as well which was similar, except through the lens of NYC hospitals instead of oysters..). Worth reading for anyone interested in NYC history or seafood or microhistories!
iqs's review against another edition
3.0
Not enough about oysters.
Kurlansky runs out of material early on and spends a full ten percent of the book on copy/pasted oyster recipes.
Kurlansky runs out of material early on and spends a full ten percent of the book on copy/pasted oyster recipes.
henskm's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not an oyster eater, but this book made me want to try one, just to see whether they live up to the hype. Perhaps if I were an oyster eater, I would had enjoyed the many detailed oyster recipes more. As it was, they often felt intrusive. I was much more interested in the history of New York City and the role oysters played in it. The descriptions were so vivid I could easily picture the scenes in my mind's eye.