The Lager Queen of Minnesota

by J. Ryan Stradal

First published 2019

When their father dies, Helen receives the entire family farm inheritance while her older sister Edith walks away empty-handed. Edith bakes prize-winning pies at a nursing home and struggles financially, wondering how different her life might have been with even part of the farm money. Helen uses her windfall to build a hugely successful light beer company with the slogan "Drink lots. It's Blotz." Helen's heart proves as inflexible as steel while Edith's remains generous as Minnesota itself. Years later, Helen discovers she needs help, and salvation might come from nearby family if she hasn't waited too long. Meanwhile, Edith's granddaughter Diana understands that surviving requires more toughness than her grandmother possesses. Diana gets an opportunity to learn the craft beer industry from the bottom up. Her success could transform their family's luck and possibly heal the old wounds that split them apart generations ago.

Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family

Setting: Minnesota

Period: 20th-century, 21st-century

349 pages · Hardcover · Pamela Dorman Books

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