Rating: 
Summary: Stuffed full of goodies
Review: Patricia Volk comes from an amazing family full of passionate, aggressive, intense people. There's Aunt Ruthie, a little old lady who looks sweet but has a tounge like a razor, Aunt Gertie who married badly but proudly carried on, Granny Ethel who was a great beauty but a terrible mother, grandfather Jacob who came from Europe as a boy, made a fortune and fell in love with one look. In between the chapters on her relatives Volk drops a few mentions of the restaraunt that kept the family going and settles a few scores. Like her Aunt Lil she remembers everything and tells all.
You wouldn't want to know these people-- except for Nana Polly and Audrey most were really dreadful folks-- and you certainly wouldn't want to work for any of them but it's a fascinating peep into a world most of us are totally unfamiliar with. If you like books about New York, or foodie books or just love a juicy memoir Stuffed will satisfy.
Rating: 
Summary: Seconds, please
Review: A delightful read! Ms. Volk's colorful family seem like characters out of a Woody Allen movie. I enjoyed the book immensely!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: As a deli owner's daughter with a big quirky family of my own I was predisposed to love this book before I even turned the first page. Patricia Volk shows us that life is really in the details as she paints vivid, strikingly honest, funny and always loving portraits of her immediate and extended family. She also captures and preserves for us a time and culture in New York City that is fading into memory. Her stories about her family's elders makes you want you want to reach back into the past and pull forward all the grandmothers and grandfathers, and aunts and uncles and mothers and fathers who've left us already, so that they can walk through our lives and down the streets of NYC
one more time. Her chapter about her father's illness and death will resonate deeply with anyone who has accompanied someone they loved through the process of dying. My mother always said "As long as you can laugh and cry at the same time you know you're OK". This book strikes that balance beautifully.
Rating: 
Summary: pretty, semi-witty, not too wise
Review: Despite that awful cover photo, the ones inside offer proof that Volk's was indeed a physically attractive family.I feel I ought to mention this, as her family's beauty seems to be one of the top three qualities that Volk is most proud of. The book, unlike Ruth Reichl's, does not take you behind the scenes of the restaurant business, but behind the scenes of Volk's privileged upbringing. It is worth spending an hour with, but look elsewhere for what the book is being marketed as. Last, I was disappointed that not the slightest effort is made to pull all the vignettes together into some sort of intelligent conclusion. If you can't afford the book, just seek out a witty friend and buy her lunch, you'll come away with the same feeling. We don't expect profundity from our nearest and dearest, but many expect an author to make some effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Disgusting cover!
Review: Didn't the publisher realize that a skinny kid with a well-stuffed belly could most likely mean parasites! Can't look at the cover, can't buy the book!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. Thank you for such a good read!
Rating:
Summary: Good Memories, Great Food
Review: I am 46 years old, third generation garment manufacturer, and grew up with Morgens being my all-time favorite restaurant. Cecil was a fantastic host, who entertained me with jokes, whenever I went in with my Father, and Uncle. Audrey was a beautiful woman, who did a great job helping to run the place. My family ate there at least 3 times a week for lunch, and often entertained customers, after work for drinks and dinner. When I visited from school, I always ate lunch there, with my favorite waiter Gus. This book brought back very fond memories, and I was especially touched by the chapter of Cecil's death. When Spring comes, I will go look for his bench. Great job!
Rating:
Summary: Sweet as Sugar ( maybe just a little tart)!
Review: I couldn't put the book down. I feel a little loss now that I finished it. I actually picked it up by mistake when I was browsing the coobook section but am I glad I did.
Touching, funny but mostly loving, this book tells it in ways that I only wish I could say. What a great writer. Makes you want to know the whole family !
Rating:
Summary: Starved
Review: I had such high hopes for this book. I couldn't wait to devour it in one sitting. However, I walked away...starved. This had such great potental. Some of the characters in her family began to whet my appetite but stopped short. Perhaps if a fmily tree were included in the book it would have helped when she jumps from one generation to the next. Yes, she should be very proud of the accomplishments of her family, but you get the feeling she just needed to write this book so she too could say she accomplished somthing. Where is the story of a restaurant family? You heard more about what they did with the riches they earned from the restaurant than you did about being a restaurant family. If you are starved for some true comfort reading try Comfort Me with Apples, or Tender at the Bone, both by Ruth Reichl. Or pick up any of M.F.K. Fisher's books and savour a true gourmet of both food and words.
Rating:
Summary: Stuffed is DELICIOUS
Review: I have consumed "Stuffed" so greedily that I read the entire thing in one day-it was a binge of wonderful reading. Every single page was filled with the kind of language I love best: people, nuance, food, relationships, history, and a sense of place. It's like sitting with someone in my own family and looking at scrapbooks and photo albums. I keep hearing, "Tell us again! Tell us again!" as I turn the pages. I love this book. I read passage after passage out loud to my husband-there are so many little nuggets of information and entertainment. Patricia Volk is a wonder. Oh, what a sweet book, and what inspiring writing.
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