A beautifully haunting (and sometimes infuriating) look at one of most fascinating television personality of the last 20 years or so.

I was really excited by this one at first glance, but given the lack of authorization and overall lack of support from the estate I don't know how believable to content really is.

I like who the book is about but the writer did such a terrible job. He was too hung up on Asia for far too long. Very biased or lead story.

This biography was exploitative and very icky. I don't understand why the author is obsessed with his suicide throughout this entire book. This was done in bad taste without respect.

I'll forever read anything related to Anthony Bourdain, and I enjoyed this added insight into his life. This book has gotten some buzz that's deemed it as "tragedy porn" and "overly invasive", but I think that's a bit harsh. Bourdain's life ended in tragedy, and glossing over it feels dishonest. Sure, there were moments when I wondered if I really needed to read his personal text messages and Google searches, but those made up a small portion of what I found to be a well-researched biography.

Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain, by Charles Leerhsen, is one of the worst biographies I have ever read and one of the best examples of shameless exploitation I have ever come across. Leerhsen spends page after page ruminating about what Bourdain might have thought, what others thought and why Bourdain did what he did. He misses few opportunities to cast Bourdain in the worst possible light and degrade or disparage his achievements. He is repeatedly snarky and dismissive. Much of his source material comes from books, documentaries, and other material already in the public domain. The bulk comes from confidential sources, which denies the reader all capacity to evaluate the credibility of the source, the material, or the use to which it was put. He unceremoniously unmasks people in Bourdain's life whose identity Bourdain took pains to protect. Finally, he provides an irresponsible graphic "how-to" description of Bourdain's suicide. I hope no one suffers because of this thoughtless and unnecessary dereliction of journalistic integrity.

Although I appreciated the opportunity to read a digital ARC and thank NetGalley and Simon Shuster, no one should waste their money on this book.

Anthony Bourdain seemed to be a vibrant, confident person in his tv appearances. So this reader was surprised and saddened when it was announced that he had taken his own life. The book Down and Out in Paradise, The Life of Anthony Bourdain is an unauthorized biography that tells a life that is mostly the opposite of what persona was presented by the chef and food lover. If you want to know the details of Bourdain, you may find them in the information given- but to me it was difficult to piece them together into a story of a life. Author Charles Leerhsen uses a combination of opinions on looks, friendship changes and relationships with women to create a picture of Bourdain. All of Bourdain’s writing success and culinary prowess seemed to be just presented as results of his life changes and decisions as opposed to hard work. To me the writing is weirdly presented, using a lot of parentheses and extra phrases to cram pieces into sentences that were partial thoughts. This writing style made it hard to read, along with the assumption that the audience of this book is an expert on Anthony Bourdain. The author said that Anthony didn’t use a chronological order type memoir for his book Kitchen Confidential because there isn’t enough action in some people’s lives to keep the reader moving along. Perhaps that is why this book is written as it is. Leerhsen seemed to be all over the place in time frame and was quite scattered about the information that he chose to show Bourdain’s life, and for that I did not feel I learned about the chef himself in this work. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to preview this book in return for an honest opinion.

Ok, I am an admitted Anthony Bourdain fan…I have read his books, as well as books about him. Down and Out in Paradise certainly had some new info, and I could see him in a different light. More human, and flawed. But not in a bad way. Great portrayal that helps humanize him.

This isn’t a fun read but it’s well-researched with lots of details about the life and death of Bourdain. At times, I didn’t like the direction the author went when speaking about the woman in his life at the end as there seemed to be blaming going on which seemed like a big stretch and one that was unfair. I appreciate Simon and Schuster for sending me the book to review.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book having already read a lot about Bourdain’s life, both from his point of view and from other books written about it. What I will say about this is that it seems incredibly well-researched. It’s so thorough that I definitely learned certain facts I didn’t know before and there were different angles exploring information I was familiar with that made me see it in a new light.

However this book is DENSE. Every paragraph felt like criss-crossing references to other things that I had to wade through, and it made the subject matter less approachable. The timeline was also non-linear so I feel like if someone who isn’t that familiar with Bourdain’s story were to pick it up, they might be a bit lost.

My main criticism is that the thesis of this book is about how his ex-girlfriend contributed to his suicide. I find that to be a fairly problematic conclusion, and while reading this, didn’t ultimately agree with it. It almost seemed like the author decided that’s what happened, and tried to extract and twist information to fit his narrative. Additionally this is billed as that being the overarching theme, but it really is only fully dealt with in the last 25-ish percent, and is not wrapped up in a satisfying way.

In conclusion, I think this is a very thorough and well-researched book about Bourdain, but there are better books out there to start with if you haven’t read about him before. If you have, you will probably find this interesting but ultimately it doesn’t add much to his overall story.

I've been an admirer of Bourdain for years having loved his travel programs, Parts Unknown and No Reservations. I knew from a distance he had some troubles with alcohol and depression but I've never read any of his books nor had I made any effort into learning more about him. Until now.

My heart broke in 2018 with news of his suicide and it has now broken again knowing all that I have learned about him.

He was a troubled soul from has far back as his youth. He never wanted to conform or to follow any rules. That was always part of his appeal to me. He always seemed to be just the right side of bad boy to make him seductive. His lust for food, travel, and other cultures was indisputable.

"He was the epitome of cool, a sad-smiling Jersey boy who combined supremely high standards with the underappreciated art of not giving a shit in ways that seemed to excite both sexes."

On himself:

"I spent most of my waking hours drinking, smoking pot, scheming, and doing my best to amuse, outrage, impress and penetrate anyone silly enough to find me entertaining."

Also on himself:

"I was a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive, and thoughtless young lout, badly in need of a good ass kicking."

Something I hadn't realized was that he spent many years in the 80's cooking around NYC addicted to heroin and crack cocaine.

As with most highly intelligent people he was always harder on himself than anyone else. While he may have been on top of the world, in life, he was at the very bottom.

The alcohol, drugs, and self loathing is the perfect trifecta for the perfect storm in any person. But it may have been his relationship with Asia Argento that finally pushed him toward the edge.

I do not know her nor will I ever but I can tell you that I have a strong dislike for this woman. Her fiery temper, her aloofness all made Anthony crazy. She claims that Harvey Weinstein raped her when she was 21 which is terrible but then she continued to have a 5 year sexual relationship with him for money and support. Again, I don't know her or her mental stability but I'm guessing she's got some major issues to work through. Speaking of issues, she was also accused of sexually assaulting a 17 year old boy, a young up and coming actor, claims which she denies but that have texts and photos that prove otherwise. Anthony paid this young man $380,000.00 to make it all go away. This is after Bourdain rallied for her against Weinstein and even leaked information on Mario Batali, one of his closest friends, when he heard of the accusations made toward him. I think this revelation may have been his final straw.

"By briefly reliving his past, he may have gotten a glimpse of how far he had come. By experiencing what he had been, he may of seen more clearly what he turned into - a character out of a sordid, slightly deranged James Ellroy novel, a doomed and desperate lover who hired a private detective to soil an obscure kid actor for the sake of a woman who respected him less for each effort he made on her behalf. The kind of man who had talented, loyal people living in constant fear of being banished from a show for which they worked hard and given up much to make great. It was an especially horrible thing for Tony to learn about himself, that he had lost his integrity in pursuit of a woman who seemed to spend her life performing for the paparazzi and clowning on Instagram, but perhaps there was some consolation and peace in finally seeing things for what they were."

Anthony Bourdain, you are still missed to this day. I hope you have found peace amongst the stars. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my complimentary copy.

Thank,you NetGalley, Charles Leerhsen and Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for a book review.

Anthony Bourdain. Attractive, charismatic, troubled, excessive and obsessive. With a loving family and a dream job, he was at the top of the mountain hosting television shows and authoring a best selling book. He had a fan base that were intrigued by his tall, dark good looks and his culinary bad boy demeanor. One would think that he had it all. His demons however never allowed for that happiness to keep him rooted or to give him satisfaction.
He had two ruined marriages and a fathered a daughter Ariane with his second wife Ottavia Busia.
Bourdain met Italian actress Asia Argento in 2016 and their relationship escalated quickly with Tony falling hard as Asia became his latest addiction ( supposedly putting a dent in the relationship he had with his daughter.)
Tony was cycling out of control, his moods were disruptive as his professional and personal relationships shattered. The last year of his life he suffered through extreme highs and crushing lows. Bourdain committed suicide in June 2018.
Charles Leerhsen has written a wonderfully revealing book. Highly recommended.

The book captures the essence of Tony Bourdain, a beloved character in the foodie world. Each sentence is packed with details (and a lot of words) about Tony Bourdain, showing the incredible amount of research that has gone into the writing of this book. However, the book is not written in linear time and is more in the style of the Frank-Sinatra-has a-cold-genre. It is not a neat and tidy depiction of a complex man, and in that regard, the writing style reflects the intensity and contradictions and empathy in the subject,. The best part of the books was quoting Tony Bourdain himself- a man of perception and insight, who was after all, very human.

Aside from Diary of a Misfit, this is my favorite upcoming non-fiction book this year. Truly astounding and engaging writing, sympathetically written and very moving.

I have a confession to make: I've never been very interested in travel shows or cooking programs, but I knew Anthony Bourdain was famous and a terrific writer (if not a gifted chef) as well as an entertaining personality. This book is very, very detailed and just what an admirer of someone loves to read. Because I've never caught the Bourdain bug, I experienced it as a bit tedious and written in a self-conscious style...as in, "Look at me! I can twirl words around like pasta on a fork!". I've never loved writers who sacrifice focus on the subject for relentlessly distracting cleverness. I also found it hard to like Anthony Bourdain as he is presented in this book but presume it is an accurate portrait. He comes across as emotionally stunted, needing constant stimulation, and selfish in relationships (particularly regarding his daughter). In the end, he became so jaded by having everything he wanted, he became vulnerable to an all-consuming roller coaster ride of a relationship with a narcissistic, emotionally ill woman. Exciting...sort of. Until Bourdain wanted some level of faithfulness and emotional support. It became the worst of all rabbit holes and he was unable to grab for any branch that would stop his fall. It is all terribly sad.
I'm giving this book four stars because an Anthony Bourdain admirer might really love it, and just because the portrait of him in "Down and Out" leaves me very cold, it doesn't mean it isn't a perfect book for someone else.

A good recount of the people and things in Bourdain's life that brought him to ending his life. This book contains a lot of bits about Kitchen Confidential, which I loved so much. It contains his relationship with Eric Ripert and Asia Argento. I thought this book did a good job of showing chronological breakdown of Anthony's trajectory to stardom, and the baggage that comes with that.

In DOWN AND OUT IN PARADISE Charles Leerhsen delivers a biography Anthony Bourdain himself would have recognized: tart, cynical, waspish, stinging, always pushing the envelope. The information in it isn't new, but Leerhsen's fascination with Bourdain's fractures and insecurities and ambitions is intriguing nevertheless. A hard-to-put-down, yet painful-to-read book, especially if you're a Bourdain fan.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the early read of this intriguing bio.

Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain by Charles Leerhsen
This was an interesting book to read and the first about Anthony Bourdain I have read. I have read his book: Kitchen Confidential after he committed suicide in 8 June 2018. Like many, I was shocked by his death and only knew him as someone whom I enjoyed his love of life, food, alcohol and people from all over the world. So, this book by Mr. Leerhsen added some background to my understanding of who was Tony. Needless to say, as I read, I kept thinking no Tony no but obviously to no avail. His personality was beyond obsessive whether it was food, comics or testing himself with alcohol and drugs. He knew he was not a great chef but he was a verbal poet. I think his writing when spoken on the food/travel shows was incredible and clearly it was from the center of his heart and soul. For this he was a cursed genius. I know there are other books available on Anthony Bourdain’s life but I do recommend this one.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster, Charles Leerhshen and Netgalley.
For me, this may just be a case of too much, too soon.
I really thought that I was ready. But, I'm not.
You know, I loved Bourdain. He tucked into a few places that I'd want to visit. Not because of some weird food,"or even good food! " But because the locales and people were intriguing. Who else would want to visit Romania because of their graveyards!
Anthony was amazing at what he did.
This book? I expect that I'll finish it someday. This will not be that day. Possibly not even the year!
There have been a few favorite people over the years that have killed themselves. I've never yet been able to read, nor watch anything with it about them. Robin Williams? Nope. My favorite band was INXS. I still mourn Michael's death.
Suicide messes with fans too. If it's this hard for us, then it has to be majorly messed up for the family.
I never came close to finishing this book, so I can't in all fairness leave a rating.
Best wishes for this author!
Whoops! Without stars, I can't leave a review! Fine. 4*

3.5 this is a well written book, however a lot of the information is just rehashed from other books. If you haven’t read others this will be good, but nothing new of you have.