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Toast
- The Story of a Boy's Hunger
- Narrated by: Nigel Slater
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
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Toast
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Summary
Now a critically-acclaimed play at London’s The Other Palace Theatre.
‘Remarkable' Observer
'Acutely observed, poignant and beautifully written' Daily Telegraph
‘My mother is scraping a piece of burned toast out of the kitchen window, a crease of annoyance across her forehead. This is not an occasional occurrence. My mother burns the toast as surely as the sun rises each morning.’
Toast is Nigel Slater’s award-winning biography of a childhood remembered through food. Whether recalling his mother’s surprisingly good rice pudding, his father’s bold foray into spaghetti and his dreaded Boxing Day stew, or such culinary highlights as Arctic Roll and Grilled Grapefruit (then considered something of a status symbol in Wolverhampton), this remarkable memoir vividly recreates daily life in 1960s suburban England.
Likes and dislikes, aversions and sweet-toothed weaknesses form a fascinating backdrop to Nigel Slater’s incredibly moving and deliciously evocative portrait of childhood, adolescence and sexual awakening.
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What listeners say about Toast
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Nicky Armstrong
- 27-06-20
Simply told and frankly honest
Flavoured with the taste of remembered dishes and sweets, I enjoyed every mouthful of Nigel's recounting of his childhood.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- NMCB
- 07-09-19
Toast is wonderful.
How lovely to be read to by Nigel himself.
His story so endearing, heartbreaking, funny and tasty.
If only there was a way to see this book...
(Oh wait, there is, a play called ‘Nigel Slater’s Toast’ is touring the UK.
Wonderful!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-03-22
Irritating
I’m sure the author deliberately speaks with his stroppy teenager voice as the book is about the early years of his life. Unfortunately it’s irritating to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan
- 26-09-19
Memoirs of a foodie's 50s and 60s childhood.
Honest, funny, tragic, reminiscences that will strike a chord with anyone born in 50s UK.
Engagingly read by the author, it finished too soon.
Thank you Nigel
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- T Bromley
- 08-05-23
I think I spat out my coffee more than once!
Another gem of Nigels. I so love his stories of his life. Enthralling, touching, tender and downright funny. This book had a few extras too that I wasn’t expecting but it all made sense in how it formed and shaped his life.
Off to download another book!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Louisa
- 13-12-06
Delicious
Even if you don?t like cooking very much, Slater?s passion for food comes across in every chapter, as does his love for his mother despite her appalling cooking. For some reason I?d got it into my head that the book was about an underprivileged boy who doesn?t have enough to eat ? but it?s not that ? it?s about a yearning for the love and comfort of home. I thoroughly recommend this book whether you like cookery or not. Slater reads the text himself and this is what makes the story so moving.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- K Bright
- 29-03-15
Easy listen
I'd seen the Film adaptation on TV. So though I'd have a go at the audio book Far more detail and at times moving.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rosemary
- 03-01-15
Love this read by Nigel Slater
Would you consider the audio edition of Toast to be better than the print version?
I think its an added bonus to have Nigel Slater read his own memoir. He brings it alive and we fully enter into his childhood and connect with his memories triggered by food - foods which date us - like tinned steak and kidney pies! It's a moving and beautifully read book which made me want to follow Slater's culinery work but before listening I knew little about him and was solely attracted by the concept of the memoir.
What did you like best about this story?
It uses food to trigger memory - good and bad memories - and allows us to re-imagine our own childhood through those triggers. His memory of his Mother's 'bad' cooking - her burnt toast - and his description of his loneliness as a child works extremely well.
What about Nigel Slater’s performance did you like?
He reads his own words with life and colour. You believe him when he relives his childhood and his horror of eggs and his father's battle to get him to 'man' up and eat them. Slater writes and reads well and memoirs are particularly well served by the author reading them.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Toast works well for me! It's used with impact in the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-01-21
fascinating, moving,funny
I loved hearing Nigel Slater narrate his painfully honest autobiography. highly recommended. A must read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lucy T.
- 10-01-23
Really loved this book
Was not expecting this style of story telling- had I known I might not have downloaded it but! It’s a wonderful way to listen to N S,s upbringing through food. His humour mixed with sadness is extremely touching and I think his book could have doubled is size I didn’t want it to end
Made me terribly hungry as well
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