by Kim Fay
Publisher: GP Putnam's Sons
Pages: 208
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: When twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter--as well as a gift of saffron--to fifty-nine-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine, and while she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she's never tasted fresh garlic--exotic fare in the Northwest of the sixties. As the two women commune through their letters, they build a closeness that sustains them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the unexpected in their own lives.
Food and a good life--they can't be separated. It is a discovery the women share, not only with each other, but with the men in their lives. Because of her correspondence with Joan, Imogen's decades-long marriage blossoms into something new and exciting, and in turn, Joan learns that true love does not always come in the form we expect it to. Into this beautiful, intimate world comes the ultimate test of Joan and Imogen's friendship--a test that summons their unconditional trust in each other.
Kritters Thoughts: A book mostly comprised of letters exchanged between two women as they swap recipes and stories. Joan Bergstrom send a letter to an idol of hers - Imogen Fortier and this is the beginning of pen pal relationship that was enjoyable to read. Through personal ups and downs and external events, these women supported each other and I enjoyed watching their friendship grow as the letters went back and forth.
This book was short and sweet and the perfect read for an afternoon. While epistolary novels aren't always my favorite, I like to read them every so often to sprinkle in different forms of literature in my reading. I would suggest this one if you don't read this as often like I do. The letters had enough content and there was a bit of traditional novel in the middle, so it didn't feel as though I was missing anything while reading this one.
A great book to interject in my reading and I was thankful to curl up with this one on a weekend where I was recovering from a medical event.
Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more
Ebook 2022 Challenge: 9 out of 100
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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