What do readers think of The Heart-Shaped Tin by Bee Wilson? Write your own review.

This book is terrific. I enjoyed the stories about kitchen utensils and what they mean to people. Also, the story about Queen Elizabeth I in a painting holding a sieve was fascinating. It also made me realize that I need to use the "good stuff" I have been saving. Why am I keeping the beautiful crystal that I have? I know my adult children don't want them. So, the next time I host a group of friends, I am getting out the good stuff. I want to enjoy it now and share it with my friends.

I have a treasured juicer that belonged to my Mother. It was part of a set of pots and pans she received as a wedding present. So it's an antique. It still works and can get every drop of lemon or orange juice out.

I loved this book!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I usually do not read this sort of non fiction but the title interested me. The author managed to make the subject of how meaningful certain objects are to a variety of people both personal and universal. She used ordinary objects often found in the kitchen to connect with some universal themes of love, friendship, memories. Each chapter is devoted to an item and the circumstances about it that brought on a memory, an emotion or circumstance. The writing is spot on!
I highly recommend it to book clubs. This book will elicit great discussions. I certainly plan to recommend it to my two book clubs.

I had my reservations about this book initially, simply because it is short stories and I prefer novels. But I felt compelled to give it a chance because I love kitchen objects and the subtitle "Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects" pulled me in. From the very beginning, this book drew me in. Yes, it is short stories but many of them are inter-related and there is definitely an arc that is very compelling. I learned much about why people develop such a bond to kitchen objects, and I learned that I was in good company throughout history in this regard. I also learned about certain customs and traditions around the world - Bee Wilson is a determined author and left no stone unturned to get pictures of and to learn the stories behind many household items. I laughed and I cried, and I celebrated how the author ultimately harbored little bitterness to those in her life who had created unwanted change in her life - she is a lovely person and an even lovelier author.

This book would be appreciated by all who love to create things in the kitchen and who appreciate gathering around the table with "their people", however that is defined. Book clubs would also love this book and could bring a lot of personal reflections about their memorable kitchen items.

Bee Wilson has done it again! I'm a big fan of her book Consider the Fork and The Heart-Shaped Tin only reenforced my belief in her as an outstanding researcher and author. This far ranging book has something for everyone. My copy has notes every few pages of excerpts I must share with various friends.

   Going far beyond a cake pan calling up a sense of loss (an ex husband and a mother), Wilson tackles every day kitchen objects and gives us a whirlwind of snapshots in history: Jacob Chaim"s spoon carved secretly in a World War II concentration camp; protesting Chavez with pots and pans; the explanation of Queen Elizabeth's sieve in a famous portrait, etc. She deals with the whimsical (the Merry Mushroom canisters of the 70's) and the unwanted - but valued - kitchen gifts one receives (hoarding and belated regret for getting rid of items also discussed.) The history of the corkscrew will fascinate my meticulous wine making friends.

   This book is chock full of avenues to explore after she's done all the essential research for us. Thanks, Bee.

Bee Wilson's "The Heart-Shaped Tin" revolves around the seemingly uncomplicated practice of accumulating household articles through the years. The author charmingly and humorously writes of how people of both genders and all cultures magically become "collectors," whether they want to or even realize it or not. I would highly recommend it to anyone who's on their own sentimental journey these days. This book speaks to the heart of those wrapped up in family traditions yet trying not to become clutterers or worse, hoarders. In addition, Ms. Wilson gives us all heartfelt advice concerning the quality and quantity of items we collect and how to rehome those things we can rightly do without. It's a book of both practicality and imprudence that gives homey insight on why we do the things we do.

"The things we surround ourselves with give meaning to our lives." And for Bee Wilson, who has written several food related books, those things are kitchen objects - the things we use to make food, serve food and eat food. Given the importance of food in our lives - love, comfort, celebration, solace - it isn't surprising that for many people it is food-related objects that call forth their memories. The author begins with a story at the end of her marriage. She writes about the devastation she feels in finding the heart-shaped tin that that she used to make her wedding cake, but she looks not only at the objects that have meaning for her as she works through the divorce, the loss of her mother, her children growing and leaving and the beginning of a new relationship but at how objects have been important to others. These objects range from a tomato-shaped salt shaker to an oil dispenser to mushroom canisters and often have little intrinsic value but the emotions they call forth are immense. The book is divided into sections - charms, mementos, junk, tools, symbols, gifts, and treasures. It covers topics as diverse as the discovery of an old cocoa jug that changed the history of chocolate to a tin spoon secretly created in a prison camp, and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I holding a sieve.

She looks at the poetry pottery of a slave named David Drake (which is now in museums) and at the budare pan brought out from Venezuela when her friend left for a new life in Spain. You will learn about burial plates and glory boxes and the importance of Aga's. In sharing the memories of people, she also gives you history and background so that you read about not only David Drake's incredible pottery but about his life as a slave. This isn't a read-it -straight- through book - it's a pick up and read an essay with the tea I mentioned. Much enjoyed.

Bee Wilson successfully mixed personal anecdotes of loved and lost kitchen objects with tales from people she encountered and historically relevant stories. The length of the essays was just right, and the categories she created helped to connect the stories. I enjoyed the variety of topics, but I think this is a great book to have by your bedside to dip into for a tale or two, rather than reading it straight through.

The photos were good, but I wish they had been in color. Perhaps in the final published version? To her credit, Wilson's descriptions of the objects were vivid enough that what I imagined the item to look like matched the image I found on the internet.

Two things that bothered me: In the last couple essays, Wilson's change from speaking to the reader to speaking to her mother or her new male companion was jarring. I'm not clear why she decided to do this. Also in multiple essays her mother's dementia was integral to the storyline. But the portrayal of her mother was not flattering, and she would have been unable to give her consent to be included in the book. Is this kind of writing ethical? moral? loving? For me, I was uncomfortable with these essays..

Bee Wilson's book about the sentimental feelings we develop for everyday kitchen items brought to me many memories of the favorite kitchen tools that my mother, now age 87, still uses. Bee shared the sorrowful story behind her heart-shaped cake tin at the beginning and end of the book, yet she was able to keep the chapters in between full of well researched facts and interesting stories from people around the world. I recall my uncle's beer stein, an old friend's teacups, and my pressure cooker among the items that make for a funny tale. I would recommend this book to anyone who cherishes heirlooms, cries easily, and has time to savor each chapter. This book can be read chapter by chapter with no need to rush.