First published 2006
Katie appears to have everything figured out. She dates a wealthy, successful man and maintains her polished image by hiding her disabled sister Bells from everyone she knows. When Bells arrives for an extended stay, Katie's carefully constructed world begins to crumble. Meanwhile, food writer Tressa returns from her honeymoon questioning whether she married her impossibly handsome husband Dan out of desperation rather than genuine affection. Seeking answers, she turns to her grandmother Bernardine's old recipes, cooking her way through memories of 1930s Ireland. Bernardine's story unfolds alongside Tressa's as she recalls being forced into marriage with the local schoolteacher when her family couldn't afford the dowry needed to marry her true love, Michael. Through preparing these inherited dishes, Tressa searches for wisdom about love and commitment. The three women's experiences across different eras reveal the complex reality behind marriage and family bonds, questioning whether love arrives naturally or develops through choice and dedication.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Ireland
Period: 1930s, 21st-century
479 pages · Paperback · Reader's Digest
Content warnings: mental-illness