From telling what it’s like to go blind to confronting the ongoing erosion of time and the mystery of what’s to come, How to Cook a Coyote recounts a decade of change as the food writer and critic Betty Fussell moves from Manhattan to the Montecito retirement community where Julia Child once resided.
She writes vividly about how awful the isolation of Covid was for the elderly ... Fussell’s book is about sex to the extent that she lovingly catalogs the handful of lovers she took in the decades after her divorce from Paul ... [A] vital conversation.
Comes as a refreshing relief ... Vivid ... Fussell relates stories with such intimate zeal that she starts to feel like an old friend. Her anecdotes are laced with comedy ... Hilarious and endearing ... Evocative ... Powerful.
Sardonic ... Burst[s] with memories of food, friendship, sexual passion, and globe-trotting adventures ... The book's 40 miniature essays are self-deprecating...and often employ a playful, inviting direct address to the reader ... These tongue-in-cheek essays remembering sensual joys are perfect for fans of Diana Athill, Ruth Reichl, and Abigail Thomas.
