--- product_id: 16572616 title: "Delicious!: A Novel" price: "€ 25.62" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/16572616-delicious-a-novel store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # Delicious!: A Novel **Price:** € 25.62 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Delicious!: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** € 25.62 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/16572616-delicious-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Reichl’s compulsively readable novel is a treat for anyone who loves a warm, character-packed tale—a delectable mix of flavor, fantasy, and emotional comfort food.”— O: The Oprah Magazine The debut novel from the beloved food critic and author of The Paris Novel, featuring an exclusive conversation between Ruth Reichl and Emily Giffin Billie Breslin has traveled far from her home in California to take a job at Delicious! , New York’s most iconic food magazine. At first, Billie feels like a fish out of water—until she is welcomed by the magazine’s colorful staff and seduced by the vibrant downtown food scene. Then an unexpected turn of events leads Billie to a miraculous discovery. In a hidden room in the magazine’s library, she finds a cache of letters written during World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the legendary chef James Beard. Lulu’s letters provide Billie with a richer understanding of history and inspire Billie to come to terms with her fears and her ability to open her heart to love. Through her bestselling memoirs, including Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples, Ruth Reichl has achieved a special place in readers’ hearts. Now, with this magical novel, she has created a sumptuous world that will enchant you. Review: One of life's surprises - One of the most fascinating novels to read that possesses a bit of atmosphere and pleasure to the story and characters. Ruth Reichl lends her expertise of the food world and adds much dimension to the staff of Delicious! Magazine. The book contains a smorgasbord of individuals that bring the story to life, and it is a story that will leave readers wanting to read more. Based on fact and fiction, Reichl interplays fast paced moments at the magazine to the subtle and intimate ones displayed in the letters written by a young food aficionado Lulu Swan to Mr. Beard. The book weaves the past and the present within two sections. The letters that Lulu writes to Mr. Beard begin in book two, and are the most interesting parts of the novel that resonates with discovery but also sadness. Before the letters are found, members of the Delicious team are told that the magazine was folding due to lack of readership and technology dictating the direction to where magazine publications were headed. But while attempting to find the recipe for Nutty Apricot Cookies in back issues of the magazine, Billie and Sammy stumble over a letter dated November 3, 1942. So begins their journey away from what they had intentionally were looking for but delving into the lives of Mr. Beard and Lulu. It will be an enchanting trip to the past that eventually will lead to their finding Lulu years later and still alive, but a woman that lived a life of mystery and secrecy that she had kept from everyone closest to her. And surprisingly was willing to share to Sammy and Billie. Delicious is one of those books that may be read more than once and also shared with others. Indeed, the story includes a mix of emotions that are heartfelt and of laughter and joy because of the very lively characters. Review: Engaging novel, though a bit pat - I really liked this novel when i was reading it. A lot. It kept me up late a couple of nights, when I just wanted to read one more page... The plot is excellently well-paced, and mostly makes sense. The secondary characters, too, are vividly drawn and really come alive. It's a bit of a problemthat Billie- our narrator- is something of a Mary Sue. Irreproachable palate! brilliant cook (though she's off that for much of the novel)! Superb writer! And even though she is Insecure, she is charismatic enough that everyone she meets- except one- basically fawns all over her. The writing is good enough that this does not really become annoying as I read it; just when i finished and stopped back to think. On the other hand- a fairly transparent Mary Sue like this might be the ideal narrator for this novel- and I DID love all the vivid sketches of the other characters. In that sense, it's very character-driven. The bits about what people think is "following a recipe", vs what is actually following a recipe, were great, and accurate. I mostly cook from recipes... but i vary them. I didn't realize how much I did until I did a stint as a volunteer test cook for Cook's Illustrated, and had to follow the recipes PRECISELY; I had not realized before that how much I varied them (generally successfully, I'll add!). I will definitely try making the gingerbread, too! Recommended for foodies. I'll shelve it alongside Poppy Brite's "Liquor" series. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #49,573 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #917 in Women's Friendship Fiction #1,590 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction #1,965 in Contemporary Women Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 5,866 Reviews | ## Images ![Delicious!: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PUvdfFNqL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of life's surprises *by R***O on October 4, 2014* One of the most fascinating novels to read that possesses a bit of atmosphere and pleasure to the story and characters. Ruth Reichl lends her expertise of the food world and adds much dimension to the staff of Delicious! Magazine. The book contains a smorgasbord of individuals that bring the story to life, and it is a story that will leave readers wanting to read more. Based on fact and fiction, Reichl interplays fast paced moments at the magazine to the subtle and intimate ones displayed in the letters written by a young food aficionado Lulu Swan to Mr. Beard. The book weaves the past and the present within two sections. The letters that Lulu writes to Mr. Beard begin in book two, and are the most interesting parts of the novel that resonates with discovery but also sadness. Before the letters are found, members of the Delicious team are told that the magazine was folding due to lack of readership and technology dictating the direction to where magazine publications were headed. But while attempting to find the recipe for Nutty Apricot Cookies in back issues of the magazine, Billie and Sammy stumble over a letter dated November 3, 1942. So begins their journey away from what they had intentionally were looking for but delving into the lives of Mr. Beard and Lulu. It will be an enchanting trip to the past that eventually will lead to their finding Lulu years later and still alive, but a woman that lived a life of mystery and secrecy that she had kept from everyone closest to her. And surprisingly was willing to share to Sammy and Billie. Delicious is one of those books that may be read more than once and also shared with others. Indeed, the story includes a mix of emotions that are heartfelt and of laughter and joy because of the very lively characters. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Engaging novel, though a bit pat *by C***A on May 18, 2014* I really liked this novel when i was reading it. A lot. It kept me up late a couple of nights, when I just wanted to read one more page... The plot is excellently well-paced, and mostly makes sense. The secondary characters, too, are vividly drawn and really come alive. It's a bit of a problemthat Billie- our narrator- is something of a Mary Sue. Irreproachable palate! brilliant cook (though she's off that for much of the novel)! Superb writer! And even though she is Insecure, she is charismatic enough that everyone she meets- except one- basically fawns all over her. The writing is good enough that this does not really become annoying as I read it; just when i finished and stopped back to think. On the other hand- a fairly transparent Mary Sue like this might be the ideal narrator for this novel- and I DID love all the vivid sketches of the other characters. In that sense, it's very character-driven. The bits about what people think is "following a recipe", vs what is actually following a recipe, were great, and accurate. I mostly cook from recipes... but i vary them. I didn't realize how much I did until I did a stint as a volunteer test cook for Cook's Illustrated, and had to follow the recipes PRECISELY; I had not realized before that how much I varied them (generally successfully, I'll add!). I will definitely try making the gingerbread, too! Recommended for foodies. I'll shelve it alongside Poppy Brite's "Liquor" series. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ a delightful read *by A***R on January 17, 2026* What is not to like. It has like able characters, interesting story and a foodie’s dream. Totally charming. 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