This was a fun read I picked up at a book store in a section called soon to be a major motion picture. Since Helen Mirren was supposed to star in it and it was set in France, and about cooking, I had to get it. At times I thought it was a bit cartoonish, especially when Hassan and his father are in the market just steps behind Madame Mallory. I saw it in my mind's eye as a cartoon, the scuttling figure of Mallory just disappearing behind a fish cart. But it was a fun read and the characters became less cartoon like as the story developed. I wanted a more satisfying ending but you always get everything you want.