The Washington Post calls 'Season to Taste' a "tantalizing food memoir." It is "a pilgrimage out of devastation toward reclaiming the dream of being a chef."
A "smart, lovely book," from the
Boston Globe
(also in the Globe:
On the Nose)
'Season to Taste' in the New York Times:
"The Cook Who Couldn't Taste"
(...and
The Seattle Times)
An interview with
The Independent
"Birnbaum's account of her trials is touching and readable, informed by research and richened by real honesty about her experience... From Birnbaum's unique experience of loss and recovery comes a message of strength—and an appreciation of the unbelievable power of scent," from
Serious Eats
"...rich and insightful... 'Season to Taste' is a veritable feast for the reader. In the midst of her struggles, Birnbaum emerged less as a patient and more as a student, her quest for knowledge taking her, and us, to places that one might never readily associate with the scent of a freshly cut lawn on a summer day," from the
Charlotte Observer
"Birnbaum tells her story with verve and curiosity as she takes readers through the strange world of loss and recovery," from the
the Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A poignant account of how acutely Birnbaum felt the loss [of her sense of smell], how she got lucky and got better … As her sense of smell (and enjoyment of life) gradually returns, Molly’s words capture her heady appreciation, curiosity and wonder at the power of scent. This is a true story that will make you inhale deeply and savour whatever you smell," from Time Out London.
"When it comes to doing her groundwork, Birnbaum is unbeatable. No aspect of the nasal experience escapes her: the physiology of smell, scent and memory, scent and sex, scent and literature," from the Daily Telegraph Review
"...inspirational, honest and engrossing.
Season To Taste is a book to get you thinking - and smelling - more," from Nicky Pellegrino in the
New Zealand Herald.
"Season to Taste is a fascinating, illuminating and heartwarming read and a revelation of how aroma is woven, in intricate and complex patterns, through the tapestry of our lives," from
The Fragrance Forum. (Where there is also a
Q&A.)
An interview with
Emily Rooney on WGBH radio
Radio Boston's Meghna Chakrabarti
interviewed me on WBUR
An interview with
the BBC's Outlook
A conversation with Libby Purves on the
BBC's Midweek Radio 4, with Pat Kenny on
RTE Radio 1, and The Kitchen Cafe on the
BBC's Radio Scotland.
Q & A on
The Daily Beast
And a Q & A on
Gilt Taste
And one with
New Scientist
"A culinary-minded journalist...movingly depicts the nearly ineffable plight of the anosmic...alongside passages of sweeping journalistic discovery of all things olfactory. A brave, unflagging memoir," from
Kirkus Reviews
Q & A on
Kirkus Reviews blog
"Moving and informative," from
Publishers Weekly
From the Boston Herald:
"A Matter of Taste"
(...and their food blog,
Fork Lift)
An interview with
WNYC's Leonard Lopate
On WOR News Talk Radio's the Joan Hamburg show
(June 23rd, Hour 2)
A conversation with Michael Harlan Turkell on the Heritage Radio Network's
The Food Scene
"Fascinating and vivid...Packed with information and a great read to book. I was smitten," from
Library Journal
"A truly mouthwatering read," from
BookPage
A Summer Hot Read
from the NY Post
(...and
The Book Case)
(...and
Jewish Woman Magazine)
"...a lyrical story," from the
Brown Alumni Magazine
"How often do you read a book you love and realize that the author lives in your neighborhood?" from my neighbor, on
BookDwarf