Reflections on a Life: Audio Memoir Review of the Restaurateur's Life Story
This autobiography from the British-born hospitality figure, the founder behind iconic New York eateries such as The Odeon and Balthazar, begins with a dark moment as McNally details a suicide attempt at his summer house in Martha’s Vineyard in 2018. Next, we rewind to 20 months earlier, when one Saturday morning, McNally brought his small children to the National Gallery in London. While looking at a painting of Jesus and his betrayal by Judas, McNally noticed my body starting to display signs of betraying me: a unusual metallic tingling tingled in my fingertips.” McNally was experiencing the beginning of a stroke that resulted in impaired speech and partial paralysis on his left side of his body.
This Reflective Work sees the author, currently in his seventies, looking back on his medical issues along with a long career, moving from porter at the Hilton hotel in London to adolescent thespian – when he was 16, he played the lead in a production of The Winslow Boy – to busboy at the New York restaurant One Fifth, where he was later promoted to head waiter.
The actor Richard E Grant brings his words to life in a subtle but heartfelt narration that captures McNally’s longing for who he used to be and his deeper contemplation. True to the title, he has regrets: in particular his divorces, not being fully present to his older kids and criticizing James Corden for his rudeness in his dining venue. However he experiences happiness in cinema, stage performances and in recollections of sitting down with his staff at the Odeon once the doors were shut as they had a drink and tallied their earnings. Regarding those evenings, McNally notes: “Nothing since has ever equaled that feeling.”
Released by the audio publisher, 10hr 46min
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