Who ate all the pies? (Humble Pie - Gordon Ramsay)

Member Name: kellylouj

Product:	Humble Pie - Gordon Ramsay
Date:	05/09/07 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Detailled insight to the man that is Gordon Ramsay detailling his childhood up to the present day.

Disadvantages: None

As I am finally getting around to putting my feet up with a nice brew and a good book I decided to read my collection of books that I already had and this had been a christmas present from my other half which I was longing to read but wanted to be able to read as much of it in one go as possible.

Published by Harper Collins the book was only released back on the 2nd October 2006,
my hardback version contains 304 pages and I managed to get through the book in just under a week which wasn't too bad and I found I was grabbing every opportunity to read this book I hated putting it down. It is easy to read allowing you to pick up where you last left, always a good sign in my opinion.

I like reading "official" autobiographies as it gives me an insight as to what that person really likes and feels under what is portrayed in the media and helps me understand that person a little better, after reading that the book was an insight into the real Gordon Ramsay both in and out of the kitchen and I was certainly not disappointed.

The book is written in chronological order which I like as you can really get involved in the story without jumping back to other parts every now and then like some other autobiographies do.

The book begins with Gordon's Childhood how tough it was for him as he describes how unsettled his childhood was telling us how he suffered a volatile relationship with his alcoholic father and how his anger caused them to spend most of his life traveling around the country as his dad looked for new employment and how the family had nothing. I really felt emotional reading this book learning how his various homes, feelings about his father's relationship with him and how it has affected his relationship with his mum, brother and sister and also how it has affected his adult life and I could not have read a more honest biography.

Many of us know that Gordon had a promising career playing football in the early years, however by reading the book you will discover how he developed a career in London as a Chef and has quickly become the celebrity Chef we all love to hate.

Gordon Ramsay appears as a hard faced, bad mouthed control freak and this is true of him when he is in the kitchen (after reading the book it seems he is not the only one out there to act like this for instance have you see Hells Kitchen starring Marco Pierre he puts Gordon to shame)
Being a chef and a high profile one at that you can expect to be put through real hell as we learn in the book how hard the job actually is and that this is why Gordon now feels he has to test every single member of his kitchen staff pushing them to the limit to ensure that they are doing what they want to do and he has many loyal staff members working for him for many years.

Gordon Ramsay has always interested me from the moment I saw him on Hell’s Kitchen a few years back and his attitude somehow makes me attracted to him. I have really enjoyed reading this book and can only recommend it to potential readers and as I got to the end of the book I was desperate for a follow up and I definitely am even more interested in him now and would love to meet him in the flesh.

I feel that after reading this book anything is possible, he has dealt with everything that has been thrown at him and made a real success of his career and home life, ensuring it is as different as it can be from his own childhood experiences.

The book also contains some photographs showing his progress and are also published in chronological order which helps see how he has changed into the confident man we all now know or think we know so well.
The writing style of this book is honest and although you can feel the pain he has been through you certainly do not end up feeling sorry for him, his past has spurred him onto be a better person and I can only say read it, even if you don't like him you will end up admiring him.

Summary: Excellent