Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing....
Review: I had high hopes for this book and, while some of the stories were interesting, the book left me feeling unsatisfied. Most of the time it seem that the author ran across poor-tasting pies and, at other times, she failed to get recipes for the good ones, both of which were extremely frustrating. Even if she was unable to obtain the exact recipes for the peach pie and the white bean pie she describes, I felt that she should have put some effort towards obtaining good ones. Also, at one point, someone mentioned where she could get the "best" kind of a certain pie, but she refused to go out of her way to drive there (I believe this was an apple pie in Texas)! I readily tired of her constant natter about how good, homemade pie is a disappearing art in America -- a trite comment that really only needed to be mentioned once.
Rating: 
Summary: Pie in the Sky
Review: I have bought this book for all my friends who love to make - or just eat - pie. It's beautifully written and elegantly produced. Most important, it's reassuring in its depiction of an America where people do slow down to make (and eat) pie, and where regional differences do exist. Since reading it, I have worked up fantastic apple-blueberry and lemon meringue pies, and felt connected not only to my heritage as an American but also to my fellow countryfolk out there today, working hard but slowing down for the important things in life - family, good food, and pie. Delicious!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother.............
Review: I have not purchased a book of this low caliber in quite a long time. The author is dull, self aggrandizing, and let's face it, just plain cruel. Could she hold herself in a more venerated state? Could she make more snide cynical remarks about the folks she meets...their problems, lifestyle, language? I doubt it. I could go on forever here, but why bother. I am too embarrassed to donate this book to a charity resale shop.
Rating: 
Summary: THE JOY IS IN THE JOURNEY
Review: I loved this book! I appreciated the way the author was able to so successfully weave together the strands of her personal journey with that of her original mission. I read it slowly; savoring each experience, discovery and connection she made, delighted to be along for the ride. Ms. LeDraoulec writes so lyrically, that each page is a pleasure. We go apple picking every Fall,and I make a fabulous apple crisp. My mother-in-law, however, makes reference apple pie. After reading this book, my 8 year old daughter and I made a date with Grandma to learn all that she can share with us. She was thrilled by our request and we look forward to joining the ranks of American pie-baking women. This book made me smile every time I picked it up.
Rating:
Summary: NPR meets Homespun Pie Hunting
Review: In an NPR-style casual monologue, Pascale Le Draoulec's "American Pie" is more about the hunt for the pie than the pie itself. Maybe you've seen one of those travelogues on PBS in which the guy and his camera crew drive down old Route 66 through the core of America. This has that flavor. There are stories about each stop, and about each person at each stop. We learn about Pie Day and the little old ladies who prepare for it, and the citizens who indulge in the goodies. We overhear conversations about pies and pie history. Never dry, Le Draoulec plucks the plump berries of each town and presents them to us, and swirls a sweet sauce of Americana. Chock-full of tongue-in-cheek awareness, with more than a small grin (and a little bit of flour) on her face, Le Draoulec has created a nice, warm summer read. Read it on your porch, with a glass of wine or lemonade and your feet kicked up on the table. I fully recommend "American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America's Back Roads" by Pascale Le Draoulec. You'll be smacking your lips for more. Anthony Trendl
Rating:
Summary: Great premise, but this book misses in so many ways
Review: Initially I was very excited about this book. I not only love pie, but can make a very good pie. It is quickly becoming a lost art and I thought "what a great idea for a book and a damn good excuse for a road trip." But...and this is a big but, even though the author is suppose to be a food journalist I found her knowledge of food to be spare and her writing style irritating and amateurish. Her descriptions of the people along the way are often cruel. And how many times does she tell us that she stopped and took a photograph of such and such characters, but few are included in the book. So...what is the point? The book is riddled with details that detract rather than enhance the story. Doesn't she have an editor? I think that there should have been more regional pie information and less about their drinking late in the evening in their various motel rooms. This book misses on both counts; as a story about American pie and a chick road trip. There are several pie recipes, but there is no recipe index. This book is a lazy, quickly put together yarn worth telling, but by someone with more talent and insight.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise, but this book misses in so many ways
Review: Initially I was very excited about this book. I not only love pie, but can make a very good pie. It is quickly becoming a lost art and I thought "what a great idea for a book and a damn good excuse for a road trip." But...and this is a big but, even though the author is suppose to be a food journalist I found her knowledge of food to be spare and her writing style irritating and amateurish. Her descriptions of the people along the way are often cruel. And how many times does she tell us that she stopped and took a photograph of such and such characters, but few are included in the book. So...what is the point? The book is riddled with details that detract rather than enhance the story. Doesn't she have an editor? I think that there should have been more regional pie information and less about their drinking late in the evening in their various motel rooms. This book misses on both counts; as a story about American pie and a chick road trip. There are several pie recipes, but there is no recipe index. This book is a lazy, quickly put together yarn worth telling, but by someone with more talent and insight.
Rating:
Summary: Humorous and Insightful
Review: Pascale le Draolec has created a wonderful book that peeps into the lives of people living in the more rual parts of America; not the big cities that always make the headlines like Los Angeles or New York City, but the small towns where, as Pascale puts it, "everybody knows everybody else's buisness."
What is Pascale le Draoulec's "grail?" To find quintessential pie all over America. Not the store bought Sara Lee or McDonalds "dumpster pie" as she christened that breed of pies. No, she wants the old fashioned make-it-from-scratch pie with no store bought fillings or crusts.
And boy, does she find her quintessential pie. She meets people that own seven dogs and bake for therapy, she meets people who bake for a living, and she meets people who bake for the simple pleasure that baking brings them. She finds that a key ingrediant to a good pie is the love and tenderness put in to the making, no rushing or just throwing the ingrediants together.
She meets a lady that makes a heavenly apple and blueberry pie. When she listens to the woman tell her how she made the pie, she hears the care that the woman put into the baking. She also meets a crusty lady who makes an awful pie. The pie's crust is moist and spongy and the filling is tasteless. She finds that the quality of the pie reflects the quality of the person. This is not a book about pie, as it started out to be, it is a book about people and their lives in those small towns that don't make the big headlines.
I recommend this book to everyone and anyone, but when you are reading it, have a slice of pie handy.
Rating:
Summary: tasty treat
Review: Pascale Le Draoulec's "American Pie" is such a treat to savor. Her talent at capturing the flavor of a scene is so acute, she even made this literalist (me) feel like a co-pilot on her drive across America. The book is brimming with quirky, endearing character sketches -- think bear trappers, hog farmers and funeral goers. And the recipes that end each chapter are so much more than just recipes -- they're artifacts that paint unique and wonderful culinary personalities. This is a must read for all people who love to eat pie, bake pie or simply reminisce over pies from the past. Just be warned: reading her chapter on Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, Calif. -- home to the world's most divine ollalieberry pie -- unleashed such strong sensory memories for me, I'm actually planning an expensive detour on an upcoming trip to taste the pie again in person.
Rating:
Summary: TASTY TREAT for PIE LOVERS
Review: Pascale Le Draoulec's ode to pie is such a treat to savor. Her talent at capturing the flavor of a scene is so acute, she had me giggling out loud and feeling like one of her intrepid co-pilots. This book is brimming with quirky, endearing character sketches -- think bear trappers, hog farmers and funeral goers. And the recipes that conclude each chapter are so much more than just recipes -- they're artifacts that give important clues to each baker's culinary personality. This is a must read for all people who love to eat pie, bake pie or simply reminisce over pies from the past. Just be warned: reading her chapter on Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, Calif. -- home to the world's most divine ollalieberry pie -- unleashed such strong sensory memories for me, I'm actually planning an expensive detour on an upcoming trip to taste the pie again in person.
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