Be Ready When the Luck Happens
A Memoir
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4.4 • 244 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon—shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.
Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.
From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This is absolutely everything we want in a memoir from chef-turned-lifestyle-goddess Ina Garten. There are casually revealing details about her life, lessons learned from her nearly five-decade career, stories both hilarious and unexpectedly emotional—and, of course, Jeffrey. Ina’s unconventional marriage (they’re madly in love and, for most of their relationship, have seen each other only on weekends) is the spine of this memoir. That said, Ina’s own story—growing up in suburban Connecticut with emotionally distant parents, then becoming a college student, military wife, and Washington bureaucrat before deciding on a whim to buy a struggling beachside food store in the Hamptons—is pretty fascinating. (Turns out the store was called The Barefoot Contessa even before Ina bought it!) Written in the same down-to-earth style she’s made famous on TV and in her cookbooks, Be Ready When the Luck Happens is an utter delight.
Customer Reviews
Amazing
Amazing woman . . .amazing story!
Boring boring boring
I couldn’t get through the first 100 pages! I was hoping for a Ruth Reichl type of story and writing but was sadly disappointed. Don’t waste your money.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens
A lovely story that inspires a surprising self reflection on taking risk and diving into what you love to achieve, through joy and creativity. Ina is kind and generous in her storytelling. This is a book that feels good to read. Like a recipe that’s fun to cook. Enjoy