Roasting In Hell's Kitchen

Fascinating and boring at the same time, this book is like sitting down with Gordon Ramsay and being forced to listen to his entire life's story without being able to interrupt or to ask questions. I believe Gordon actually wrote every word himself, and I sincerely doubt the editors at HarperEntertainment did much of anything to shape this narrative. If they did, they certainly were unobtrusive, because Gordon's voice is very clear all the way through, and yes, he really does use the F word ... a lot.

This is an autobiography of sorts - not exactly memoirs, and not all that exciting unless you are really a big fan of either Gordon Ramsay or a fine dining fanatic. As much as I have enjoyed the Fox TV Show, "Hell's Kitchen" and the few episodes of "Kitchen Nightmares" that I've seen, I found myself yawning and having to go back and read sections again, and had to force myself to finish the book.

This is not a book to learn from - unless what you want to learn is how Gordon Ramsay views his history and his accomplishments and the people in his life. I came away not liking him as much as when I began the book, and I'm not entirely sure why. I think some of my irritation was because he does so much talking about how much things cost - including what he paid for his brother's teeth. There's a great deal of pure, raw resentment unleashed in this book - so perhaps writing it was cathartic for him. It doesn't make for a very pleasant, or even interesting read unless you're a fan of Gordon Ramsay.

I can tell you this - after reading this book I have totally lost my desire to know anything more about what he refers to as "fine dining" and I do not want to eat in Hell's Kitchen. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Photo Credit: Amazon.com Roasting in Hell's Kitchen