Anthony Bourdain: An Intimate Look at the Life and Legacy of the Celebrated Chef and Storyteller

"mandiwright": I have so much love for Tony having read all his books and watched his shows. This was a very poignant memoir which is supported by the documentary that I also recommend. Such a sad ending for Tony although this book also shows how his presence remains both with the people who knew him best and the general public who adored him as much as I do. Highly recommended 🥲🖤🥲

United Kingdom on Oct 07, 2023

Alex S.: It took me a while to be drawn into Laurie Woolever’s Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography — 102 pages, to be exact, and the chapter “Tony Was So Reluctant to Do Television,” about a third of the way through the book.
The book’s structure and format, epigrams and direct quotes culled from some 90 sources, ranging from those who knew him well to work colleagues who knew him only briefly or in passing, struck me as somewhat lazy and haphazard.
It’s never a good sign, at least not to me, when a book opens with a 5-page “Cast of Characters” list, none of which are arranged alphabetically or by seeming importance. That cast list — at the very front of the book — is one page longer than the index at the end (!), which clocks in at four pages. Albeit in smaller font.
Over time, though, Woolever’s inclusions wore down my early resistance.
I realized it’s always better to read testimony in friends’ and family’s own words than to read a paraphrased version, especially when paraphrasing often involves liberal use of “creative licence,” which opens the writer to accusations of misquoting, misinterpretation or — worse — pushing a hidden agenda...

Canada on Jul 17, 2023

fly fan: Well written. Enjoying his programmes travelling the world and decided to buy the book for family.

United Kingdom on Jul 03, 2023

Mario86: A biography as told by 91 of Bourdain's friends, family and co-workers. There is a lot of love and admiration but in case there was a worry that it would become a hagiography, not everyone is glowing in their recollections of the man.

Insightful and some good stories although I felt it was missing Asia Argento's recollections in the back end.

But a good biography for both fans and non-fans who would like to get an understanding on who Bourdain was.

United Kingdom on Jun 11, 2023

*AT: This book does a remarkable job of telling the story of Anthony Bourdain. I really appreciated how the author utilized the perspective of others to tell the story. It keeps this book, very fresh and inspiring. It’s sad that Tony is no longer with us, but because of a book like this, his legacy lives on.

United States on Apr 17, 2023

Barry (Bazza) Goward: Get started on this and you can't switch it off. it barrels along at an absorbing rate and even more so if you enjoyed Tony's books and shows. Who was this dedicated man wandering around foreign parts, tasting the local wares and eating in their kitchens? What drove him, the precise Mr. Cool, to suddenly decide to end it all in such dramatic fashion? Are you curious? Are you a little sad for his loss? Is the world an emptier place without him? Get a copy today...it won't bring him back, but it's at least something to go on with.

Germany on Dec 27, 2022

Veronica: I think he was truly a sad person always questioning his life. Couldn’t believe his luck. I’m rereading all the books now. Isee a thread thru them. ( Medium raw was In . His words n I see his emptiness thru so much does drugs do that to your brain. )Even if you. Stopped. Addictive people are always vulnerable. He knew millions loved him but. It didn’t satisfy

United States on Oct 27, 2022

LisaLou: If you are not a part of the scrubby server/kitchen crowd or working in multiple Michelin restaurants?
We need to start you off slow.
I recommend reading Kitchen Confidential first. Amazing book and I have personally read it 2x.
I had the fortune of meeting Tony a few times, he even joked my husband looked like him (he does).
Tony: "That is creepy and weird"
Me: "Thanks chef...UM.Well? lol"
I found myself silenty crying by Chapter 12.
Tony has forever changed the landscape and anyone who has come in contact with him. Our lives have never been the same since. His voice. His snide dismissiveness and then "let's go".

Read this book. I am halfway done and cannot put it down. Just like Kitchen Confidential.

United States on Sep 25, 2022

Delos: For prospective readers, this is *not* a biography in the traditional sense. It is a transcription of interviews from selected individuals that include direct family members, friends, and colleagues. These quotes are then stitched together chronologically to form a general timeline of Anthony Bourdain's life but do not have stretches of narratives to bridge the gaps between events like most biographies have. In short, it reads almost like a closed caption of a documentary.

But for Bourdain fans like me, it's a thoughtful documentary nonetheless and drove home the points that:

1. This was a person who struggled, just like everyone else, and worked very hard to get the job he was so admired and envied for in his later years. Getting from Les Halles Restaurant to CNN was a decades long process that required him to hustle, negotiate, cajole, plead, and pitch his case.

2. A confluence of luck, diligence, and timing were major factors into his success. On the other side of the coin, substance abuse, an anxious disposition, and a streak of self-destruction served as counterweights that often shadowed his personal life, to great cost.

3. Having "the best job in...

United States on Jul 17, 2022

GJeanie: I was eager to read this oral biography because I wanted to understand why he killed himself. The people closest to him don't give any easy answers, but there are clues. A critical, impossible to please mother; an extreme, impulsive personality; unresolved addiction issues. Bourdain's inability to cut back on the grueling travel, the gorging of food and alcohol for the shows, made him exhausted. His marriage ended. He was lonely. Then, famously, he became absolutely consumed by an affair with Asia Argento, who doesn't come off so great in this book. Still, you can't blame her for his actions - he was a grown man and God knows he could have reached out for help at any point, but something would not let him do that. Ego? A self-destructive desire for oblivion? Interesting read, but it's disturbing to me how even the most gifted and successful people can still be unable to escape the dangers of human frailty.

United States on Oct 12, 2021