Olivia, like other of Rossner's books, begins at the end, using a chatty, confessional voice to introduce the main character's memoirs. This confessional aspect is accented by occasional italicized, unspoken thoughts, often contradicting the words Caroline speaks aloud. Occasionally she lapses into preachiness, as in her belaboring of the Catholic view of marriage and abortion or her dwelling at length on aspects of Jewishness. Transcripts of episodes of her cooking show reveal not only the depth of her knowledge and appreciation of good food but, in her digressions, some of her most deeply held philosophies.

Her aside in one show that "food is sort of sex above the neck" reveals much about how she views cooking — as a sensuous experience, an expression of creativity, a vehicle for communicating with those we love. Angelo succumbs to her rich caponata, a gustatory delight of eggplant, olives, lobster, shrimp, tuna...