Book Blurb:
Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.
From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain.
My Review: 4.5 stars
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten was a listen that made me so darn happy. I’m a superfan of Ina’s and her voice is not only recognizable, but also extremely relaxing. I only listen to audio books in the car and was overjoyed every time I got in for a bit more of her lore.
I loved learning more about Ina’s fraught childhood and her incredible relationship with Jeffrey. For fans like me, I knew many tidbits about her life from her weekly show, but there was so much more I didn’t know. The thought of Ida living out of tent across Europe with one pan over a fire was something I could never have imagined her doing. As a viewer of her shows, her life seems so glamorous and polished; it’s hard to believe she and Jeffrey were poor and hungry.
I appreciate that she spoke openly about her being Jewish, especially now, when antisemitism is on the rise. She is an American icon that has given me so much confidence in the kitchen and I’m so grateful for that. Whether you know about Ina, or she’s new to you, this is a beautiful memoir about simplicity, risk, love and food.
Quotes I liked:
After all my mother’s negativity, I could design the rooms, cook anything I wanted, throw parties, and make a home for us.”
“I have often thought that everyone should work in retail at some point in their lives, kind of like mandatory military service. They would understand two things—first, that serving customers all day can be a very difficult job, and second, that being kind is so much more effective than being nasty.”
“For me, cooking wasn’t the goal of entertaining; being with friends was the goal, so I wanted to make easy recipes that anyone could prepare and know their guests would be delighted.”
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