Relationships | Book Chatter

Sweetbitter
By Stephanie Danler
Knopf Publishing Group, Hardcover, 9781101875940, May 2016, 368pp.

The Short of It:

An apt title for a story that pushes you away as much as it pulls you in.

The Rest of It:

Youth. Remember it? Maybe it’s been awhile since you’ve felt that elusive, fleeting happiness that percolates ever so gently when it comes to love. Well, this story captures it beautifully.

New York City is the backdrop for this novel and it’s dizzying in its perfection. Even with the bug infestations and the rats running through the street, Tess finds it to be magical in its own way.

“It’s ludicrous for anyone to live here,” she thinks, at the same time, she thinks, “I can never leave.” ~Sweetbitter

Tess moves to the city with the hopes to reinvent herself. In her twenties, it’s as if the world is there for the taking so when she lands a job at a well-known restaurant, she quickly falls into the routine of the place which includes many players, much drama and Jake, the bartender she’s completely obsessed with.

Tess is a work-in-progress. She’s green when it comes to love and war and she takes a beating both professionally and personally. Her eagerness to learn and her willingness to take it all in makes her vulnerable and somewhat innocent. Often times I found myself wanting to shake her a little but as I approached the final pages, I realized just how masterful the writing was.

There’s so much to love about this book. There’s food and wine and plenty of flawed, interesting people and Danler absolutely nailed the restaurant industry. I suppose it’s a coming-of-age story but it’s sophisticated, gritty and brutal in its honesty. I highly recommend it.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Firefly Summer
By Nan Rossiter
Kensington Publishing Corporation, Paperback, 9781496705037, July 26, 2016, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Tragedy and heartache can ruin a family but for the Quinn sisters, their love for one another helps them come to terms with the events of the past.

The Rest of It:

The Quinn family spent summer after summer at Whit’s End, their summer house on the Cape. With four sisters and one brother they were a formidable bunch but their time on the Cape was always magical and memorable. But in the summer of 1964, eight-year-old Easton drowns under the watch of one of his sisters and the events of that night forever haunt them.

The Quinn sisters, now grown and all living on the Cape, find themselves leaning on one another as they deal with health scares, crumbling marriages, new relationships, addiction and the overwhelming grief they carry with them from that fateful night.

Rossiter is known for writing stories with heart. Firefly Summer is no exception. The setting, the food, their conversations and their real-life struggles make this the perfect summer read.

I’ve had the pleasure of reading all of Nan Rossiter’s novels and they are all wonderful. You can’t go wrong with any of them. They center around family and she always has these wonderful settings. Check out her website for more information.

Guess what? The author has offered up a copy to giveaway! See details below.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of Firefly Summer and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the publisher/author Only one entry per person. Giveaway closes on July 31, 2016 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.