The Traveling Feast
Written and Narrated By: Rick Bass
Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
Not much on feasting but a lot about traveling; not much on the authors he visits but a lot for the budding writer to take in
Hmm…
Make no mistake: The Traveling Feast is one gorgeously written book, and Rick Bass does a wonderful job with the narration. It’s always hit or miss when an author narrates his own work, but Bass delivers this with wry humor, a sense of fatigue (He’s just gotten a divorce; he can’t quite seem to write), and he, plain and simple, sounds like a really, really, REALLY nice and supportive writing professor, the kind you’d love to have in your corner if you were doing an MFA (Which I avoided like the plague—fine for some people; me? not so much). Indeed, on many legs of this long jaunt of his, he’s invited protégés of his, younger writers who might be feeling a tad insecure and who’d benefit mightily from meeting some of writing’s legends/greats. What a guy, right?
His concept is quite simple: Cross the country, or even zip out of it and cross The Pond to see Sedaris, and spend a little time with iconic writers who came to mean a lot to him. Cook them a fine, or not so fine (Chili, anyone?) dinner, and say thank you in that manner. Nifty, huh?
Welllll…
See, the thing is, while the writing is exquisite, and the humor is definitely there, Bass is taking himself, like, really seriously throughout. He didn’t want the divorce—wah wah wah; his daughters are grown and out of the house—wah. Put it bluntly? Even tho’ it starts humorously enough with him discussing how he would’ve died or killed or done pretty much ANYthing if he coulda attracted Eudora Welty’s notice whilst he was young and struggling to create, the first portion of the book is a total weigh-down. And there’s not enough action going on to, well, keep ya awake. Lemme just say I had the best sleep in weeeeks for a few hours there, and it’s not a very long book.
Perhaps I should mention that when I say there’s not enough action, I mean that each author/artist/poet he visits is only a one-night stay for a (usually) unelaborate meal. Many times the meal is kinda glossed over, and I’d be left scratching my head cuz the word “Feast” is in the title. Ah well. There are indeed times when a feast is what he goes for, and he spends most of the time shopping for groceries and then in the kitchen as his mentor sits outside in the living room, sipping on wine and chatting with his protégés. Nice for the protégés, but if you’re given only a few hours, wouldn’t you like to hear that dude in the kitchen come out to say Thanks for all you taught me… or maybe just Hi?
So while there’s sooome on gourmet dishes and foodstuffs and such all, there’s not a whole heckuva lot on those mentors Bass would like to thank with said meal. I would’ve LOVED to hear a true, non-spastic, conversation that would’ve/could’ve been had with humorist David Sedaris! Instead, we get a lot about Bass committing kitchen faux pas and blunders and earning a squids eye from Sedaris’s boyfriend every now and again.
It kinda goes like that throughout the book, along with a heavy duty dosing about how Jack Kerouac’s On the Road changed the landscape of modern literature… excuse me while I yawn cuz, I admit it: Not a big fan about that book. Less of Kerouac! More of, heck! ANY of the writers who should’ve been featured!
I can’t say I disliked the book, however; it’s simply written far too well, has too many fresh insights about life and nature, and it tackles what it feels like to Have the Blues for, like, a really long time and how that can cripple you and make it harder for you to feel wonder and serenity.
Just don’t go in expecting a lot about the writers. Do go in expecting fantastic writing. And if you yourself are a writer? For heaven’s sake! Don’t miss this book! You’ll find inspiration galore from the way Bass can string it all together.
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