Review: The Summer Cottage (by Viola Shipman)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Viola Shipman is actually the pen name for male author Wade Rouse, who writes under his grandmother’s name as a way to honor not just her, but also all of the elders in his family.  In addition to the pen name, all his novels are inspired by both of his grandmothers’ heirlooms as well as the lessons they taught him and the lives they led.  At its core, his books are all “feel-good” stories that pay homage to family.  In his latest novel The Summer Cottage, Shipman finds inspiration in his grandparents’ log cabin in Missouri where he spent countless summers, a place where there was “nothing but an outhouse, fishing poles, inner tubes, books and each other.”  Despite the cabin’s simplicity, it was a “magical” place where the only rule his grandparents had was “to be happy.”  Though the log cabin was eventually sold after his grandparents’ deaths, Shipman later came across a cottage in Michigan that reminded him of that cabin and immediately fell in love with it, which prompted his decision to quit his job and move to Michigan, eventually settling there and becoming a writer.

In the book, Shipman expands upon this through the character of Adie Lou Kruger, a 40-something divorced mother whose affection for her parents’ summer cottage – dubbed the Creaky Cottage – draws her back to the happy place of her childhood where she eventually decides to start over and rebuild her life.  Armed with plans to convert the dilapidated old cottage into a bed-and-breakfast, Adie Lou encounters one obstacle after another, but through it all, she rediscovers the joy and strength that the freedom of pursuing her dreams brings. 

This is the third of Shipman’s books that I’ve read and while I found the story heartfelt and charming, I will admit that I didn’t love this one as much as I did his previous novel The Recipe Box.  Perhaps it was because that book had checked all the right boxes for me, from its endearing characters and heartwarming story to its engaging narrative revolving around food and the bonds of family, I had felt a connection to the story almost right off the bat.  With this book, I never really connected much with the characters and to be honest, the story felt like it moved a tad bit too slowly at times.  I also felt there wasn’t as much emotional depth to the story that his previous novel had and that I’ve come to expect from his works.  With that said though, I did love the descriptions of the cottage and its surrounding scenery, which Shipman did a great job of bringing alive for me, almost as though the cottage itself was a character in the story.  This is one of the things I actually enjoy most about Shipman’s novels – his way of storytelling that is able to bring the inanimate object at the center of the story to life. 

Overall, I would say that I liked this book, but didn’t love it.  Out of Shipman’s 3 books that I’ve read, The Recipe Box is so far still my favorite.  I have yet to read his first novel, The Charm Bracelet, but hope to do so at some point, preferably before his next novel comes out.  This is an author I will definitely continue to read, as I appreciate the fact that with his books, I always know what to expect -- a light-hearted, feel-good story that is at times a bit too saccharine and maybe even too simplistic, but a comforting read that celebrates family, love, hope, friendship, and, most important of all, happy memories!  With the world we live in currently, sometimes we need books like this to escape into and to remind us (even if only for a brief moment), the important things in life and that it’s possible to find joy even in the small moments.

Received ARC from Harlequin / Graydon House Books via NetGalley

Review: The Recipe Box (by Viola Shipman)

 My Rating: 4 stars

 

This is the second book I’ve read by Viola Shipman and so far, this is definitely my favorite out of the two.  Last year, I had the opportunity to read this author’s second novel The Hope Chest and while it was an enjoyable read for me, it didn’t capture my heart like this third book The Recipe Box did.  At the heart of this book was a wonderful story about family, love, relationships, identity, and one of my favorite topics :  FOOD -- not just any food though – pies, cakes, tarts, cookies, and all manner of delicious baked goods!  The story centers around Sam, a young sous-chef for a fancy bakery in New York who ends up quitting her job and returns home to Michigan, where her family owns an orchard and pie shop.  Having grown up on the orchard surrounded by a loving family as well as the two women who inspired her love of baking – her mother Deana and her grandmother Willo – Sam returns to her childhood home to “lick her wounds,” sort out the mess she made of her life, and hopefully gain some clarity on the next steps for her future.  Sam is welcomed back with open arms and quickly falls back in step with working at the orchard alongside the women in her life who had always meant so much to her – together, as they work through the recipes in the family’s recipe box, Sam not only develops a deeper understanding of her family’s treasured history and legacy, she also embarks on a journey of self-discovery that reignites her passion for baking as well as opens her heart to love.

I enjoyed this gem of a story that was filled with characters I adored from the start!  I love stories about strong, smart, independent-minded women and this story had plenty of them – from Sam to Deana to Willo, also the generations that came before them with Madge and Alice, even though not mentioned as much but yet still so important to the story, I loved all these women!  With well-written and descriptive prose, the story was incredibly atmospheric, to the point that I felt as though I was transported to the Mullins family orchard right from the very first page.  In fact, I would say that the setting of the orchard (and pie pantry) became actual “characters” for me, coming vividly alive as the story unfolded and we learned more and more about Sam and her family with each chapter.  I felt that the story itself was lovely and heartwarming, though yes it was a bit predictable and perhaps a little too saccharine and sweet, but that’s fine because it was the perfect escape for me after a series of heavier reads and also me dealing with a few rough patches in my own life.  From the moment I started reading, I was expecting a light-hearted, feel good story with a plot that wasn’t too complicated and also characters I could possibly relate to – I ended up getting that and much, much more!  Included at the end of each chapter was the recipe – ingredients and step-by-step instructions – for making each of the desserts featured in the story, which was a lovely surprise and an aspect of this book that I loved!  In addition, I also enjoyed reading about the origin of each recipe as well as explanation of the real-life significance behind each dessert in the author’s note at the end of the book.  Even though I most likely won’t attempt to make these desserts myself due to the fact that I’m a lousy cook and an even worse baker, I am also blessed to have wonderful women in my family who are fantastic when it comes to turning food into delectable creations so I know for sure they will enjoy trying these recipes out!

I recently found out that Viola Shipman is actually the pen name for Wade Rouse, a male author who writes under his grandmother’s name to honor her.  Just like with his two previous novels The Charm Bracelet and The Hope Chest, this book The Recipe Box was also inspired by one of his grandmother’s heirlooms that was passed down to him.  As he writes in his author’s note, this book “is a tribute to our elders, especially the women in our lives whose voices were often overlooked in their lifetimes.”  What a wonderful way to honor his grandmother and also remind us as readers to treasure the elders in our lives and continue to pass along their love, lessons, family stories, and heirlooms to those we love as well!  Wonderful book and definitely a highly recommended read!

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

Review: The Hope Chest (by Viola Shipman)

My Rating:  3.5 stars

I actually struggled a bit with the rating for this book. On the one hand, this book didn’t blow me away or impress me from a literary aspect or make me reflect on a deeper level like most of the books I rate 4 or 5 stars usually do. However, it also doesn’t deserve a low rating either (for reasons I’ll talk about below). In the end, I settled for 3.5 stars, with the “disclaimer” that if you’re trying to decide whether to read this book or not, I would say go by the review comments rather than the star rating.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, very simple in its message of hope and love and the meaning of family. As described in the summary, this book is about Mattie, an elderly woman battling ALS, and her devoted husband of 50 years, Don, who is unable to imagine a future life without his soulmate and the love of his life. A young single mother named Rose is assigned as Mattie’s caregiver and together with her 7-year-old daughter Jeri, they help the elderly couple find hope and faith again. There is also Mattie’s hope chest and all the heirlooms in it, which play a central role in connecting everyone together.

From a literary standpoint, this book is well-written and flows amazingly well despite jumping back and forth between different time periods (seems like the switching of timelines back and forth is a technique of choice for many authors nowadays). The author is descriptive and makes each scene come alive, to the point that I felt like I was watching a movie in my head. Yet, the dialogue is simple enough that it is easy to understand and most importantly, doesn’t interrupt the flow of the story. Though the story itself is not necessarily unique and doesn’t stand out amongst the many similar-themed stories out there, it was written well enough to evoke an emotional response from readers like me who may not have connected deeply with the story, but still found it moving and heartfelt. In terms of the characters -- though all of them were likable and easily relatable, I kind of felt that the author went a little overboard with a few of the characters and the roles they played in the story, which caused some of the characters to come across as a not quite believable. Luckily this did not affect the flow of the story much.

One thing about the book that made me struggle with the scoring was the predictability of the story and, in a way, the over-simplicity of the storyline. From the first page, I pretty much already knew what was going to happen and by the end, all the pieces of the story pulled together exactly the way I thought it would. Though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing per se, in this instance it did take away some of the fun of reading a book and being (pleasantly or unpleasantly) surprised at things that happen outside of what is expected. This was one of the main reasons why, despite enjoying the book and liking the story and characters overall, it was hard for me to get too excited about this book or give it a higher rating than I did.

 Received advance reader's copy from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley (expected publication date: March 21st, 2017).

(Read in February 2017)