The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel

Loyalty, loss, and the ties that bind: These are the ingredients of The Recipe Club, a "novel cookbook" that combines an authentic story of friendship with more than eighty delicious recipes.

Lifelong friends Lilly and Val are united as much by their differences as by their similarities. In childhood, "LillyPad" and "ValPal" form an exclusive two-person club, writing intimate letters in which they share hopes, fears, deepest secrets . . . and recipes—from Lilly's "Lovelorn Lasagna" to Valerie's "Forgiveness Tapenade." The Recipe Club sustains Lilly and Val's bond across the decades: through the challenges of independence, the joys and heartbreaks of first love, and the emotional complexities of family relationships, identity, mortality, and goals deferred—until the fateful day when an act of kindness becomes an unforgivable betrayal.


What's up? Isn't this like my third book this week? Whew! This is not like me...I guess I've just actually picked some good books that I couldn't put down.

This story of love, loss, friendship, food and forgiveness is such an easy fast read. I read it in one day. The story is made up of the correspondence between friends Val and Lilly. Part One begins in the year 2000 after 26 years of silence and hurt between the two of them. Val's mother has passed away and she wants to reconnect with her long lost BF. But after several emails, they realize there is still too much hurt between them and not enough forgiveness.

Part Two takes you back to when the girls formed their Recipe Club in 1964. It is neat to read their letters that span childhood, adolescence and them becoming young adults. This is where you find out what tore them apart and wonder what is that will bring them back together.

I enjoyed the story although the neediness of Val sometimes struck a sore spot with me. She is the one always questioning where her friendship stands with Lilly and if she is still loved. I guess it is a sore spot for me, cause I find myself being the needy friend sometimes. I also guess that since she kind of irritated me, maybe I need to rethink that neediness and understand the underlying cause.

Anyways...

It's a fun, fast read and will remind you just how important our friendships are with one another.

I'm off to book club tonight, so I guess that will be when I decide what to read next...cause I absolutely have no idea???? Any suggestions???

Oh yeah...and the recipes. This book is chalk full of 'em. I haven't made any yet, but I know I will...of course that will be after I get it back cause I know someone in my book club will decide to take it tonight!!! If not, I will just have to force it on one of them :D