The Measure of My Powers, Jackie Kai Ellis
The Measure of My Powers, Jackie Kai Ellis
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

The Measure of My Powers
A Memoir of Food, Misery, and Paris

Author: Jackie Kai Ellis

Narrator: Jackie Kai Ellis

Unabridged: 4 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/06/2018

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER AND SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 TASTE CANADA AWARDS AND THE RAKUTEN KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE. For fans of Eat Pray Love, Wild, and H is for Hawk, The Measure of My Powers is the story of one woman's search for self-love, experienced through food and travel.

"With searing vulnerability and unflinching honesty, Jackie Kai Ellis takes us on an intense and immersive journey from her darkest moments to the redemption she finds through her love of food, Paris, and ultimately, herself."
--Jen Waite, bestselling author of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing

On the surface, Jackie Kai Ellis's life was the one that she and every woman wanted. She was in her late twenties and married to a handsome man, she had a successful career as a designer, and she had a beautiful home. But instead of feeling fulfilled, happy, and loved, each morning she'd wake up dreading the day ahead, searching for a way out. Depression clouded every moment, the feelings of inadequacy that had begun in childhood now consumed her, and her marriage was slowly transforming into one between strangers--unfamiliar, childless, and empty. In the darkness, she could only find one source of light: the kitchen. It was the place where Jackie escaped, finding peace, comfort, and acceptance.

This is the story of one woman's journey to find herself. Armed with nothing but a love of food and the words of the 20th-century food writer M.F.K. Fisher, she travels from France to Italy, then the Congo, and back again. Along the way, she goes to pastry school in Paris, eats the most perfect apricots over the Tuscan hills, watches a family of gorillas grazing deep in the Congolese brush, has her heart broken one last time on a bridge in Lyon, and, ultimately, finds a path to life and joy.

Told with insight and intimacy, and radiating with warmth and humor, The Measure of My Powers is an inspiring memoir, and an unforgettable experience of the senses.

About The Author

Jackie Kai Ellis is the founder of Vancouver’s Beaucoup Bakery, the owner of The Paris Tours, and a travel and lifestyle writer. She lives in Vancouver and Paris.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kevin on February 12, 2018

I know I am probably not the target audience for this book. While I haven't read Eat, Pray, Love, I imagine the readership would greatly overlap with this title, and indeed, it was summarized as such by the person who gave it to me. This is a story about a woman going through an unfulfilling marria......more

Goodreads review by Liz on January 25, 2018

this was gorgeous and heartbreaking and raw and real and everything in between. it reminds me of cooking memoirs I read when I was young; that were broken up and had recipes. the entire book is stunning with the coloured.pages and photos and I just couldn't get enough.......more

Goodreads review by Lindsey on August 06, 2017

First of all, let me say that I know that this book doesn't come out for seven months, but I feel like it's my duty to come on Goodreads and rave about how much I loved The Measure of My Powers. Vulnerability is a tricky thing and it's not easy to put some of your darkest thoughts on paper, but luck......more

Goodreads review by Renée on November 25, 2019

Ce livre est une belle inspiration qu’est la vie. Jackie Kai Ellis se livre totalement, sa vulnérabilité, ses angoisses, ses peurs, ses eaux troubles, ses joies, son enthousiasme, ses découvertes elle nous les offre avec candeur! Voici un extrait: “Parfois, on ne sait pas quand on arrivera réellemen......more

Goodreads review by Wendy on May 05, 2018

"The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery, and Paris" which I won through Goodreads Giveaways is a moving memoir about a woman raised in an Asian family of academic achievers, with a successful career as a designer and dedicated to a charming but controlling husband who finds herself in th......more


Quotes

“Open, raw and honest. . . . Tender and authentic tales of a woman coming into her own.”
—The Globe and Mail

“With searing vulnerability and unflinching honesty, Jackie Kai Ellis takes us on an intense and immersive journey from her darkest moments to the redemption she finds through her love of food, Paris, and, ultimately, herself.”
—Jen Waite, Internationally Bestselling Author of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing

“This inspiring memoir digs deep into one woman’s struggles to overcome her depression. A writer, baker, woman of the world—Jackie Kai Ellis stars in all these roles.”
—Lucy Waverman, Award-Winning Author of The Flavour Principle

“An uplifting memoir that’s taught me the importance of valuing yourself, and not being afraid to ask for the things you want in life.”
—Joann Pai, Food and Travel Photographer, @sliceofpai


Awards

  • Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
  • Taste Canada Awards - Culinary Narratives