A Table By The Window: A Novel Of Family Secrets And Heirloom Recipes (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Charming story line, a warm and strong family unit, gastronomic delights, and all set in my hometown of Portland, OR!Hillary Manton Lodge is a proficient storyteller. In A Table by the Window, Lodge builds around a rather ordinary situation a beautiful love story. Juliette D'Alisa finds herself facing many life-changing decisions. Her brother wants her to help open a new restaurant, her grandmother has died and Juliette finds a photograph of a strange man in her grandmother's belongings, and Juliette herself turns to online dating with hopes of meeting someone.The discovered photograph lends a hint of mystery to the book as Juliette seeks to discover the truth of who he is and what he meant to her grandmother. At the same time, she attempts to balance a long-distance relationship and the weight of opening a new restaurant.Lodge develops her characters in such a way you feel as if you know them or they live right next door. Descriptive elements are rich and full, and details are never lacking in the scenes needed to bring the story to fruition. Lodge's writing style is so comfortable and rich I could hardly tear myself away to prepare meals!I am so happy I selected A Table by the Window, a truly enjoyable read.My Recommendation:Readers looking for well-written fiction with an underlying Christian theme won't need to look far to find a lovely novel. Lodge has provided endearing characters and some beautiful recipes in A Table by the Window, two ingredients to keep the flavor of this story lasting for a long, long time.Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. There are times you want a fast paced romantic story, and other times you want one that digs deeper. This is one of those books that digs a little deeper. Juliette seemed so down to earth to me, I could relate to her family as well. I loved how it showed her love for her family, yet her frustration with them at the same time.The details in here on the old family recipes was one of the best parts of this book. It might have been the recipes that made the book slower to read and digest, but throughly enjoyable. The food descriptions were so well done, you felt you could almost smell and taste them through the page.The family mystery was understated, but woven through the story, in an effort to keep that question always coming up. You always know that families have secrets, but this one was not as dramatically done, but done well. It is for sure not suspense.The book is more a woven book of word pictures, of a close family that loves cooking for people. I think this was one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much. While our family does not own a restaurant, we have always spent time cooking for others, large groups and really enjoyed it as a whole. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes in the book.One of the other things I honestly enjoyed about this, was Juliette loved to write about food as well, and she was good at it. That sparked all kinds of ideas for me.This book was given to me for review from Blogging For Books. The opinions contained herein are solely my own.
What do You think about A Table By The Window: A Novel Of Family Secrets And Heirloom Recipes (2014)?
Awesome book! (Got it free just for reviewing it. (Bloggingforbooks.com)
—vampireskullz69
