The Restaurant Critic's Wife

Are you having a great Sunday?  I hope it is at least a relaxing one. Did you know it is Backwards Day?  You should do everything backwards today or get creative.  Try writing things backwards or putting your shirt on backwards.  It is a popular day with young children (as you can imagine).  I am clumsy enough when doing things the right way.  I would probably break a limb if I tried to do anything (especially walking) backwards.

The Restaurant Critic’s Wife by Elizabeth LaBan is an unusual novel.  Lila Soto is pregnant with her second child.  Lila, Sam (her husband), and Hazel (their three-year-old daughter) have just moved from New Orleans to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Sam has the chance to do his dream job—be a food critic!  Sam and Lila met with Lila was in New Orleans for Addison Hotels and Resorts and Sam was doing research for an article on gumbo.  When Sam saw a job opening at the Philadelphia Record for a food critic, he applied.  Lila had to give up her job in order to relocate with Sam.  They are moving into a suburban neighborhood called Colonial Court where the mothers stay home and take care of their kids.  This will be a new experience for Lila. 

Sam is immediately wrapped up in his new job and experiments with ways to hide his identity.  He also wants Lila to make sure not to tell anyone what he does (actually he would prefer it if she stayed in the house and did not associate with anyone for fear of exposure).  Will Lila be able to cope with two kids, a new home, and Sam’s wacky behavior?  Lila is going on a new journey and she will have to find a way to cope (and move forward).

I did not find The Restaurant Critic’s Wife to be an enjoyable novel.  It was a little weird (and boring).    I believe the book is supposed to be humorous but the writer did not pull it off.  One thing I did not get is if Lila never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, why did she have kids (Lila loves working and wants to continue to work)?  This book was lacking (like a good plot).  I got tired of hearing about Lila’s everyday life (getting up, her wardrobe, breast feeding the baby), Sam’s attempts at disguises and how he does not pull them off (that was actually the only funny part in the book), their many neighbors (I could not keep track of them), and the many food descriptions (the author described every food item they ate).  I did not like any of the characters.  Lila is someone who does not know what she wants (she really should have decided before having two kids) and Sam who is very childish and selfish.  Sam was so obsessed with keeping his identity a secret.  I wanted to know why he did not write the reviews under a pseudonym (of course, then there would not be a book).  It was just an odd book.  I give The Restaurant Critic’s Wife 2 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). 

The Restaurant Critic's Wife is available on Kindle Unlimited.  I received a complimentary copy of The Restaurant Critic’s Wife from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I am off to get dinner and then watch Downton Abbey and Mercy Street. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader