Candyfreak

A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America

By: Steve Almond

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Steve Almond doesn't just love candy, he unabashedly worships every aspect of confectionary culture, from the creation of an exceptional malt ball through the tragic demise of a badly conceived candy bar, from the emotion-laden memories stirred by a bite of chocolate to his near-drooling anticipation of spotting a new package on the candy shelves.

Almond, who claims to have between three and seven pounds of candy in his house at all times, set out to uncover the inexplicable disappearance of the Bit-O-Choc, the Caravelle bar, and other delights. As he documents his visits to candy factories across America, he reveals the true nature of the industry, with hilarious asides examining the role candy plays in our lives, and often confessing his own near-obsessive cravings. Almond's wry writing style is undeniably addictive and impossible to put down until every last bit has been devoured; listeners should be warned to keep a ready supply of sweets on hand.

©2004 Steve Almond (P)2004 Highbridge Company

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2005

"Strangely endearing." (Publishers Weekly)
"I devoured Candyfreak. Steve Almond writes about chocolate with the passion of a man in love and the wonder of a wide-eyed kid in a candy store." (Tom Perotta, author of Election)
"An entertaining book full of repeatable tidbits about the candy industry." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Wry, self-deprecating, and darkly funny." (The Village Voice)

Fun and interesting

Reading this made me feel all of them nostalgia because it mentioned a lot of candy I liked as a child. The stories of how the different candies are made her very interesting as well.

Fun

A wonderful journey in candy and a look inside the mind of a candy freak.

Pure AudioTruffle, diabetics cautioned

I've never heard anyone verbally describe candy with such lust and consideration; this guy thinks about candy more than once an <i>hour.</i>

He has considered it so much that he is credible to write a book on the matter which covers a breadth of issues; here are my favorites: globalization of candy-producing markets, why he uses candy as an emotional crutch, and what to do when your favorite confection gets pulled off the market.

The reader is easy to listen to and has better verbal inflection than your average reader. The only cautions I have for this book are that some groups of people are going to be more sensitive to the material because this guy <u>really</u> made me want to eat candy while listening to the book. If you are on a strict diet or diabetic and are trying to avoid just this type of thing, then skip this book. But, if you are a passive fan of candy or even an emotional overeater that needs to confront candy issues, this book might help you to understand how candy lures you in, time and time again.

Not too sweet

Listening to this is like eating baker's chocolate, and if you're looking for a well researched book about sweets, this is not it. However, if you're looking for a semi-interesting, sometimes crude memoir of a life spent eating candy, you may enjoy Candyfreak. If the author hadn't thrown in the seemingly random sexual humor, I would have enjoyed it more and even likened him to an up and coming Dave Barry type.

Hysterical

Anyone who loves candy, be it fancy chocolates or dime store penny candy, will thoroughly enjoy this exceptionally witty and insightful book. The history of various candies along with intricate and humorous descriptions of their tastes and textures was beyond amusing. The wry, self-deprecating humor of Steve Almond is in the flavor of David Sedaris. I never thought anyone appreciated candy the way I do, nor did I think it possible to describe it in words so eloquently and hysterically. I can't wait to read to another of his books.