Now 2023 Previous Articles Road Essays Road Reviews Author Black Authors Title Source Age Genre Series Format Inclusivity LGBTA Portfolio Artwork WIP

Recent posts


Month in review

Reviews
Amelia Peabody's Egypt by Elizabeth Peters
Angelina on Stage by Katharine Holabird
Arthur and the Invisibles by Luc Besson
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang
Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer
The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street by Ann Redisch Stampler
Daisy's Defining Day by Sandra V. Feder
The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters
Don't Forget the Bacon! by Pat Hutchins
Emile by Tomi Ungerer
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson
Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 2: Research by Thomas Siddell
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley
Let's Meet a Librarian by Gina Bellisario
The Monstore by Tara Lazar
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola
Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa by Shonto Begay
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Pie by Sarah Weeks
Pippi in the South Seas by Astrid Lindgren
Ruth Fielding in the Saddle by Alice B. Emerson
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
Tough Cookie by Diane Mott Davidson
The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis
Yoga For Cats by Traudl Reiner

Other Stuff
Canadian Book Challenge 7

Previous month


Rating System

5 stars: Completely enjoyable or compelling
4 stars: Good but flawed
3 stars: Average
2 stars: OK
1 star: Did not finish

Reading Challenges

Canadian Book Challenge: 2023-2024

Beat the Backlist 2023

Artwork
Chicken Art



Privacy policy

This blog does not collect personal data. It doesn't set cookies. Email addresses are used to respond to comments or "contact us" messages and then deleted.



The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: 07/11/13

cover art

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender is an exploration of the emotions captured in food. Although Bender specializes in placing the extraordinary in ordinary settings, there's still a recognizable truth to what Rose Edelstein experiences.

Just before her 9th birthday, as Rose and her mother are baking a chocolate frosted lemon cake, she realizes the cake she and her mother have made countless times doesn't taste right. It's not that the recipe is different or that the ingredients are off. No — there's a crushing sadness to it.

From then on, Rose can taste the stories behind every meal she eats. It's not just emotions, but also the foods' origins. She learns a new geography based on the things her meals tell her. In order to keep her sanity in all this on rush of information and raw emotion, Rose must learn how and what to eat.

The book follows Rose through her teenage years into early adulthood. She grows into her special ability and finds herself in the process. Along the way she learns she is not alone in having powers — her brother and her father.

As with Bender's short stories, Rose's narration is told with detachment. It's not that she doesn't care — it's just that she is looking back on her life through the new normal. The events of her life, while extraordinary are just part of who she is.

Although the first couple of chapters took some getting used to, I loved watching Rose grow. I recommend reading Bender's book in conjunction with the memoir: A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg.

Five stars

Comments (2)


Lab puppy
Name:
Email (won't be posted):
Blog URL:
Comment:


Comment #1: Friday, July 12, 2013 at 21:09:50

Freda Mans

This is a book I rather enjoyed too. I think I gave it 4 stars.
Fab review.



Comment #2: Sunday, August 04, 2013 at 15:38:10

Pussreboots

Thank you. I'd like to read more of her work.

Twitter Tumblr Mastadon Flickr Facebook Facebook Contact me

1997-2023 Sarah Sammis