Erica Bauermeister - The Lost Art of Mixing - the Perfect Follow-up to The School of Essential Ingredients

The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a perfectly beautiful follow-up to The School of Essential Ingredients. This book could be read on its own, but I think reading the first book helps you understand the characters in The Lost Art of Mixing so much better.

Lillian is a sensitive soul with a complex history. She owns a restaurant where, in the first book, we met characters through a cooking class Lillian hosts at the restaurant. The focus of this book, however, is about the staff of the restaurant and their complex lives and relationships. The book is written in third person limited point of view, where we see only what the chapter's main character knows. Chapters shift from character to character, and deftly delve into their souls and what motivates them to do the things they do. Bauermeister adds a touch of suspense, will their relationships fail or bloom? How quickly will Isabelle lose her memory? These questions are deftly handled.

Bauermeister writes very lyrically. She relies heavily on metaphors, sometimes just a tad too heavily. Also, the voice of each character sounds very similar to the voice of the others. Sometimes there is just an oaf in real life who could care less about others, not so in this book. They are all sensitive, good people and you want to see them succeed.

I had to think about this one before writing this review. The book and all its characters lived in my mind for days. I think my favorite character may have been Finnegan... perhaps because his amazing story lives near the end of the book.

Cozy up with a cup of cocoa and enjoy Bauermeister's amazing story. I can't wait to read the next one.



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