Rachel Linden

Nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter bemüht sich Lolly, die Familie zusammen zu halten. Darüber aber vergisst sie sich selbst und ihre Wünsche. Kurz vor ihrem dreiunddreißigsten Geburtstag fühlt ihr eine Liste mit Wünschen in die Finger, die sie vor vielen Jahren geschrieben hat. Sie kommt ins Grübeln und fragt sich, was sie anders hätte machen können. Dann kann sie drei verschiedene Versionen ihres Lebens für einen Tag erleben und Entscheidungen korrigieren. Wie wird sie sich entscheiden?
Erzählt wird diese Geschichte als der Perspektive von Lolly. Dabei gibt es viele Rückblenden und Sprünge, aber trotzdem ist die Geschichte wirklich toll zu lesen.
In Lolly konnte ich mich gut hineinversetzen. Sie ist eine sympathische und mitfühlende Person. Für ihre jüngere Schwester hat sie nach dem Tod der Mutter Verantwortung übernommen, ihre Träume beiseitegeschoben und sich um das Familienrestaurant gekümmert. Sie hat nur gearbeitet und alles am Laufen gehalten und dabei ihre Träume tief in sich vergraben. Dabei hatte sie aber auch Ängste und war manchmal verzweifelt.
Aber auch die anderen Charaktere waren gut und interessant dargestellt. Besonders Rory mochte ich. Dass Lolly ihn liebt, kann ich gut verstehen.
Eine einfühlsam erzählte, wundervolle Liebesgeschichte mit Aspekten, die einen zum Nachdenken bringen.… (altro)

It’s feel-good, chick-lit that you will enjoy more if you don’t analyze too deeply. As author Rachel Linden notes, this is a story of “hope, courage, and connection with a hint of romance and a touch of whimsy.” All good things. I liked the magical realism, the locations of both Paris and the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. I enjoyed the feature of Julia Childs as Georgia’s (the main character) “patron saint” who provides advice on both cooking and life.

The novel begins when Georgia’s life explodes. While cheffing in an upscale French restaurant, she discovers her sexy French boyfriend with another woman, impulsively sabotages him and the entire kitchen crew in retaliation, and then loses her sense of taste. She is asked by the restaurant’s owner to take a leave of absence and “Come back when you have discovered afresh your special spark in the kitchen.”

Coincidentally – and out of the blue – her mother (who she hasn’t heard from in nearly 30 years) has just sent an email inviting her to come visit where she is living on an island somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. She goes to “reunite with the woman who had birthed her and abandoned her. The woman her family had refused to talk about after she vanished, the woman Georgia still longed for sometimes, waking muddled and forlorn with tears wetting her cheeks from a dream she could never remember. She was leaving Paris to try to regain all the precious things she’d lost.”

Georgia has been aching for her mother ever since she was five years old, when her mother drove away with a promise to return. As she left, she gave Georgia a four-leaf clover charm necklace – the leaflets stood for faith, hope, love, and luck – “the four elements are the recipe for a charmed life” her mother promised her. Georgia has worn the necklace ever since.

Four leaf clovers begin appearing in the most unusual places, as symbols pointing Georgia in the direction of happiness, love, and purpose after failure. Another aspect of magical realism is how Georgia and her mother as well as the other women in the Stevens line have some special ability – super green thumb, healing any small ailments or injuries, baking pies that inspire people to tell the truth, and when Georgia prepares dishes, the eaters gain clarity about their life – Georgia’s dishes cause breakups and engagements, family feuds and reconciliations.

Author Linden says “It’s a love story and a mother and daughter story, but also a story about identity, failure, and forgiveness. At its heart, it explores the complexities of family and what we do when someone we love hurts us or when we hurt someone we love. How do we forgive others or ourselves for those painful mistakes? How do we move forward in these relationships with honesty and empathy?”

It's also about how some of the unexpected setbacks and surprises Georgia encounters lead her to a truly satisfying life, one full of forgiveness, meaning, and joy.… (altro)

I love when I can fully immerse myself into a book. That is what happened with this one. I started reading it and got lost in it. It is so good. I finished it in a matter of hours! I loved the characters.

Georgia may have gone over the top with her reaction when she discovered her boyfriend cheating but I don't blame her either for acting out. I loved the idea that her loss of taste had to do with her feelings. When Georgia's mother explaining how her gift was stowed upon her, I instantly got Practical Magic vibes.

I like the romance that was budding between Cole and Georgia. It was a sweet romance. They both found what they were looking for in each other. Reading this book is like receiving a hug from your Nana.… (altro)