Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
A Really Big Lunch  By  cover art

A Really Big Lunch

By: Jim Harrison, Mario Batali - introduction
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.56

Buy for $15.56

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Jim Harrison's legendary gourmandise is on full display in A Really Big Lunch. From the titular New Yorker piece about a French lunch that went to 37 courses to pieces from Brick, Playboy, Kermit Lynch's newsletter, and others; from the relationship between hunter and prey to the obscure language of wine reviews, A Really Big Lunch is shot through with Harrison's pointed aperçus and keen delight in the pleasures of the senses. And between the lines, the pieces give glimpses of Harrison's life over the last three decades. A Really Big Lunch is a literary delight that will satisfy every appetite.

©2017 Jim Harrison (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about A Really Big Lunch

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    105
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    84
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    86
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Meh.

Would you listen to A Really Big Lunch again? Why?

No. I quit halfway. It turned into a chore to listen; it got boring. I officially lost interest when he listed the French wines they drank. This went on for several minutes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Nope. The story reminded me of Grandpa Simpson, who would weave in and out of anecdotes without segues. This was folksy and cute for a while, but it grew tiresome.

Any additional comments?

The narrator sounded like Wilford Brimley. On one level, this works because that's probably close to what Harrison himself sounded like. However, I am still recoiling over the line, "We talked about sex." Shudder. Not ageism; I would not have retched if Robert Redford had read that line, and he's 148 years old.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

If you love Jim's books on food.

I'm a fan of Jim Harrison's food books and this one doesn't disappoint. I simply love his take on food, while I would never be able to eat the way he describes himself as eating, I am anamored by his lust and zeal for life and food. I also enjoy his sense of underlying humor. He subtle and if you aren't paying attention you can miss it. The audio is also fantastic. The narration is so close to Jim's voice, it's almost like having him read it to you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Memorable narration

Fun collection of food journalism that is an ode to gluttony. Definitely over the top, and a good reminder how shallow gluttony can be. The voice of the narrator is even more in character than Harrison’s own voice (as seen on Bourdain’s No Reservations, season 5). Astounding that this guy managed to write a bunch of serious novels and poetry while also drinking so much (though I haven’t read any of those).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you Jim Harrison . . . RIP . . .

What a wonderful collection of marvelous essays about so much more than food - about life, living, mortality, sensuality, satisfaction and much more, all described with humor - to be published so soon after this great American writer's passing. The Reader's voice and manner of reading Jim Harrison's words very much resulted in a mental image of Jim Harrison, himself, reading his own words.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Well written, easy listen

This is a collection of articles where Harrison recaps the meals he's had. It's akin to a sports writer covering the games. You probably don't need to read them -- they're not that important -- but if you do, you'll find them entertaining. There are only so many ways one can write about food, so it's impossible for him not to repeat himself now and again. I'm not sure how many times he tells us he's buddies with Mario Batali. (By the way, Batali, who wrote the introduction, is a surprisingly good writer.) Harrison seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of food and wine, so if you're in the food industry, this is probably a must listen. The narrator imitates Harrison's gravelly voice and while it's good, I don't think it was necessary.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Brutal to get through-It was our book club choice

It is practically unfathomable that this author wrote the novella “Legends of the Fall” an notable piece of writing and a poet great movie. This book is like watching someone slowly kill themselves. Don’t waste you money or credit. Ahhhhh! My head literally hurts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A lot of fun

If you enjoy food, wine, great story-telling, and (to borrow a phrase from the author) “living vividly”, you will enjoy this book. I certainly did.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Nice

Would you consider the audio edition of A Really Big Lunch to be better than the print version?

Awesome book, expressions are really good

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Awesome book, expressions are really good

What does Joe Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Awesome book, expressions are really good

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Awesome book, expressions are really good

Any additional comments?

Awesome book, expressions are really good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!