Hearty is a well curated essay collection about food, food culture, and growing and eating food by andrea bennett. Due out 3rd Sept 2024 from ECW Press, it's 256 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
The author has a vital, restful, interesting voice and the ruminations from the book are well written and pleasant, occasionally profound, and engaging. From making lilac syrup to real conversations about what and how we prepare food, how we take care of our community, what interpersonal relations mean in a context of food and nourishment, and even the politics/philosophy of dietary restrictions and vegetarianism.
This is not in any meaningful way a recipe/cooking book. It's worth reading, but not for the recipes. It's not an academic treatise either, but it is well annotated, and the chapter notes are likely worth the price of the book just for the links for further reading. A few of the essays included in this collection were previously published in other forms in other publications.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 21 minutes and is beautifully read by Panta Mosleh. She has a rich alto voice, very well modulated, and there's a contemplative, gentle cadence to the read which her voice suits very well. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
andrea bennett was not previously on the radar, but is certainly now one to for whom to keep an eye out. They write well and perceptively.
Four and a half stars. The book would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, smallholders, gardening groups, and gifting.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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