What do readers think of Feast by Catherine Kurtz? Write your own review.

Indeed as the title reveals, this is a feast both of food and words. Not only is the cover inviting, the story itself is a sweet, inviting tale of a girl who finds a place for herself where it always was. Minha or "Min," a dark-skinned girl growing up in late 19th C London whose father was an Indian merchant and her mother who as a daughter of the working class went to the big city to find her way. Because of Minha's skin color she is rejected by many but she has a special talent - the gift of scent! Like her mother, after being sent to her grandparents who live as servants on a grand estate, Min journeys to France where her extraordinary scent causes her to detect poison and she becomes a food taster to the "duc." It's difficult to write a synopsis without giving this precious story away, suffice it to say Min is a girl looking for acceptance, friendship and love. After being brutally betrayed she eventually finds all three.

Minha is such a special character: open, accepting and forgiving. Her extraordinary gift of scent makes this delightfully written book a "feast" of scents, spices, food that can at times make one salivate! The writing is so very poignant. Minha's story is also one of discrimination and you feel for her plight but because she's a kind soul, others less bigoted show her warmth. Indeed Minha doesn't realize at times how many lives she's touched.

I liked how the book ended. While I would have preferred a Cinderella kind of ending, the one that happened is in keeping with Minha's character.
I'd like to thank NetGalley/BookBrowse and Berkley Publishing Group

Feast was a fascinating blend of historical fiction, mystery, and the supernatural and such a sensory reading experience. The descriptions of food, herbs, and feasts were so vivid that I felt completely immersed in the world. I especially loved watching Minha navigate a court where she never quite fit in, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. The story unfolds at a measured pace, but the atmosphere, intrigue, and emotional depth kept me invested. A unique and memorable read!

Thank you BookBrowse, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced ebook copy!

All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

It is interesting that having a "feast" is all relative. The feast might be one with many delectable foods or simply one that is not so fancy and serves to satisfy hunger. In this book the Kurtz's characterization illustrate the difference. The question is "Which is Better?" Again, better is a relative term as well. If Minha could choose, according to this story, I think she would have considered a "simple meal of bread and cheese" to be better. The richer folks just seemed to be trying to out-do each other time and time again searching for the ideal feast to entertain their guests. Too bad their search was a fruitless one filled with unsatisfying extravagance. The book makes the case that riches are not always what make people happy.

Catherine Kurtz's The Feast grabbed my attention right away because it involved a woman working as a poison taster for a wealthy duke. While the story unfolds in lyrical prose, some of the grammatical mistakes made the tasty story unappetizing to finish.

Minha is a young woman with an extraordinary gift - she can smell even the faintest ingredient in every dish. When a French duke is almost poisoned and her gift is unexpectedly made public, she wins a spot in his household as his official poison taster. Her story begins in somewhat of a rags-to-not-quite-riches way that invokes the reader to cheer her on in her new employment. Betrayal ultimately causes our heroine to find herself in a tough spot, strengthening her inner grit, and forcing a reckoning six years in the making.

The story is attractive and the food descriptions are impeccable, but I found myself gritting my teeth as if hearing nails on a chalkboard every time I had to read yet another sentence fragment. Maybe I am too old school, but why is bad writing becoming the new normal? Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to readers who are fans of books about food and books about the rise of the underdog.

Get your taste buds ready for a delicious serving of historical fiction, a touch of magical realism, and what home really means. In this novel set in France in 1899/1900, young Minha has the gift of smell that is beyond the norm. She can tell from a mere sniff all the ingredients in a dish or where a particular fruit was picked. With this gift, she finds herself in the employ as the Duc's poison taster and "trick pony". While she's not thrilled with the arrangement, she has to survive, but what comes next makes things nearly impossible.

The author's use of language is mouthwatering and her descriptions make you want to book the next flight to Paris for a good dinner. Minha's story is well told, but what keeps this book from a 5 for me, was the pacing and a few dark and odd moments. The start of the book is slow and the last couple of chapters are too long and drawn out. The food description is great, but pages of it at the end.. I was full. As for the dark moments.. prepare for sexual violence. And finally the odd…for me it was how Minha survived in the last ? of the book. It was a bit unbelievable.

All in all though, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it! Thank you to Penguin Publishing, Bookbrowse.com, and NetGalley.com for the free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My advice is to not read this book while hungry! Feast is a feast for the senses. I have never read a book so focused on food. The main character in this story, Minha, has a special gift of being able to determine what is in the food by using her highly developed sense of smell and taste. Minha suffers a great deal as a mixed race child of extreme poverty. Her father who is Indian and travels in the ship trade leaves her at birth with a mother who doesn't want her and makes what little money she can as a "woman of the night". Minha follows her mother through the dark streets of London and then waits outside wherever she goes inside to provide her services. What follows is a dual timeline story of Minha's growing up years and her present day existence as a poison taster for a French duc. The story is set in both England and France from about 1883 to 1900. If you love an excellent historical fiction set in this time period and full of adventure and intrigue then this will be a very satisfying and mouthwatering story for you.

Feast was a great historical fiction read. We follow Minah, a girl of Euro-Indian parentage, who seems to get into situations she must escape from. Her extraordinary gift is that she is able to smell and taste food, and then identify every ingredient, including the soil it comes from. After she correctly identifies poison in a meal the duc is about to ingest, she is hired to taste every morsel that is about to be served to the duc to prevent further attempts. Due to her darker skin and what seems to be favored by the duc, she is shunned by the other staff and lives a life alone and in fear. A definite book recommendation to those who like historical fiction and adventure.

The storyline was very unique. I loved how vivid the scenes were, so vivid that it almost felt as though I was immersive reading. I enjoyed following Minha's growth. It was a little slow at times, but still a fun read.