Sunday, February 20, 2022

Cake Talk: Bloom Where You're Slanted

It's exciting to read a new author.  I'm always thinking, who is this person, and what does she (sometimes he) have to say?  These questions and others unfurled as I delved into Louise Miller's The Late Bloomers' Club.  As a late bloomer myself, I couldn't wait to see just what the phrase meant to Ms. Miller and her heroine.  This is what I found:

Nothing ever happens in Guthrie, Vermont.  So when eccentric cake lady Peggy Johnson dies unexpectedly and leaves her farm to the Huckleberry sisters, it causes a stir.  And not just because the sisters are as different as Mozart and Miley Cyrus.  But because a developer wants to buy Peggy's land to build a small business-destroying superstore.  

Forty-two-year-old Nora has never left Guthrie and dutifully runs her parents' diner.  Thirty-five-year-old Kit has followed her artistic whims all over the world.  So when Kit blows back into town with her besotted boyfriend, there are fireworks.  Kit is fun, and I admire her free spiritedness -- that is, until she starts infringing on the freedoms of others.  Which is exactly what it seems like she's doing to Nora, the novel's anchor and narrator.  Still, there are two sides to every story, and the other side of this one is that Nora is a martyr (to give you an idea, she takes on Peggy's cake baking business as well as the search for her missing dog).  Miller is clever in setting up Kit as the "villain," forcing us to see her through Nora's eyes -- especially when Nora realizes that she's been wearing cloud-colored glasses that made her myopic.  Because maybe Kit has held Nora back -- but maybe Nora has held Nora back too.  The sisters' newfound inheritance forces them to take an honest look at each other and decide what's best for themselves and the town, all while untangling the growing mystery of Peggy's seemingly simple life.

And now it's quote time!  Here are some wise words from Kit's (sort of) Buddhist boyfriend Max:

' "We're all suffering.  I guess I just relate to people who are willing to share more of themselves.  A lot of pain in the world could be alleviated if we could all admit when we're having a hard time." ' (93)

You said it, Max.  And then, of course, there are some fashion snippets I love:

Nora describing a long-gone library volunteer: 

' "Don't you remember her?  She was really cool.  She had all of these interesting dresses, and she always wore red cowboy boots.  I've always wanted a pair." ' (174)

Nora describing Kit:

' "Short, curly red hair, dressed like Stevie Nicks and one of the Disney princesses started a fashion label together?" ' (177)

If such a brand existed, I'd be first in line.  But back to business:

No one in this book is who he or she seems.  And I don't mean that in a sinister, spy thriller kind of way, but in a we're-all-humans-just-doing-our-best kind of way that makes life's problems better, not worse.  That said, Miller gives us multifaceted, sympathetic characters in a beautiful, bucolic setting.  Also, as a bonus, this was the first time I heard the term "leaf peepers" used unironically (I'm looking at you, John Oliver).  Charming yet poignant and tinged with the no-nonsense spirit for which New England is famous, The Late Bloomers' Club doesn't offer easy answers.  But when it comes to the importance of taking a chance, it hits closer to home than anything I've read in a while.   

5 comments:

Ivy's Closet said...

I love the cover of the book! It gives off that springtime vibe. Sounds like a winner with a lot to offer. We need more reads with women working together, nurturing friendships and of course, some insightful men.

I so enjoyed your review. Some interesting quotes too.

Oh, you are right it's best to write a little that you might have experienced, but only just a little. I like to mix it up. And sometimes, just a picture is inspiring too...maybe even a set (collage). Thank you so much for your comments. We actually had such a warm day yesterday. You could go outside, yet I didn't. I know...I should have because snow is in the forecast!

All the best to a wonderful week!

ellie said...

Oh, this one looks like a good one. A sweet read in many ways I'm sure. Such a charming review. Oh, those New Englanders! It's good to get back to the roots of that way of life. Sometimes it's the supporting cast that makes the story..well, usually..or so it feels for me.

Hope you guys have had some good weather and had some fun. Oh, it's been interesting to read how certain readers feel about certain characters I've been writing. It can be risky business...=)

Caitlin'nMegan said...

Such a fun review! It made me smile.... You are the best at these reviews! Such interesting characters and premise in the coziest way. It sounds like a great place to go on a vacation. I like those kinds of books.

Hope you are staying creative! I finally got the hat crocheted that took me well over a year to get the yarn in a ball. Supposedly, my friend bought this yarn out in Seattle. Very expensive I was told. It was gift..but the skein didn't have a beginning nor an end..evidently..while all along I made the biggest mess with the yarn and finally, months of rolling little balls I decided well I better make a hat. And it was for me. Awful stuff to crochet. Stopping and starting..ugh..but finally I saw it through and it's a nice slouchy hat (I like the way it fits on my head) on a windy day. So then I started another from some leftover yarn she gave me. Ugh, I don't know who's hair this is, but it's not mine.

Samantha said...

Cool review!! The book sounds very dynamic and, there's always that fascinating dichotomy of characters who are polar opposite from each other (yet, that seems to be how we learn most about ourselves, in our differences!) I like the idea of an 'eccentric cake lady'. The quotes you included were awesome, especially the fashion-based ones! When it comes right down to it, it's so true: "we're-all-humans-just-doing-our-best". And that's one thing we all have in common!

Jewel Divas Style said...

One more book that sounds interesting that I don't have time to read. Oi!