Book Review: ‘Be Ready When the Luck Happens,’ by Ina Garten

BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS: A Memoir, by Ina Garten

Many books open with epigraphs. Maybe Plato, the Bible or Oscar Wilde; usually lofty, and generally by a long-dead stranger.

Ina Garten begins her memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” with the following: “Do what you love. If you love it, you’ll be very good at it.”

It’s attributed to her husband, Jeffrey Garten, familiar to fans as a loving, steady presence and a key part of Ina Garten’s brand as a wildly successful cookbook author and TV personality.

The quote from Mr. Garten, a noted economist better known to viewers as an affable and hungry helpmeet, does indeed sum up the themes of his wife’s book — and serves as a good barometer for your enjoyment of it. This is a story about good fortune, work and being obsessed with your husband.

Garten’s gift has been to make everything look effortless: the recipes in her 13 cookbooks; the glorious array of salads and cupcakes in her former food store, Barefoot Contessa; the many occasions when she’s advised viewers to substitute store-bought items for homemade on the Food Network. In this memoir, however, she shows how much luck and labor it took to achieve the success that she clearly enjoys.