Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Cookbook author Jasmine March's life was like a perfect bichamel -- rich, satisfying, and full of butter. Pleasingly plump and glowing with health and happiness, Jasmine basked in domestic bliss with her husband and daughter. But even a great sauce can curdle . . .

Average Customer Rating:

Worst book I have read in awhile...	Customer Rating:
There is not much to say about this book- it was completely boring. The only good thing about it was Jasmine March's food descriptions. That is it and even those weren't enough to carry me through the story. And if you do start out partially enjoying it... the end will just ruin it for you anyway. Don't waste your time OR your money.

Worst book I have read in a long time, or possibly ever

Customer Rating:

I thought this book was mediocre for the beginning half. The characters were okay, and I read this book because I had nothing better to do with my time. As others have mentioned, the book took a really, really bad turn at the end. I am not really into anything that is slightly morbid, but this book was also just off-the-wall odd. I do not want give away the ending to those who wish to read the book, but honestly the ending made the book extremely unlikable and unrealistic. I am writing this months after I read the book, and am still angry at how awful this book was and that I actually spent time to read it. Clearly, there were better things that I could have done with my time!

Misleading, but not a bad read... til you reach the end

Customer Rating:

Bought this at the Salvation Army for about 80 cents, so I feel I got my money's worth, at least. "How to Cook a Tart" sets itself up as a satiric murder mystery- the dead body on the kitchen floor, the reaction more exasperated than upset- but then it goes back in time and becomes something absolutely different. It's a food book, and Jasmine, our somewhat sympathetic main character, is in love with food, especially fat. She believes we should eat what we want, not what we're told to, which is a good point and I'm with her so far. But she overlooks the part where fatty food causes clogged arteries and heart attacks, neither of which are especially tempting. Her family is rather ridiculously unfeeling. Selfish and self-absorbed, both of them- Daniel, the philandering husband, and Careme, the anorexic teenager. It's hard to know why you're reading this book. I thought it was for the murder mystery, but the murder doesn't get referenced again until the book's almost over, when it goes off the deep end. Seriously, how did any editor let this get past him/her? It's bizarre, unsettling, and gross. It's not satiric any more, it's just insane. I will say this book inspired me to want to cook and bake more. I like how Jasmine has the well-stocked larder and ability to just whip something up whenever she feels like it. I wish this book had been more about food and less about pretty much anything else.

Good book, surprise ending	Customer Rating:
I thought this was a well written book and the description of the food was to die for. It would have been a surprise ending, but by reading reviews on this website I prematurely learned what would happen. I recommend that you DO NOT look at older reviews before reading unless you want spoilers, which I didn't.

Fantastic!	Customer Rating:
Boy, am I glad that this book caught my eye at the bookstore. I really loved the ending, unlike some reviewers, and very much enjoyed the descriptions of the marriage, the family unit, and of course the food. Unlike any other book I've read before, I have a strong desire to reread it right now.