Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Review -- Eating Heaven

Eating Heaven
by Jennie Shortridge
Published by Penguin, 2005
269 pages

Summary: Eleanor Samuels has a dangerous relationship with food. When her Uncle Benny becomes sick, she rearranges her life to care for him. Over the course of his illness, Eleanor uncovers a family secret, finds her own personal strength, and works to love food again.

Review: I absolutely loved this novel. Jennie Shortridge writes a gem of a book filled with a perfectly paced plot that seamlessly slides between Eleanor's present difficulties and ties them to past memories. The plot continually deepens the reader's understanding of Eleanor's character and actions. At the heart of the novel is a woman's journey to understand a healthy relationship with food in a society where butter and sugar are evil and feelings of guilt are tied to every forkful of spice cake. A beautiful book that reminds us to live everyday as if it is our last. Rating:****1/2 out of 5.

Want a second opinion? Check out Mary's review at Bookfan-Mary.

3 comments:

Mary (Bookfan) said...

Jess, nice review. I'm still thinking about this novel! I'll probably end up picking up a copy just to keep it on hand (I borrowed it from the library). I know I'm going to read it again down the road.

Anonymous said...

Sounds interesting. Added it to my TBR Pile just in case. :) Thanks for the review

avisannschild said...

I have her latest (I think) book on my TBR pile (Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe). I'm glad to hear this one is good too!