Narration: A
Content/Memoir: A-
Story Telling/Writing: A-
Best Aspect: Very real and emotional memoir, with lots of interesting recipes.
Worst Aspect: Be a good one to have in print as well as audio for the recipes.
Recommend: Yes

I listened to Group living and other recipes by Lola Milholland. This book is a memoir with recipes for various dishes interspersed. The author captures how food can be attached to memories, joy and sadness.

The audiobook was read by the author, Lola Milholland. I was skeptical about the recipes being read aloud, but was I wrong!The recipes came to life with her words and were full of feeling. I could feel the comfort in her intonation and they were my favorite part of the book. The author leads the reader through times of her life including the time of Covid 19 and the events surrounding that time. She has a strong sense of community and purpose but a recognition of her privilege.
The stories about mushrooms were especially delightful. I really enjoyed this book.

Group Living and Other Recipes is a curious blend of memoir and cookbook. Milholland goes through her experiences of sharing a living space from her college years until now. The book continuously explores the “group living” and “commune” models and all their trials and benefits. I found some interesting insights about the power imbalances that arise in even the flat group living arrangements!

Each chapter ends with a recipe related to the chapter’s story. In the audiobook format, the recipes interrupted the book's flow, and I ended up skipping many of them. It could work better as a supplemental pdf (there’s no way I’m re-listening to the recipe portion each time to make the dish).

This is not a 5-star book, because towards the end, the book moves away from communal living to a discussion on nuclear weapons which felt like a very far departure. As a Ukrainian, I did not appreciate the author using the war in my country to justify the relevance of the nuclear weapons conversation when there’s no evidence that she knows anything about my war. I have so many questions (about group living) left unanswered that could replace those weapons justice chapters. Like how do race and multiculturalism (multi-religions too) impact the living situation, what happens when one member experiences personal trauma (like death of a loved one or war in their home country), etc.

I liked the idea of this book and I think it is probably great in print, however listening to recipes was a little difficult for me. I really like the idea of communal living and it was interesting to hear Lola Milholland's experiences.

In our transactional world it is normal to work a 9–5, and then come home to cook, clean, take care of children and so forth. All day is spent working, but it’s okay because you’re living the dream: you have the partner, you have the kids, you have the house.

Lola Milholland tells us about treading a different path in “Group Living and Other Recipes”–one of community. A shared home means that you give what you can, and that others give what you can’t.

But community doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Our dynamic world requires that we adjust, and adjusting is especially complicated when your space isn’t yours alone. Millholland doesn’t turn a blind eye to this, nor the fact that some long for their own place. At the root of it, this memoir is a critique of the world we have created.

Getting to look through this window into shared living was reassuring. I’ve never felt that The Ideal Life was achievable or probable, so seeing people getting by in this non-traditional way left me hopeful. At the same time it’s an unpleasant reminder that going a different route means not knowing what the future holds, which is terrifying, but you also realize that you’re not alone there either. Maybe the unknown can be scary and okay at the same time.

Thank you to Spiegel & Grau, Spotify Audiobooks and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a non fiction memoir covering a daughter's experience in a group living situation. This is more of a character plot rather than theme plot. Topics cover current events, cooking, motivation and overall feel good. She cooks her way through the story reciting passed down recipes. And oh the character development. Born to hippie parents she is a free thinker. The book is good in that it appeals to a variety of interests.

This book is very refreshing and interesting take on group living. I really enjoyed listening to the story and I felt much better about always living in communities and group settings. (I still live on a college campus)