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| St. Martin's Press |
Linda Francis Lee
2014
The Summary
"Portia Cuthcart never intended to leave Texas. Her dream was to run the Glass Kitchen restaurant her grandmother built decades ago. But after a string of betrayals and the loss of her legacy Portia is determined to start a new life with her sisters in Manhattan...and never cook again.
"When she moves into a dilapidated brownstone on the Upper West Side, she meets twelve-year-old Ariel and her widowed father, Gabriel, a man with his hands full trying to raise two daughters on his own. Soon a promise made to her sisters forces Portia back into a world of magical food and swirling emotions, where she must confront everything she has been running from. What seems so simple on the surfaces is anything but when long-held secrets are revealed, rivalries exposed, and the promise of new love stirs to life like chocolate mixing with cream.
"The Glass Kitchen is a delicious novel, a tempestuous story of a woman, washed up on the shores of Manhattan, who discovers that a kitchen--like an island--can be a refuge, if only she has the courage to give in to the pull of love and the power of forgiveness, and to accept the complications of what it means to be family."
The Good
I loved everything about this novel: characters, story, tone--everything. The descriptions were wonderful, luscious and full of food imagery that connected with me on a tactile, gustatory level. Portia likens all her experiences and emotions to food, since that's what she knows best with her knowing--her inexplicable ability to plan and create food for just the right occasion. I thought the author did an excellent job of connecting the dots and appealing to my love of food, especially Southern food.
I also loved Portia's mysterious family gift, her magical sense of knowing. It immediately makes me think of Sarah Addison Allen and her style of writing: vibrant, fun, threaded with magic that makes the novel shine just a little brighter. Portia's knowing adds an element of adventure and complexity to the novel, adding a special spark that makes The Glass Kitchen that much more enjoyable. It's a relatable story about turning over a new leaf, starting over, but it has that hint of magic that makes it whimsical without being fantastical.
And I enjoyed watching the progression of the sisters' relationship. Their interactions seem genuine: Olivia, Rose, and Portia fight and fuss, but, ultimately, they forgive one another and make up. They're family, so it's only natural that they disagree, that they're brutally honest and grumpy, but they love one another, regardless of what happens. It's sweet, which I really enjoyed, because it's just the sort of relationship that siblings can hope to have.
Overall, I loved reading The Glass Kitchen. It hit all the right notes for me, bringing together all the qualities I love in a narrative and telling it in a compelling, beautiful way that keeps from hooked from cover to cover. I can't wait to read more by Linda Francis Lee.
The Bad
The Glass Kitchen is a bit of an odd story, but I don't really have any complaints. I wish Portia's knowing was explained a little better, but even Portia didn't fully understand her gift, so it isn't a surprise it remains undefined.
Otherwise, I loved every bit of Lee's novel.
The Ugly
Loss. Tragedy. Betrayal. Divorce. Love. And more betrayal.
I feel bad for Portia, I really do. My heart goes out to her as she tries to stand on her own two feet, as she tries to get back up after being knocked down, only to have the most important men in her life to a) lie to her, b) betray her trust, and c) deliberately withhold the truth. It's frustrating and, in some cases, humiliating for Portia.
I couldn't imagine finding myself in the same situation.
The Good
I loved everything about this novel: characters, story, tone--everything. The descriptions were wonderful, luscious and full of food imagery that connected with me on a tactile, gustatory level. Portia likens all her experiences and emotions to food, since that's what she knows best with her knowing--her inexplicable ability to plan and create food for just the right occasion. I thought the author did an excellent job of connecting the dots and appealing to my love of food, especially Southern food.
I also loved Portia's mysterious family gift, her magical sense of knowing. It immediately makes me think of Sarah Addison Allen and her style of writing: vibrant, fun, threaded with magic that makes the novel shine just a little brighter. Portia's knowing adds an element of adventure and complexity to the novel, adding a special spark that makes The Glass Kitchen that much more enjoyable. It's a relatable story about turning over a new leaf, starting over, but it has that hint of magic that makes it whimsical without being fantastical.
And I enjoyed watching the progression of the sisters' relationship. Their interactions seem genuine: Olivia, Rose, and Portia fight and fuss, but, ultimately, they forgive one another and make up. They're family, so it's only natural that they disagree, that they're brutally honest and grumpy, but they love one another, regardless of what happens. It's sweet, which I really enjoyed, because it's just the sort of relationship that siblings can hope to have.
Overall, I loved reading The Glass Kitchen. It hit all the right notes for me, bringing together all the qualities I love in a narrative and telling it in a compelling, beautiful way that keeps from hooked from cover to cover. I can't wait to read more by Linda Francis Lee.
The Bad
The Glass Kitchen is a bit of an odd story, but I don't really have any complaints. I wish Portia's knowing was explained a little better, but even Portia didn't fully understand her gift, so it isn't a surprise it remains undefined.
Otherwise, I loved every bit of Lee's novel.
The Ugly
Loss. Tragedy. Betrayal. Divorce. Love. And more betrayal.
I feel bad for Portia, I really do. My heart goes out to her as she tries to stand on her own two feet, as she tries to get back up after being knocked down, only to have the most important men in her life to a) lie to her, b) betray her trust, and c) deliberately withhold the truth. It's frustrating and, in some cases, humiliating for Portia.
I couldn't imagine finding myself in the same situation.
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