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A Novel
by Rebecca Kauffman
Book Reviewed by:For fans of The Bear, Elizabeth Strout, and Jennifer Egan, The Reservation explores the loves and labors of an ensemble of more than a dozen restaurant workers as they strive to get a perfect meal to the table.
On the morning of the most important booking in the long history of the celebrated restaurant, Aunt Orsa's erupts into chaos with the discovery that twenty-two rib eye steaks have been stolen. Hers is the most august of fine-dining establishments in this Midwestern college town, and tonight Orsa is set to host a large party honoring a very special guest--a bestselling author of national renown.
And what's up with the recent spate of online reviews, from insulting to frankly terrible? Is Orsa, who wants only to be loved, being sabotaged on several fronts? No one is above suspicion, not the Mennonite baker nor the tattooed hard-ass chef de cuisine. Could the culprit be among the servers, or even the inexperienced undergrad working as hostess?
Who aside from Rebecca Kauffman--with her talent for portraying such abundant and sympathetic characters--could write with the wit and energy needed to launch all these various individuals whirling through their days with such complex and interactive choreography?
Like the works of the mystery guest, The Reservation is a dynamic and captivating story that shows us what it takes to get a beautiful meal to the table.
Although The Reservation is far from a conventional mystery novel (and in fact has the potential to frustrate more traditional fans of the genre), watching the characters piece the puzzle together is almost as satisfying as watching a master chef plate a fancy dessert. At times, Kauffman's novel turns broadly humorous, with incidents that veer close to slapstick or sketch comedy. But there are others—including another standalone chapter focusing on two diners determined to have a special night out—that read like classic tragedies in miniature. Throughout, Kauffman illustrates the ways in which the restaurant's workers make vast assumptions about one another—notions that almost always wind up being misguided, narrow-minded, or just plain false...continued
Full Review
(649 words)
(Reviewed by Norah Piehl).
David Lipsky, author of The Parrot and the Igloo and Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself
Rebecca Kauffman is brilliant and her books keep getting brillianter. Marcy Dermansky, author of Hot Air
One thing I love about fiction is that it can take you anywhere. For instance, an entire novel can take off when a whole bunch of steak are stolen from a restaurant refrigerator. That this relatively small theft can change the trajectory of people's lives. With The Reservation, her sixth novel, Rebecca Kauffman has proven herself to be a master of documenting ordinary life—revealing how complicated, rich, puny, funny, beautiful, and absolutely bittersweet it can be.
In Rebecca Kauffman's novel The Reservation, the titular restaurant booking is for a group that includes bestselling author John Grisham. This isn't the first time a novelist has chosen to feature a guest appearance by another author—here are some other notable literary cameos for readers to discover.
Mark Twain in Darryl Brock's If I Never Get Back
Brock's debut novel is a time-travel story about the birth of baseball. A present-day San Francisco journalist gets on a train and is transported to 1869. He joins the Cincinnati Red Stockings baseball team and has a chance encounter with none other than Mark Twain.
Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, and others in Victoria Christopher Murray's Harlem Rhapsody
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