"The Story of a Remarkable Friendship" is the subtitle of this short and heartwarming book about the relationship between Edward and author Isabel, and it really was a remarkable friendship. Written by Isabel Vincent, investigative reporter for the New York Post, each chapter begins with a menu of the dinner that Edward has prepared for them that evening. The book chronicles the weekly meals and conversations that Edward and Isabel share, but more importantly it describes the support each gives to the other. Edward is a 93-year-old widower who mourns the recent loss of his wife Paula, and Isabel is a middle-aged newly divorced single mother. Both live in New York, a city where people are known for being aloof and detached. Yet through the weekly meals savored together, these two people discuss love and loss, grief and cooking skills. Edward's dinners and philosophy nourish Isabel as she heals from heartache. At the same time Isabel's friendship gives Edward hope and purpose - resulting in a sweetly charming, feel-good memoir.

I would have given this 5 stars if recipes had been included. ( )

Dinner with Edward is definitely not a great book for Vegetarians with way too much emphasis on preparing meat,
though the Apricot soufflé and the scrambled egg recipes are memorable.

Also memorable is the bond that develops between Edward and Isobel at the times in their lives when comfort
and inspiration were needed for survival. Yet death, sadness, and depression often dominate the mood and plot. ( )

I wasn't expecting all the involved descriptions of the food they ate. Everything sounded delicious - main problem it made me hungry! Enjoyed the story of their friendship and how it helped each of them through a difficult period in their lives. It was an enjoyable, easy listen ( )

Not my favorite book.

This book is okay. I have no complaints about the material. I just cannot relate to any of the characters. I think the desired target audience should be anyone who has faced marital struggles or anyone who has special friendships with the elderly. I think I am too young to appreciate the unique friendship between them. ( )

One of my favorite reads of 2017 was Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. This tender story is of an widower and a widow who develop a close bond. I never expected to come across a similar story of man in his 90s and a woman about half his age. Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent proved to be every bit as tender, as the two dealt with their own losses. Edward lost is wife, and Isabel suffers from a traumatic divorce. This touching story is true. Vincent is an investigative journalist who writes for The New York Post. She is a Canadian citizen graduated from the University of Toronto, and she has authored several books. Edward happens to quite a good chef.

Isabel meets with a long-time friend, Valerie, and she opens up to he friend that her 90+ year-old father is slowing wasting away. His wife has recently died, and Edward is inconsolable. Valerie asks Isobel—now living in New York—if she would mind checking up on him from time to time. Edward has decided he would rather die than spend his remaining years alone. Vincent writes, “I don’t know if the temptation of a good meal did it for me, or if I was just as lonely that even the prospect of spending time with a depressed nonagenarian seemed appealing” (4). Isabel agrees, and the wheels of this beautiful story begin to turn.

At first, Isabel felt a bit nervous. She writes, “In the beginning I would invariable arrive at Edward’s apartment with a bottle of wine. ‘No need to bring anything, baby,’ he said, although I often ignored the advice, finding it difficult to show up for dinner empty-handed. // And there was no need to knock on the door or ring the doorbell, Edward told me. He always knew when I was coming because the doorman would call up to his apartment when I walked through the front doors of his building” (5). She writes, “I could never have imagined that meeting Edward would change my life” (4).

Each chapter begins with a menu for the evening. At first the meals tended slightly away from simple. For example, the first mean included “Grilled Sirloin Steak, Sauce Bourguignonne, New Potatoes, Chocolate Soufflé, Malbec” (5).

Naturally, the conversation revolves around the personal events in their lives. Edward explains, “‘I’m a man who loves women, for all the obscure reasons as well as the obvious ones’, Edward wrote to me in a letter shortly after we met. ‘Their femininity, their charm, desirability, delicacy, warmth, beauty, tenderness and on and on—a list too long to record. But I have only been in love with one woman all my mature life” (29). “I wouldn’t have lived this long without her” (29). Edward met Paula in a Greenwich Village theater in 1940.

Later, the dinners become more elaborate. “Chicken Paillard, Sauce aux Champignons, Pomme de Terre Souffles, Baked Acorn Squash, Vanilla Ice cream, Bourbon/Pastis Cocktail, Chardonnay” (54). I love dining out with my wife, and these kinds of memorable meals are—on occasion—menus we try at home. More often, however, we try restaurants all over Texas, and especially when we travel.

Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent is a truly moving story of two lonely people developing a close and wonderful bond. Read this novel and see if you can increase the romance in your life. 5 stars.

--Jim, 2/23/18 ( )