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

All the descriptions in Feast take you to a different time and place through sight, sense, smell and even taste! Do not read this book if you plan on going on a diet. The descriptors are intense and beckoning. Minha's amazing gift is shared with the reader through good times and bad times. As she grapples through one hardship after another, you are her cheering section. This book is a testament to the undying perseverance of one woman and helps remind us that we are (indeed) the stronger sex! (smile).
Each chapter brings the reader a plethora of sensations and engages you till the end. A very good character analysis and development.

Such a fascinating story of a young woman who sense of taste and smell is very rare. When she smells poison in Duke's food she is immediately assigned as his food taster. Yet, she is poor, lonely and always hungry. She befriends a mysterious starving stranger who fills her void of no friends. Unfortunately, he is not what he seems. The book flows, characters well described and provides a look into how few choices the poor have.

This novel is about resilience in many forms- resilience to abandonment, hatred, jealousy, loss of a special gift, and the acceptance of someone new. I loved the way Ray handled all these throughout her young life. She was born of an Indian(Not native) father and English mother, but favored her father in coloring. This alone brought its own disadvantages. She was only truly loved by her grandfather and a kind baker in her small village. She had the extraordinary gift of taste and smell which procured her a job as taster for the Duc which eventually led to her downfall. I would recommend this book for any book club. Some parts are pretty predictable, but others come as a surprise. Its a very easy read and difficult to put down.

At its core, Feast is an examination of appetites: for food, for love, for recognition, for belonging. It is also an exploration of the dualism of both getting - and not getting - what you think you want. If a meal is delicious, too much can make you sick. A person's affection could be love, but it could also be possession.

   For Minha, harnessing her incredible sense of taste must live alongside her maturation from innocent child to knowing adult, a process that educates her in this balance between what is pleasant and what is poisonous. Minha's steady good nature and her perseverance in pursuing what truly matters to her, despite myriad challenges, will charm readers.

   The novel's lush writing creates an absorbing, near fable-like reading experience that readers of cozy stories will enjoy. Kurtz's descriptions of food, clothes, and her keen sense of social hierarchy are particular highlights.

Feast is a delicious read on multiple levels. The plot moves along quickly, the characters are engaging, and the food descriptions are ever so sumptuous. The main character, Minha, gets to taste a small sliver of each extravagant dish as it passes by her door on its way to the dining room. Her incredible sense of smell and taste have resulted in her being given the "job" of poison detector for a paranoid duct in late 19th century England. This book has a bit of suspense, a touch of magical realism and a healthy dose of historical fiction. It's a quick read and kept me up late into the night turning the pages. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in that time period, in food and in the tough choices poor women had to make if they were to survive.

Feast captured an explosion of senses in the telling of the tale of a young girl born with the unique ability of taste. There was such a resilience to Minha that made her endearing to the reader. I felt like I tasted every dish along with her when she became the duc's poison taster. I suffered along with her during her periods of aloneness.
The author's strength was in her vivid descriptions.

My only area of weakness was that towards the end the pacing needed to slow down. Once leaving the castle, there was not enough time spent on developing her new life.

I received a free copy of Feast by Cathereine Kurtz from the publisher, Bookbrowse and Netgalley. Imagine being born with the sense of taste so 'keen' you can tell if something is poisoned. Imagine saving a Duc from death and then to be whisked away as the official poison taster. Left in a room for the sole purpose of detecting if there is poison in Duc Nicolas' food...and then you lose that gift...!

Who is she without her sense of taste, what will define her now. What will she do?
This is where we are in this interesting historical. The writing is wonderful although I found myself less interested in the story as a whole.

I would recommend this story for all those who like historical fiction with a touch of magic.

Feast was a very intriguing premise...especially since I love food & cooking and any story about pre-20th century France pulls me in. Unfortunately, I was disappointed; Minha is a great character but the rest of the cast was not well developed. Additionally, Minha's ability seemed to be more magical/fantastical than a true natural gift.I'm not at all certain how this novel would be received in a book club.