Thursday, October 29, 2009

169 - The Recipe Club: A Tale of Love and Friendship; Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkle


After falling in love with Julie and Julia, I was thrilled to have received a copy of : The Recipe Club: A Tale of Love and Friendship. (This book was received from Caitlin Price at FSB Associates).

(about the book--from amazon.com)

Lilly and Val are lifelong friends, united as much by their differences as by their similarities. Lilly, dramatic and confident, lives in the shadow of her beautiful, wayward mother and craves the attention of her distant, disapproving father. Val, shy and idealistic—and surprisingly ambitious—struggles with her desire to break free from her demanding housebound mother and a father whose dreams never seem to come true.

In childhood, “LillyPad” and “Valpal” vow to form an exclusive two-person club. Throughout the decades they write intimate letters in which they share hopes, fears, deepest secrets—and recipes, from Lilly’s “Lovelorn Lasagna” to Valerie’s “Forgiveness Tapenade.” Readers can cook along as the girls travel through time, facing the challenges of independence; the joys and heartbreaks of first love; and the emotional complexities of family relationships, identity, mortality, and goals deferred.
But no matter what different paths they take or what misunderstandings threaten to break them apart, Lilly and Val always find their way back together through their Recipe Club . . . until the fateful day when an act of kindness becomes an unforgivable betrayal.

Now, decades later, while trying to recapture the trust they’ve lost, Lilly and Val reunite once more—only to uncover a shocking secret. Will it destroy their friendship, or bring them ever closer?

My Thoughts:  I generally like epistolary style novels, and I thought this book was very good. I enjoyed the friendship aspect of the story of these gals, polar opposites, who began as pen pals, writing letters, and exchanging recipes at an early age. As the girls entered adulthood, letters turned into emails, and the carefree life and secrets of childhood, became real life problems and stresses of adulthood. I also enjoyed the way some 80 recipes were included, along with photos and illustrations.  I actually tried the Starry Night Scampi and the Stuffed Peppers (which we enjoyed), and hope to try the Peanut Butter Blondie bars soon too.  If you are looking for something more in a novel than a story about the trials and tribulations of friendship, then this book may be worth a try.
RECOMMENDED

22 comments:

  1. The Recipe Club sounds very interesting and it is topped off with recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoy stories about female friendships, and based on your review, this sounds promising. Thanks for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I looked through this in the bookstore the other day and thought it looked great. Glad to see it is!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It does sound like a good book. You may have to share the peanut butter blondies recipe if it's good! Sounds yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks and sounds great. Thanks for your review!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have been really tempted to buy this book because of the way they incorporate the story in with the recipes. Glad it's a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like books that include recipes, even though I may not always try them out in the kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oooh, I love epistolary novels too! Will definitely keep an eye out for this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review, Diane! This sounds like a really good book and I love stories that include food and recipes, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great review. Never heard of this book before, I think. It sounds very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Food and friendship...what's not to like? Thanks for the review!

    -Amy
    Life by Candlelight

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think this is on my list to read. If it isn't I'll definitely add it thanks to your review!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I kept entering contests for this and then discovered I had it! :--) I am really glad too - can't wait to look through those recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I received this one too....now your review makes me want to put it at the head of the stack!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have this one waiting to read, too. Thanks for linking up!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've been intrigued about this one but I think you've sold me on it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. as Amy said, food and friendship, a winning combination! I will have to look for this one.

    ReplyDelete
  18. This one sounds like a delicious book in many ways. Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I really want this book! Glad to see that you liked it. I love books that combine cooking into them. I love getting new recipes to try and I feel like kitchen is a perfect place to create lasting bonds. I mean eating is such an essential act. Great review, definitely adding this to my want to read list!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh this book sounds so good to me! I love foodie books, so it's a bonus that this one includes recipes and pictures(!!) After reading this review I am going to plan on grabbing my own copy. It sounds like a wonderful read.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I received this one for review too, but you are soo much better than me because it's still sitting on my shelf. haha! Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. It's definitely a different format. I'm about halfway through...and I can't decide about this one overall.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to visit and double thanks for any comments. If you ask a question in your comments, I will try to reply to it here, or by email if your settings allow me to do so. Thanks again for visiting.