Book Review: The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

Walk into any bookstore and you will see the shelves lined with popular titles, such as Eat, Pray, Love and Julie and Julia (both of which have been turned into feature films). Due to the undeniable success of these two works, bookstores have become over saturated with authors recounting their journeys to overcome adversity by following their dreams. Although I love to hear of individuals discovering their true calling in life, some stories are better than others. To help you sort through the many tales of personal triumph, I recommend Kathleen Flinn's The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry.

Similar to Eat, Pray, Love and Julie and Julia, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry focuses on the life of Kathleen Flinn, a former manager in a large corporation. After losing her job, she cashes in her savings, moves to Paris, and enrolls at the famed Le Cordon Bleu, the Alma Mater of Julia Child. Taking the storyline of Julie and Julia a step further, Flinn directly follows in the footsteps of Child by graduating from the culinary institution, despite being in her mid to late thirties and without much knowledge of the French language.

Wanting to cook from an early age, Flinn embraces the opportunity to fulfill her dream and takes the biggest risk of a lifetime. The book follows Flinn throughout Basic Cuisine until her graduation from Le Cordon Bleu. Highlighting the ups and downs of Parisian life, as well as the struggles that come with being a culinary student, Flinn creates a situation that makes it impossible not to root for her.

In addition to her vignettes, recipes that correspond to each chapter theme are included. From banana-nutella crepes to more complicated, classical French recipes, readers and food lovers are sure to appreciate the opportunity to further experience the book by cooking along with the author.

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry is available wherever books are sold and also on Amazon.