My thoughts
I've read a few of this author's books and enjoyed them so much. This one was excellent. A page turner for sure. It kept me turning the pages while also listening to the audio from my public library.
This is a stunning book. A story about family and how people in families sometimes treat each other. Or make a difference in children/grandchildren. This one starts out with Tempesta in her father's bedroom after his death. Her brother Wal is also there. They are the only children and stand to inherit the wealth their father left. Their Grandmother Luddington is also there. She's a real piece of work. I didn't like her at all....
When Wal basically inherits everything he and Tempesta are somewhat shocked. But Tempesta was left her mother's money. It was nothing in comparison but it was quite a bit and both Temp and Wal were happy about that. Grandmother Luddington was her usual selfish person and said some very mean things to Temp. Not to anyone's surprise either.
Tempesta took the money and went to France. She wanted to see where their mother was from and maybe get to know more about her. She had died when Temp was only thirteen and Temp had vivid memories of her and the stories she always told her about her home in France. Temp buys a place without seeing it and is sorely surprised at what she finds. She thinks it's never going to be fixable. But she learns better. She meets Tiberi and he fixes her house and greenhouse and her. Temp learns so much about herbs and plants and becomes a big hit in the town. after which she is finally accepted as one of them.
There is a lot going on in this book and it's all tied up so neatly and perfectly. From being a New York journalist who writes about restaurant, restaurant critic, to a village called Sainte-Colombe in France. Tempesta finds the belonging she longed for since the loss of her mother. She and her brother become close and her life is full.
I can picture the house in the country with the meadow surrounding it. The greenhouse. The main house. The roof even. The town with it's not at all modern shops. The people. Hills of lush greenery. It all looks so beautiful in my mind. That is how well this book is written.
Do not miss the author's notes at the end. And there are delicious sounding recipes after that. I may have to give at least one a try.
Thank you #NetGalley, #AimieKRunyan, #HarperMuse, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.
Five big stars...
About
Perhaps the secrets of her mother’s past in this tiny French town hold the key to her own future. . .
Food critic Tempèsta Luddington has always felt like the odd person out in her family, ever since she lost her beloved mother at the tender age of thirteen. When her workaholic father passes fifteen years later, Tempèsta is not surprised that the majority of the considerable family money will pass to her dutiful younger brother, Wal. Still, she is left a modest remembrance from her mother, and for the first time Tempèsta has a world of choices before her.
Lost in grief and hoping to reconnect with her memories and her mother’s past, she uses the money to buy a ramshackle manor house in Sainte-Colombe, a small village in Provence, where her mother had grown up. But she is greeted with more questions than answers. Her welcome, especially by the town’s stodgy mayor, is cold at best, and she finds herself wondering if the entire experiment was a mistake.
Yet she stays, stubbornly sticking it out, slowly learning that her mother’s legacy was more than just a nest egg. Through her mother and the village, Tempèsta learns the value of community and friendship, the importance of self-confidence, and the power of love and trust. What’s more, she sees for herself that there is magic and beauty in the everyday—even something as simple as a sprig of lavender and sage.
“For readers who love Under the Tuscan Sun and Chocolat, this is your next heartfelt, delightful read.” —Jennifer Moorman, bestselling author of The Baker's Man
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