When twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter--as well as a gift of saffron--to fifty-nine-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine, and while she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she’s never tasted fresh garlic--exotic fare in the Northwest of the sixties. As the two women commune through their letters, they build a closeness that sustains them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the unexpected in their own lives.
Food and a good life—they can’t be separated. It is a discovery the women share, not only with each other, but with the men in their lives. Because of her correspondence with Joan, Imogen’s decades-long marriage blossoms into something new and exciting, and in turn, Joan learns that true love does not always come in the form we expect it to. Into this beautiful, intimate world comes the ultimate test of Joan and Imogen’s friendship—a test that summons their unconditional trust in each other.
A brief respite from our chaotic world, Love & Saffron is a gem of a novel, a reminder that food and friendship are the antidote to most any heartache, and that human connection will always be worth creating.
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Born in Seattle and raised throughout Washington State, I am a former indie bookseller and former travel writer living in Vietnam for four years. I am the author of the historical novel THE MAP OF LOST MEMORIES, an Edgar Award Finalist for Best First Novel; COMMUNION: A CULINARY JOURNEY THROUGH VIETNAM, winner of a World Gourmand Cookbook Award; and LOVE & SAFFRON, a historical, epistolary novel written during the pandemic. I am also the creator/editor of the To Asia With Love guidebook series. I live in Los Angeles with my husband Jim and dog Mabel. I am represented by Kate Garrick at Salky Literary Management: kgarrick@salkylitmgmt.com
My Thoughts...
This was a great read, I love food and I love friends so what better combination. I hope that you get to read this one with a friend. Its the perfect buddy read.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.
Good post.
ReplyDeleteFood and Friends two of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteA gift idea for friends who love to read.
ReplyDeleteI would love to read this one.
ReplyDeleteI love food and friends so this one is going in my cart.
ReplyDelete