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A review by booksbythewindow
The Book of Perilous Dishes by Doina Ruști
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
Full review can be found here: The Book of Perilous Dishes – Books by the Window (wordpress.com)
Summary: The Book of Perilous Dishes follows Pâtca, a young girl forced to flee her home and travel to Bucharest to find her Uncle Zăval. However, when the plan does not work out as intended, she finds herself stranded in the city and stumbling into the political manoeuvrings at the very heart of the city. As she does so, she begins to realise that a very powerful and dangerous book that she herself compiled, The Book of Perilous Dishes, has come into the possession of someone who does not know the true power of each recipe. As she attempts to take it back and make sure no-one finds out the truth of her identity, she becomes more deeply and accidentally involved in the politics of the city than she ever intended.
Overall Thoughts: The narrative of The Book of Perilous Dishes moves between the past, as Pâtca tries to make her way in Bucharest as a young girl, and the present, with an older Pâtca remembering this time as she prepares for a journey. In the opening sections, this was something I found a little confusing but as I read on, this became an aspect of the narrative that I enjoyed as it helped to create the overall atmosphere of the novel. I enjoyed the world which Rusti had created and found her characters to be interesting, particularly Pâtca, the protagonist. Pâtca's narrative voice is strong and the way in which she reveals the story to the reader feels as though she is speaking directly to them. This is a book that I would recommend to those who enjoy literary fiction that does not keep rigidly to a timeline and who could cope with the magical realism aspects of the narrative.
Summary: The Book of Perilous Dishes follows Pâtca, a young girl forced to flee her home and travel to Bucharest to find her Uncle Zăval. However, when the plan does not work out as intended, she finds herself stranded in the city and stumbling into the political manoeuvrings at the very heart of the city. As she does so, she begins to realise that a very powerful and dangerous book that she herself compiled, The Book of Perilous Dishes, has come into the possession of someone who does not know the true power of each recipe. As she attempts to take it back and make sure no-one finds out the truth of her identity, she becomes more deeply and accidentally involved in the politics of the city than she ever intended.
Overall Thoughts: The narrative of The Book of Perilous Dishes moves between the past, as Pâtca tries to make her way in Bucharest as a young girl, and the present, with an older Pâtca remembering this time as she prepares for a journey. In the opening sections, this was something I found a little confusing but as I read on, this became an aspect of the narrative that I enjoyed as it helped to create the overall atmosphere of the novel. I enjoyed the world which Rusti had created and found her characters to be interesting, particularly Pâtca, the protagonist. Pâtca's narrative voice is strong and the way in which she reveals the story to the reader feels as though she is speaking directly to them. This is a book that I would recommend to those who enjoy literary fiction that does not keep rigidly to a timeline and who could cope with the magical realism aspects of the narrative.