A novel of Paris in the 1930s from the eyes of the Vietnamese cook
employed by Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, by the author of The
Sweetest Fruits.
Viewing his famous mesdames and their entourage from the kitchen of
their rue de Fleurus home, Binh observes their domestic entanglements
while seeking his own place in the world. In a mesmerizing tale of
yearning and betrayal, Monique Truong explores Paris from the salons of
its artists to the dark nightlife of its outsiders and exiles. She takes
us back to Binh's youthful servitude in Saigon under colonial rule, to
his life as a galley hand at sea, to his brief, fateful encounters in
Paris with Paul Robeson and the young Ho Chi Minh.
Winner of the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award
A Best Book of the Year: New York Times, Village Voice, Seattle
Times, Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News, and others
"An irresistible, scrupulously engineered confection that weaves
together history, art, and human nature...a veritable feast."--Los
Angeles Times
"A debut novel of pungent sensuousness and intricate, inspired
imagination...a marvelous tale."--Elle
"Addictive...Deliciously written...Both eloquent and
original."--Entertainment Weekly
