Stanley Park

Jeremy is a chef in Vancouver and owns his own small restaurant, with the focus being on local food; however, he has run up a lot of bills to make a go of this place, and it's catching up to him. His dad is an anthropology professor, conducting a study of homeless people in Stanley Park. The Professor is also interested in a murder of two children, a cold case from the late 40s/early 50s.

Some parts were more interesting than others. It was the unsolved murder that drew me to the book to begin with, but there was so little about it in the book, and past the initial description of it (apparently, this really is a cold case in Vancouver), what was there just didn't hold my interest very much. The food aspect of the book didn't do anything for me (in fact, I wouldn't have eaten a single thing mentioned in the book, but then, I'm not at all adventurous with food), although the restaurant part got more interesting as the story went on. The Professor and his homeless friends were pretty boring, I thought. Overall, despite my mostly negative comments, I'd consider the book "o.k.", but nothing more.

Very well written, it grabbed my attention from the beginning, with a spot-on description of the title locale. The author has done a fantastic job in bringing to life the chaos and heartache that is the life of a chef, along with the joys and passion. The research that must have gone into this work is impressive.

This book was a great read. I enjoyed the blend of culinary delights, Stanley Park inhabitants, and an unsolved murder mystery.

Generally I found this book a little edgy, its continual references to Vancouver and its various locations seemed a little contrived and strained. Its central character development seemed a little weak. Generally I found this book to be a little hard to come back to. Stanley Park lacked the necessary "Hook" that all sucessful books must have in order to catch and hold its readers. As far as a Canadian book is concerned I feel that Stanley Park ranks in the lower spectrum of literary indevour.