I often feel that publishers fail their authors with book covers. Sometimes I wonder if the designer was given the opportunity to read the text rather than just provided with a brief. I’m sure that’s not the case with Jonathan Grimwood’s The Last Banquet whose jacket suits it beautifully.
We first meet five-year-old Jean-Marie d’Aumout in 1723, enthusiastically eating stag beetles, analysing their taste and describing it to himself. Rescued by the Duc d’Orléans, he’s set upon a path which will see him become Manager of the Menagerie for Louis XV and negotiating with Pasquale Pauli on the eve of the Corsican war for independence before retiring to his chateau to pursue his scientific and culinary curiosity, always attended by Tigris, the blind tiger he’s reared from a cub. For Jean-Marie, the whole world’s a pantry and continues to be so throughout his long life during which he consumes an astonishing variety of things. Having followed the trajectory of the Age of Reason, this vibrantly original novel ends in 1790, the year after the Revolution began.
Not being an SF/fantasy reader, it took me a while to catch on that Jonathan Grimwood was better known to many as Jon Courtenay Grimwood. He also writes thrillers under the name Jack Grimwood but as far as I can see, this one was his only outing as Jonathan.
What about you, any blasts from the past you’d like to share?
You can find more posts like this here.
Discover more from A Life in Books
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
This look an intriguing read, and one I haven’t come across before. Though it looks as though certain passages might be a bit stomach-turning?
A tricky one to answer as Jean-Marie will eat anything in pursuit of flavour but I’m squeamish and loved the book if that helps.
I AM a bit squeamish, but so long as taste tests are not required …
Only if you’re extraordinarily adventurous!
This completely passed me by and it sounds incredible! The cover is so striking too.
I love that cover. It suits the book perfectly!
Sounds amazing and I’d never heard of it!
I’m not sure it made much of an impression which is a shame.
I read this back when it was first published (got the ARC) and while some of it is kind of… er… gross, it was an interesting book. I gave it 4/5 stars.
It is a bit out there but so well done, I thought. Pleased to see you rated it highly
I read this one when it was first released and despite it not being the kind of book I’d usually go for, I remember LOVING it.
I’d been hoping he’s write another but I think probably not after so many years.
I loved this too – thanks for the reminder – https://bronasbooks.com/2013/10/05/the-last-banquet-by-jonathan-grimwood/
Spot on comparison with Pure! Such a shame he didn’t write more literary fiction.
Indeed. I didn’t realise he wrote other under names until I read your post.