(67) Summer Kitchen by Karen Weinreb

Tuesday, August 11, 2009


This book was so not what I expected it to be. I was expecting a lighthearted, "fluff" book about a chick struggling to get by after her husband gets sent to the clink.

Boy was I wrong. Yes, the book is about Nora Banks, whose husband gets sent to prison for a white collar crime. But there is nothing "fluffy" about what Nora goes through. Her confusion and pain radiate through the pages. After watching the feds take every worldly possession she owns to pay for her husband's crime, she decides that she has to pull herself up by her bootstraps and figure out a way to provide for her three sons.

Being ostracized by her once close friends and struggling to pay the bills, Nora does what she has to do to survive. With the help of the beloved and fiercely loyal nanny, Beatriz, Nora finds a job as a baker in a local cafe just to pay the bills. It is there that Nora shocks not only the women of Bedford, but her own self with the culinary talent that she has kept a secret for so long. With Beatriz's financial and emotional support, the two become partners and open their own cafe.

Summer Kitchen is a story about survival. It is about a woman who discovers that with the right people in her life, not only can she survive dire circumstances, but she can thrive! Summer Kitchen was not what I expected, but I was thrilled with what I read. Well written with strong character development, I cheered with Nora & Beatriz's success. Wonderful book!

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