Book – The Last Banquet by Jonathan Grimwood

Canon Gate Books, rrp $27.99
August 2013
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7.5/10

Jonathan Grimwood’s tale of Jean-Marie Charles d’Aumout finds the penniless, newly-orphaned child eating beetles by the side of a road, and follows his ascent through Eighteenth century French society after being sent to military academy.

Eventually Jean-Marie frequents the palace of Versailles, and even travels to Corsica as a diplomat/spy. Along the way he explores and indulges his hunger, with no taste left untried – Three-Snake Bouillabaisse, Pickled Wolf’s Heart and Flamingo Tongue are just three of the unusual recipes featured.

In this pre-revolution France though, the chasm between the peasant and aristocrat classes is full of hatred and desperation and the hunger of the oppressed – both literal and for change – is an inevitable force that cannot be avoided.

At times shocking, The Last Banquet masterfully evokes the sights and smells of the era, and Grimwood never lets the tension ease for a moment, ensuring the reader immerses totally in Jean-Marie’s quest to assuage his hunger for not only food, but also love and life.

 

Category: Book Reviews