Cover Image: Emma Dreams of Stars

Emma Dreams of Stars

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Member Reviews

I received a copy of this graphic novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A graphic novel full of food and reaching for the stars!🙂
It was a semi-autobiographic story about a female Michelin Guide inspector and her hardships during her work. One would think that reviewing fancy restaurants and hotels is easy and fun but this graphic novel showed well that it is not always the case and that it is actually quite a lonely and bothersome way of living. 🤔
It was quite interesting and it had very beautiful art. The food pictures were especially appetising…😂

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Such a beautiful graphic novel!
The illustrations of food, the Paris streets and Japan, just so good!
The story is all positive too.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Dreams of Stars is the manga for comic readers who love watching the Travel Channel and Food Network. This comic reads from left to right and is rendered in full color. The plot is easy to follow and is overall a light-hearted story about a woman realizing her dreams. Emma and other characters occasionally bring up inequities in The Michelin Guide's review and inspector ranks, but these are not explored much further than passing mention.

Art: Kan Takahama
Writing: Emmanuelle Maisonneuve, Julia Pavlowitch

Translation: Easmon Fogarty
Production: Grace Lu, Anthony Quintessenza
Proofreadsing: Micah Q. Allen
Editor: Michelle LIn

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I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book!

Told through a graphic novel format we follow Emma as she joins the Michelin Guide team as an inspector. She learns the ins and outs of rating restaurants and gets to experience a variety of food and hotels.

It's a beautiful journey about finding what's important and enjoying things, as well as an interesting peak behind the curtain.

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Lovers of food writing will connect with the main character. The artwork complements the story nicely. The section on Japan seemed abrupt though I understood the connection to the character's growth.

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Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emma Dreams of Stars: Inside the Gourmet Guide by Kan Takahama; Emmanuelle Maisonneuve; Julia Pavlowitch is a full-color manga originally published in France. It is the true story of the only woman on the Michelin Guide's all-male team of inspectors. According to the description, the story revolves around Emma, "the first woman to be hired as a Michelin Guide Inspector, on her adventures across France and abroad." Will Emma be able to stand up for herself against the sexist comments of co-workers? Will the job be everything that she expects? And what foodie adventures will she embark on?

Overall, Emma Dreams of Stars: Inside the Gourmet Guide is a mouth-watering, full-color manga that will appeal to fans of Food Wars. One highlight of this book is the fascinating behind-the-scenes information that Emma gives us in regards to the prestigious Michelin Guide. I enjoyed the scenes where Emma speaks up against sexism, and I'm happy that that story is finally being told. Another highlight of this book were the scenes in Japan. The book starts off in France, but Emma journeys abroad for the job. I loved seeing the cross-cultural connections, especially since this is technically a manga about a French person. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of manga about food, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

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