Dinner with Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship

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This was a short sweet book but it would have been better if she had written a more detailed account of her time spent with Edward instead of bagging on her d-bag ex-husband so much. Her friend doesn't live in New York and it is a comfort to have Isabel check in on her ninety three year old father. What follows is Isabel Vincent's memoir of those meals, of her friendship with the multi-talented and faceted Edward and the life changes for both.

The mc was unsympathetic, and although I didn't like her (ex) husband either, I was unimpressed with her constant negative descriptions of him (especially since he himself had no actually voice in the book), no matter how true they may be. As to great books about good food I'd recommend any one of the dozens of America's Test Kitchen cookbooks.

Her recently widowed ninety-something neighbour would prepare weekly meals for Isabel, dinners she would never prepare for herself - fresh oysters, juicy steak, sugar-dusted apple galette. As they progressed from meals a deux to full dinner parties with an eclectic New York crowd, she saw that Edward was showing her how to rediscover the joy of life and turn hers around: how even a shared bowl of chowder could transform loneliness and anxiety into friendship, freedom, and a pure, simple pleasure Isabel had not known she could find again. As they progressed from meals à deux to full dinner parties with an eclectic New York crowd, she saw that Edward was showing her how to rediscover the joy of life. Fabulous well written, captivating - I felt I was Isabel living her story - so beautiful I didn't want it to finish. Although the food (I am partial to the roast chicken, lovingly described) is excellent, it is the charming and effortlessly wise company that makes this sweet read a charming way to pass a day.

a moving memoir of a sweet friendship between Isabel Vincent, a journalist in New York who, at the time, was going through a marriage crisis, and Edward, a ninety-something-year-old who had just lost his wife of 69 years when the two were introduced by his daughter. The book is the unauthorized biography of the international philanthropist, whose fourth husband, the banker Edmond Safra, died in a mysterious fire in Monaco.Delightfully combining the warm heartedness of Tuesdays with Morris with the sensual splendor of Julie and Julia. When Isabel meets Edward, both are at a crossroads: he wants to follow his late wife to the grave, and she is ready to give up on love. I enjoyed spending time with Edward as much as Isabel did and was sorry to have the book end so quickly (it's only 224 pages). This is a nice way to leave things – rather than with a funeral, which might have altered the overall tone.

I liked the way Isabel valued the friendship and grew as a person in the time she was able to experience this special relationship. Vincent's descriptions of food, written with the sumptuous detail of a restaurant review, are something to savor, as are her recollections of Edward himself and the way he dedicated himself to living after having lost the love of his life.With its delicious food, warm jazz, and stunning views of Manhattan, Edward’s home was a much-needed refuge for reporter Isabel Vincent. Isabel is moved from her self-preoccupation by Edward's indomitable spirit and his determination, despite the death of his beloved wife, to live the remainder of his life with joy and meaning.

Isabel was just helping out a friend who asked her to check in on her father who was recently widowed. Edward is teaching Isabel the luxury of slowing down and taking the time to think through everything she does, to deconstruct her own life, cutting it back to the bone and examining the guts, no matter how messy that proves to be. There were redeeming parts, but in general I wondered who was caring for (comforting)her daughter while she indulged in weekly dinners with the elderly Edward.Valerie, Edward's daughter and one of my oldest friends, related the story when I saw her shortly after her mother's death. He teaches her the little joys that make life worth living and she gives him a reason for hanging in there again. The way Edward lives his life so fully in his nineties and his obvious deep love and devotion to his wife who is now dead. A delightful book about a friendship that accepts time passing, savouring without rushing and accepting that life cannot remain stationary. stars Isabel Vincent is in her forties, with a crumbling marriage, newly employed by Th New York Post and has relocated with her family to New York from Toronto after a career spent primarily as a foreign correspondent.