This first-person novel was actually better than I expected to be. The only problem I had was the fact that in the end it didn't seem quite resolved between the two sisters, and the motivation of the sister who wanted to sell the house seemed to change rather suddenly. still not bad, kept my interest, mostly. ( )

This first-person novel was actually better than I expected to be. The only problem I had was the fact that in the end it didn't seem quite resolved between the two sisters, and the motivation of the sister who wanted to sell the house seemed to change rather suddenly. still not bad, kept my interest, mostly. ( )

This was a good read. I liked the "magical" elements of the recipes and the characters. ( )

Ginny, a 26 yr old with Asperger’s, must deal with the sudden loss of her overprotective parents. She struggles in a world that doesn’t consider her normal, including her sister, Amanda, who is dealing with the loss of their parents in her own way. She comes in to save the day. Conflict and misunderstanding arises when Ginny doesn’t want to be saved.

The different faces of grief are explored as well as the definition of "normal" You’ll find yourself rooting for Ginny, one of fiction’s most interesting and endearing characters, as she tries to find her way in an often confusing world. I’m not a big fan of magical realism but it’s done with a light touch and was an enjoyable part of the story.

When Ginny is overwhelmed, she copes by cooking so the recipes and descriptions of the prep and cooking are added bonuses.

Highly recommended. Good for book clubs. ( )

Marvelous. Much more [b:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|1618|The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|Mark Haddon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327882682s/1618.jpg|4259809] than [b:Like Water for Chocolate|89477|Like Water for Chocolate|Laura Esquivel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361177544s/89477.jpg|1172473]. All too short. I wanted to find out how these people were going to work through all the challenges facing them, because I loved them as real people, neither dysfunctional or perfect, and before I knew it I was done with the book!

A few too many deaths to be plausible in a story taking place in modern US, imo, but since one of the themes McHenry explored was grief, and the coping thereof, and all the varieties of same, the deaths were necessary. And they were almost all in the background, so the book is not a heavy read.

Just one question - what's up with Evangeline's ghost? (She appears early in the story, so the question is not a spoiler - but the answer may be, so if you answer in the comments below, please consider using spoiler tags). ( )