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With a little bit of flour and a pinch of love, anything is possible...
Rose-Ellen "Zell" Carmichael Roy doesn't cook, but she wears her late husband Nick's camouflage apron every day. That's her widow style. It's been more than a year since Nick's tragic death during a post- Katrina relief mission in New Orleans, but Zell can't bring herself to move on. Then, a postman's error spurs her to enter a baking contest in the hopes of donating the grand prize to the hurricane survivors in Nick's memory. After Zell's first attempt at baking goes embarrassingly awry, she meets Ingrid Knox-her motherless nine-year-old neighbor-and the two forge an unlikely friendship that will alter both their lives forever.
Alicia Bessette was born and raised in central Massachusetts and graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia. A pianist and freelance writer, she and her husband, novelist Matthew Quick, live near Philadelphia with their adopted racing greyhound, Stella. Simply from Scratch is Alicia's first novel.
In Wippamunk, Rose Ellen Roy, known better as Zell, remains grieving for her deceased husband Nick, who died one year ago while on a volunteer mission of relief in New Orleans following Katrina. With her dog Ahab at her side, she wears his camouflage apron as a means of remaining connected to Nick though she does not cook, but cannot enter the attic filled with their memories.
A fire caused by Zell's first use of the stove since Nick's death brings Garrett Knox, his replacement at the Wippamunker to her place. She informs the Chief that the cooking fire was caused by the postman bringing her Meals in a Cinch with Polly Pinch. Zell says she was baking cookies for her new neighbor, Garrett's motherless nine year old daughter Ingrid. The two females soon plan to enter the uplifting cooking contest that the Polly Cinch flyer proclaimed.
This is an interesting character study of a woman who is beginning to move through the phases of grief due to her new neighbors especially the somewhat too precocious Ingrid encouraging her to bake meals and treats. The cast is fully developed including the late Nick and even Ahab has a personality as readers will enjoy Zell baking a new recipe for life though she still feels survivor guilt.
Harriet Klausner
Books_And_Chocolate
Posted October 24, 2011
Rose-Ellen "Zell" Roy is a widow still trying to move on since the death of her husband Nick in a tragic accident during a relief mission to New Orleans after Katrina. She decides to enter a baking contest, even though she doesn't cook, in hopes of winning so she can donate the prize money to hurricane survivors to honor Nick's memory. Her first attempt at baking something for the contest goes wrong and when the fire department shows up to control the damage, Zell meets her young nine-year-old neighbor, Ingrid. The two form a friendship that helps them both deal with grief as they work together to enter the baking contest for very different reasons.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a light but engaging story. I felt the author did a good job combining humor with the very real stages of grief and with a character that was very likeable. The ending is both sad and hopeful, which I can't really explain without giving away too much, and I found myself wanting to read more about Zell, Ingrid, and other characters that were introduced in the story.
I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required.
Overview
With a little bit of flour and a pinch of love, anything is possible...
Rose-Ellen "Zell" Carmichael Roy doesn't cook, but she wears her late husband Nick's camouflage apron every day. That's her widow style. It's been more than a year since Nick's tragic death during a post- Katrina relief mission in New Orleans, but Zell can't bring herself to move on. Then, a postman's error spurs her to enter a baking contest in the hopes of donating the grand prize to the hurricane ...