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    Thalia Book Club: Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
    Unavailable
    Thalia Book Club: Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
    Unavailable
    Thalia Book Club: Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
    Audiobook1 hour

    Thalia Book Club: Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

    Written by Aimee Bender

    Narrated by Heidi Julavits and Lillo Wei

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Aimee Bender sits down with Heidi Julavits to discuss her book, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Lillo Wei reads an excerpt from the book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSymphony Space Audio
    Release dateJun 14, 2010
    ISBN9781467663632
    Unavailable
    Thalia Book Club: Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

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    Reviews for Thalia Book Club

    3.5/5

    123 ratings122 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I loved this book. Bender has a way of conveying the emotions of the characters in a way that feels subtle enough to be real and yet strong enough to make the feelings comprehensible. Too many times, when I read a sad book, it feels heavy handed. None of that comes across here, and perhaps others would disagree that it is a sad book, but for me I truly felt the longing, the isolation, and the sometimes depression of Rose Edelstein. Others criticize the book for its "magical" aspects, but at the end of the day, I felt like the book fulfilled one of the missions of magical realism for me, namely that the magic allowed me to understand the characters in a way that simple realism would not be able to (and, of course, none of this story would be possible without the magic).

      Anyone who has ever felt different in a way that cannot be explained or who has felt isolated from the world at large will enjoy this book. If nothing else, Bender's prose is simple and yet gorgeous and easy to get lost in. The ending was somewhat heartbreaking for me personally, but completely in keeping with the rest of the book.

      What I will take away from this book was the relationships between the family members. The emotional storm of Rose's mother and her love for Rose (but her selfishness as well for her own needs), her father's seeming quiet detachment from her and the rest of the family (but of course, a lot is going on there that you only find out about later), and especially her relationship with her brother. Every character felt full and complete (a rarity, it seems, in books these days) and I really have not enjoyed a book this much in quite a long time.
    • 5/5
      Amazing Amazing Amazing. Bender's writing is so lovely and always leaves me wanting more. This novel is about finding what makes you "you" and learning to embrace it. It's about a nuclear family and the secrets everyone keeps from each other. It's about learning to love yourself and your family.
    • 4/5
      The last book of 2012. Delicious!
    • 5/5
      I have to say, I was not expecting so many poor reader reviews for this excellent second novel. Of all the contemporary writers I've read of this still-early century, Bender is at the top.

      This novel grabs the reader immediately - not because of its (incidentally well-handled) magical element, but because of its very real, very recognizable human poignancy. Like her best short stories, Bender has captured the beauty and confusion of a singular person's life. I finished this book in three days, and even now occasionally feel an urge to go and pick it up. Rose is a character that I know will inhabit my mind for a long time.

      Are there "flaws"? Of course - one can always find "flaws", because we in postmodernity have our established (read: rigid) ideas of what makes a story "good" or "bad", and we seem to take a sadistic joy in using these ideas as blunt weapons. The reason I love Bender's voice, here and in her splendid short stories, is that it's original, in a world where the idea of originality itself seems to have become cliche. She has a great blend of imagination, insight and capable craft. And she has no fear of pushing against the edges, juggling fantasies and realities, scraping at the depths of our fragile natures. These are the marks of a great artist. I think Aimee Bender will amaze us in the coming years, in a way we desperately need.
    • 3/5
      The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake sounded like a wonderous fairy tale set in modern times. I couldn't wait to read it and I rushed out to buy the hardcover. I finished this book last night and I still am not sure entirely how I feel about it. I wanted to love this book and give it 5 stars but I didn't love it, I only just liked it.

      Rose Edelstein was 9 when she developed the ability to taste other people's emotions in the food they cooked. It was very difficult to taste the foods her mother made because she felt the sadness and emptiness her mother felt and Rose gained insight into her mother that no 9 year old should know. Rose's family also includes her brother who is a loner and her father who avoids hospitals as well as his family.

      This is the first book or story by Ms. Bender that I've read and I'm interested in reading more. It will be interesting to see if magical realism isn't my thing or if just this story didn't grab me.
    • 2/5
      Okay I didn't really like this. I thought the premise was really intriguing but it fell flat in the execution. I still have no idea what really went on with her bother either. Disappointing.
    • 1/5
      I was really disappointed in this book. I had such high hopes for it, but ended up being pissed that I spent money on it. I didn't even get to the half-way point. It was just bizarre. And now that I've read other, spoiler reviews of the book, I am VERY glad that I didn't waste any of my precious reading time finishing this book.
    • 3/5
      Though I think this novel could have used a little more work (the first half of the story was so much more about the narrator's "talent," whereas the second half was dominated by the brother) ultimately I thought it was imaginative and insightful, particularly with respect to the dynamic between siblings. Bender masterfully evolves the voice of her narrator as she grows up without ever calling undue attention to her own stylistic prowess.
    • 2/5
      Oh, what a disappointment of a book. In addition to aggravating formatting issues (lack of quotation marks without a very good reason is always an annoyance), this book had a serious case of plot ambivalence. I wish Bender had just made up her mind about what she wanted her book to be. Is it a full-on speculative fiction, really delving into the nature and implications of these powers and how each child deals with them differently? Or shall it stick to the bounds of literary-magical fiction, a family drama with lots of lushly described poetic/psychoanalytical foodie rhapsodies? Trying to be both, "Particular Sadness" failed at doing either really well: the family drama stuff fizzles quietly in the background without ever resolving itself or doing much, while the scifi/spec-fic aspects muddle about inconclusively, providing more questions than answers. Rarely do I wish that a work is shorter, but in this case the idea, as it stands, was unable to hold up a work of this length. Wholly unsatisfying.
    • 5/5
      I found this to be an amazing story. Although many others didn't really like it or care for the characters, I found them to be people that I could relate to. The idea of a person having a special skill like Rose, for me was original and intriguing. I especially liked discovering that not only Rose, but others in her family held special talents and abilities. It was fascinating to me as was the style of writing. I had very little trouble with the lack of quotation marks and the first person writing that seems to have bothered so many others. After awhile, I actually found it to be less busy, and it allowed me to focus more on the story. I found it to be delightful and ultimately fell in love with Rose's character. I loved her depth of understanding, but I also loved her buried passion and her willingness to see the best in others. I would have to say that this was one of the best books that I read this year. It mightn't not be a story for everyone. If you don't care for imaginative or magical tales, you might not enjoy this one. However, if you enjoy reading that stretches your imagination and has a unique point of view, I think you will really like "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake". I'm very glad that I tried it.
    • 2/5
      This book is just so not complete I don't know where to start. I did listen to it on audio and it was read by the author.. which frankly.. unless you are a really great book reader, author's shouldn't read their own work. I am finding this more so as I listen to more books. Just don't. You think you will impart some sort of nuance in the book b'c you KNOW the characters. But in fact you affect is flat, and you bring no oomph to the audiobook. Reading a book is as much stage play and craft as it is to write the book. Leave it to the professionals.

      But this book.. it just so isn't what it thinks it is trying to be. I had no issues with Rose tasting despair in her mother's cooking. Or the fact that she could taste migrant workers picking strawberries. This is something I expect in a book. Imagination is the whole reason I signed up for fiction. But the poor writing and the storylines dangled in ways that made me want to just scream. I spent the first 2 hrs listening and TALKING BACK to the audio book in my car. If I am engaged and listening I am not arguing with my book. There were too many holes in the story. And the disconnect wasn't just in the characters and their reactions. It was in how the story didn't progress. I have read plenty of books in which the characters arrive exactly where they started, but they tend to have a reason to return to their beginnings. This just limped along and stalled.
    • 4/5
      Finished in time for book club! Woohoo! This was a little different from what I expected, a little more literary, but I still liked it. Bender says some interesting things about relationships, particularly family relationships. She also does what I think of as the classic literary thing and leaves things very open ended. The focus here is character and emotion with not much in the way of plot.

      COTC Book Club selection October 2012.
    • 2/5
      You've got to be f*&king kidding me with this. Oh, I see, her brother has a "skill," too. HE TURNS INTO FURNITURE. What a joke. That is not a skill unless you are Professor Slughorn, and even then, it is kind of a lame one. And the fact that he either seems to have no desire to actually live a life because he didn't get into college or he chooses to be a chair forever? Nice one Aimee Bender. Well, have a nice life CHAIR in the closet of the restaurant. Lame.

      And WTF was up with the fact that the whole book we are led to believe that Rose and George have some sort of amazing friendship and understand each other. It was a real kick in the metaphorical balls when she had to go to his wedding. Lame.

      Oh, and the dad doesn't go into hospitals but we still don't really know why nor do we really have any growth in him or any of the other characters. So the grandma is quirky and sends crap to their house? Interesting, but we don't really know why. So the mother has an affair? Interesting, but we don't really know why. This entire book is like one long wish for more explanation and a tons of her brother turning into furniture. Just freaking cut out that entire plotline. I just barfed in my mouth a little bit.
    • 3/5
      A 3.5 star review.

      I hardly know what to make of this book. There isn't much plot and certainly not many resolutions. It's even heartbreakingly depressing at times. I don't think I'm likely to ever reread it... yet I'd still claim to have liked it. It's fascinating and I loved the writing style, even though I think it would also be its weakest point in the eyes of other readers, because it is a bit of an acquired taste - no pun intended.

      I liked Rose and I liked George. I did not like the rest of Rose's family much, although her father did grow on me even if I did think he was a coward. I think my biggest problem with the book was the lack of a proper ending, although truth be told, I'm not sure I can see how it could end.
    • 1/5
      I finished The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and it was quite possibly the worst book I have actually finished. I only finished it because it was for my library reading program (and I get my name in a raffle for free stuff). I guess you could say it is "magic realism" (or so people describe it) and had I known that, I would not have read it in the first place. In that, the cover and the marketing is deceptive. It is just beyond ridiculous (when in doubt, it seemed, the writer would tack on a "special skill" to a person, such as mental telepathy through food, mutating into inanimate objects, omniscience through smell - and yes, this is a familial burden they carry, whoa is them), with horrid characters that do not emote, think or talk like any human beings I have ever encountered in my 45 years of life. So while maybe there was a "magic" of sorts, i.e., people sorta like The Incredibles, but with skills that are not, in fact, incredible, but weird and bizarre (and not in a good way), it was wholly lacking in realism. The plot, what there was of it, imploded half-way, and there just was no reason why anyone did what they did, no did I care to find out. Huge gaps of time, a stupid affair only the food-telepathy child seems to grasp, undeveloped minor characters that come and go and do stupid things; and all kinds of inane stuff litter the second half of the book. Lastly, no grammar in spots, and that herky jerky quote-less dialog that it's unclear who is speaking - LONG pages of it. Is that supposed to be edgy? Contemporary? I'm not sure, don't really care, but it just ended up being goofy and heightened my desire to skim through this painful, painful reading experience to make it end. Just a big pile of ick. I would have given this zero stars if I could.
    • 5/5
      The publication page of Aimee Bender’s The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, reads: “1. Taste—Fiction. 2. Family Secrets—Fiction.” Normally, I rarely look at this page before reading a novel, but, while searching for my next read after a couple of complicated novels, I stumbled on the page and immediately decided to try Bender out.The premise is as interesting as the Sears’ Subject Headings librarians use to categorize books into neat compartments. Rosie is about to turn eight, and her mother, Lane, bakes her favorite cake. Rosie spies the finished cake and a bowl of icing nearby, while her mother naps, waiting for the cake to cool. Rosie helps herself to a chunk and slathers icing on it. Bender writes, “To be clear: the bite I ate was delicious. Warm citrus-baked batter lightness enfolded by cool deep dark swirled sugar.“But the day was darkening outside, and as I finished that first bite, as the first impression faded, I felt a subtle shift inside me, an unexpected reaction. As if a sensor, so far buried deep inside me, raised its scope to scan around, alerting my mouth to something new. Because the goodness of the ingredients – the fine chocolate, the freshest lemons – seemed like a cover over something larger and darker, and the taste of what was underneath was beginning to push up from the bite. I could absolutely taste the chocolate, but in drifts and traces, in an unfurling, or an opening, it seemed that my mouth was also filling with the taste of smallness, the sensation of shrinking, of upset, tasting a distance I somehow knew was connected to my mother, tasting a crowded sense of her thinking, a spiral, like I could almost even taste the grit in her jaw that had created the headache that meant she had to take as many aspirins as were necessary, a white dotted line of them in a row on the nightstand like an ellipsis to her comment: ‘I’m just going to lie down.” (9-10)This really long, absorbing sentence captures the gift – or the curse – Rosie must learn to live with for quite a few years.Rosie’s brother, Joseph, also has a mysterious gift, but in an entirely different direction. Her reclusive grandmother also has some secret. In fact, all the members of the Edelstein family harbor strange, inner fantasies, which reveal themselves in odd behavior.Joseph has plans for a brilliant career in physics; however, his friend George receives an acceptance to CalTech, but Joseph is rejected and ends up unhappily in a small local college. Bender describes Joseph as, “brilliant, adults often said as they shuttled out of the house, shaking their heads at the precise drawing he’d made on sketch paper of planets yet to be discovered, complete with atmosphere thicknesses and moons. Our mother lowered her eyes, pleased. I was often admired for being friendly.” (40)To the consternation of Rosie and her parents, from time to time he disappears without a trace, then, just as suddenly, reappears. Rosie has a crush on George, especially after he believes her claim of “tasting the emotions of people who make the food she eats.” Lane tells Rosie, “Such a sweet supporter you are. Much nicer than your father.” (42) Paul, Rosie’s Dad, a moderately successful attorney on the other hand, describes himself as “without any special skills” (108 et al).Rosie reduces herself to eating “factory” food, made strictly by machines. However, she does do some cooking of her own, and tastes, “Sadness, rage, tanks, holes, hope, guilt, tantrums. Nostalgia, like rotting flowers. A factory, cold.” (222)In The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Bender has put together a story with prose which runs like a quiet stream in the coolness of a fall afternoon. I could hardly admire her and her work any more than I do. 5 stars--Jim, 12/31/12
    • 1/5
      Interesting enough to keep reading, although I kept asking myself if it was worth it. The last third would have made a great premise for a new book.
    • 2/5
      The problem I had with this book was one of expectations. Rose Edelstein discovers on her ninth birthday, that she can taste emotions in food. She would know what the cook was thinking and feeling when the food was prepared, even where the food was grown and processed. The premise of the book immediately reminds me of Like Water for Chocolate. There is that immediate element of magical-realism that I love in Latin American Fiction (Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabelle Allende both come immediately to mind). However, Bender seems to be the only author that can take a concept that can tell such a great story and make it very pedestrian. I think the most annoying aspect of this book is the lack of emotions and empathy from the characters. It would seem that someone who has the power to taste the emotions of the cook, that she would be very sympathetic to everyone. In fact, I would read this ability as a metaphor for growing up. There is that understanding as a child growing up that the world does not revolve around you and that your parents have their own separate lives and their own identities. This power doesn’t develop that feeling for Rose; in fact it stunts this development. Yet nothing is done with this concept. There is a line in the book that I feel aptly reflects the potential in the book that goes nowhere:"Ugh, you Edelsteins, he said. Come on, It shouldn’t be some kind of secret, what you do. I know Joe was working on something, working hard, he showed me a few pages once, years ago, some of the graphs he was making. It was incredible work. Really. Unbelievable. Now, where does any of that go?" P. 258It seems that all the characters have no emotions. The father just works, comes home, works, and watches medical dramas. The mother has a quiet desperation that is very, very quiet. Joseph has even less emotions than these two. It almost seems that he is the ideal character for this book of emotional coldness. Rose is most annoyed that she has to feel anyone else’s emotions since she doesn’t like her own. The author is some sort of Wizard of Oz giving her Tin Man character a heart and she rejects it. The concept is introduced and then the story just drags with some muddled attempts to get the father to notice that the mother is unhappy with an ending that didn’t really bring the story to a conclusion.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written but terribly meandering book. Starts out with a catchy, if completely unbelievable, notion - then presents intriguing images of a dysfunctional family, then just kind of wanders nowhere. It's bit like a slice-of-life movie with a bunch of oddballs, none of whom you really get to know and none of whom (except Joseph) are really endearing.Also, I didn't like the end. She seems to have been trying to make some deep statement (I hate those anyway). What on earth was it?Too much trying to be quirky here for my taste.
    • 3/5
      A very compelling main character, and an unusual and poignant story, which left me feeling unsettled and wishing for a different ending. There was so much promise and emotion in the first half of the book and so many unfinished or confusing elements to the second half that I was disappointed when I finished.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this - as usual, a well-written book with a touch of magical realism is right up my alley. This was an interesting idea (being able to taste the emotions of the cook, when eating something) and some of the other "special skills" in the book were even more interesting to think about.
    • 4/5
      This amazing southern California native, who is a product of the UCI writing program and now teaches at both UCLA and USC, is one of the most unique voices I have read. Her use of magical realism--the mixing of both natural and supernatural elements in a narrative--creates in the reader an anxious excitement about what might happen next. This story about a little girl who becomes able to taste in her food the feelings of those who prepared it (or grew it, even) is a wonder.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. Aimee Bender's writing is lovely--spare, but with such clear imagery, even when describing scenes of incredible strangeness (and I don't want to give away anything further than what's in the summary). I would recommend this to readers who have never tried slipstream/elastic realism/magical realism before.
    • 3/5
      This one has been on my list forever. So I did not know anything about this book prior to reading. I can see that it was recommended to me because I am such a Foodie, add to that I do like a bit of magic and a coming of age book can hold my attention. Yes, I can see why this book came up.It appears there is a family trait in Rose's heritage. This unique talent is different in each member and is unbeknown by others in the family. Rose is just 9 when she discovers she can taste emotions of the preparer in their food. Personally, I would have thought, "OK, that's a bit neat and maybe useful". But what if you can't be selective of turning this off? What if it lends itself to learn of things that you really shouldn't know? This book is a coming of age story and I think a bit symbolic. Yes, simple and slow in areas but interesting none the less. I did both book and audio. The author read for the audio and I would not recommend her. Bender kept the book light for this particular subject matter.
    • 3/5
      I was a little disappointed in this book. I’m not quite sure what I expected, but it was a depressing story. Maybe I should have inferred that from the title. I thought the story would focus more on what she felt in the food, instead she spent most of the time running from her special abilities. I also found the story line with the brother odd.
    • 4/5
      This is a creative, poignant, allegorical tale about the power of perception and the deep impact of being truly known and accepted. Rose, the youthful protagonist, discovers that she can taste people's emotions, and much more, by tasting food they have prepared. Over time she comes to terms with this ability as she matures and also learns more about her family history. I was thoroughly engaged throughout the story. I listened to the audio version, narrated by the author, whose voice was just better than monotone. I recommend reading, rather than listening.
    • 3/5
      The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender was a good book. Rose struggles to find out a major problem that leaves her very confused. As she thrives to figure out why she tastes emotions in almost everything she eats, she has an encounter of love in a new relationship. Her whole family is trying to help (mostly her brother and his friend). Along the way she learns that family can be friends too and many different relationships some to reality. This book can be confusing and even a little boring at some parts but you surely wont expect the outcome. It's a twisting ride of mysterious turns that will leave you clinging to the next chapter.
    • 4/5
      Suspends belief - too far.Penned by anyone else, the suspension of belief required for this book, would have spoiled it for me. However, Aimee Bender has a lightness of touch that was a pure pleasure to read. Only this could have resulted in my giving 4 stars to a book that started off hard to accept - and became harder.The lead character, Rose Edelstein, begins her story as she turns nine. Her mother bakes a special lemon and chocolate cake and from that point on, Rose finds that she is able to read people's feelings from the food they have helped prepare. This 'talent' she hones down to an ability to be able to distinguish where each ingredient originates and the mood of the farmer/preparer. Mostly, though, it is a hindrance, making eating a constant challenge.Rose has an even stranger brother, Joseph. Five years older than her, he shows many signs of Aspergers Syndrome, and is incredibly bright. He and his friend, George (the only 'normal' character in the book), spend many afternoons discussing physics and maths and eventually Joseph defies physics in his own way.Mum and Dad are also complex characters, Mum, lively but tending to short concentration spans. Incredibly loving to her children but rather distant from her husband through most of the book. Dad, detatched and showing aspects of Aspergers himself, completely freaked out by hospitals. Even Grandmother has the strangest habits.The book is largely a study of the interplay between these disparate characters.An easy read but just too off the wall for me. I'd love to read more by Ms Bender though, just to enjoy her use of language.
    • 2/5
      Rose, at 9 years old, discovers after taking a bite of a lemon cake her mother's baked, that she feels the depression her mother feels. Before long, she is affected by everything she eats that has been prepared by any persons, and she finds herself subsisting on factory produced foods that aren't touched by human hands, except perhaps in the picking of the fruit, or vegetables. Despite this introduction to her special talent, the story doesn't take it anywhere. We just keep being told of her ability to identify the source of a particular ingredient, but that's about it. She's lived with her talent all the way through to her early adulthood, and yet it's a talent that remains a secret, known only to George, her brother's friend. Her talent isn't shared to improve the lives of others or to help them in any way. In fact, when she learns through a dinner her mother prepared one evening, that her mother is having an affair, she keeps this secret to herself as well for years.Her brother Joseph has taken to disappearing but we don't find out where he goes to until the end of the book nor why he keeps disappearing. Their father might be the only character in the book that I like, if only because I feel sorry for him.All in all, a completely ho-hum read.
    • 1/5
      I received this book for free from the Goodreads First Reads program. This in no way affected my opinion of the book... obviously.I hate to give any book a bad review, let alone one that was sent to me specifically for review, but I just couldn't let myself rate this one any higher. This book started out promising. Rose's story was interesting enough and I was intrigued by all of her mother's flaws. Unfortunately there was a point in the book where everything went downhill. Joseph's story was, to put it simply, a mess. Half of the time I had no idea what was going on and felt that things were not adequately explained enough to give me a clear picture of just what I was reading.After Joseph's story is given to us the writer tried to take us back to Rose's story but took us in so many different directions that I just didn't care anymore and it felt like Rose didn't either. Sometimes a good ending can increase my like for a book even if I'd felt disappointed with the middle. Unfortunately the book ended with nothing resolved and felt like it had no purpose. I would not recommend this book to my friends but I invite you to read the reviews others have written here who did enjoy the book. Perhaps it just wasn't for me.