PLEASURE TO READ

THE RECIPE BOOK AUTHOR: Sandra Lee PUBLISHER: Allen & Unwin (RRP: $27.99) REVIEWER: Alyssa Welke

GRACE D’Angelo is a woman at her wit’s end, trying to create a life from broken pieces.

Recently divorced from her high-school sweetheart, she is trying to make a new life for herself but her 14-year old daughter, Emma - resentful about being uprooted from her hometown and friends - is giving Grace a very hard time, skipping school and hanging with the wrong crowd.

On top of all that, Grace’s best friend Leeza is at the heartbreaking end stages of breast cancer back in their rural hometown of New London. When Leeza dies, Grace feels it is a bittersweet wake-up call that you don’t get a second chance at life.

Determined to get her life back on track and help her daughter do so as well, Grace and Emma return to New London for the summer, along with Grace’s best friend, Ken.

There, Grace works on reconciling with her own mother with whom she’s been estranged over a secret that has haunted Grace her whole life.

And when someone from Grace’s past shows up at Leeza’s funeral, Grace must confront a secret of her own.

Sandra Lee writes a compelling story of forgiveness. While it is a novel, the inclusion of original recipes which are referenced throughout is a clever touch.

It helps you connect with the story and brings it to life, in your own kitchen.

The Recipe Box is easy to read, but still explores deep issues that threaten to tear a family apart.