The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel

Sep 07, 2011 Candace rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well I'm glad that's over! Thankfully I was able to read through this book remarkably fast! Had I spent the usual amount of time getting through this book like I normally do, I would have been very angry at myself for wasting so much time on it!

The book started out with two "friends" reconnecting via email after over 25 years of no contact due to a fight they had in their teenage years. The majority of the book after that was reading through the two "friends" old recipe club letter to each other...more Well I'm glad that's over! Thankfully I was able to read through this book remarkably fast! Had I spent the usual amount of time getting through this book like I normally do, I would have been very angry at myself for wasting so much time on it!

The book started out with two "friends" reconnecting via email after over 25 years of no contact due to a fight they had in their teenage years. The majority of the book after that was reading through the two "friends" old recipe club letter to each other. The rest of the book was finishing the story after the two had once again agreed to leave each other alone, and finished with a truly phoney ending.

My 1st issue I had with this book, was that the girls were about 8 years old when they started the recipe club. The idea was to send a new recipe with each letter they exchanged. I felt like I was being told tall tales when the girls would share the recipe's, as they were getting them from unlikely places. One that sticks out is the one Val gets from her camp boyfriend when she was about 13 or 14? Why would the mother send the recipe to her son when she sent the treat? What good would it have done him at camp to know how to make it? The situation seemed absurd! And it left the story feeling cheap. There were many examples of this throughout the story.

My 2nd issue I had with this book, is that these two "friends" never seemed to be good friends. So I was sitting there reading page after page of how these two polar opposite people would get on each others nerves because one was a selfish floozie and the other was a hurt goodie two shoes, desperately trying to find acceptance with her peers and most importantly her polar opposite "best friend". There were more issues between the two than happy moments.

My 3rd issue with this book was that I felt I was reading a soap opera. There were the typical things in it, classic in crummy soap operas : Conflict, betrayal, promiscuity, trying to pass off one lover's child as another's, and the drama that comes from that, childishness selfish behavior coming from adults in an attempt to make themselves happy at all costs, even when it hurts others.

The ending was flimsy! There was so much hurt involved with these two and their families. The two "friends" wouldn't talk for the better part of 28 years, and all of a sudden because of one event it becomes water under the bridge, and the characters seem to change completely! All of a sudden they are better different people, which happens in only a matter of a couple months. One ends up being an adoptive mother at the near age of 50! This character never would have been granted a child in her circumstances ( more than just age )! Then a few months after that she is engaged and married to a man that she had grown up with and had no interest in then, had no connection with during her time away from that family, then all of a sudden the man wants to see his cousin's new god-daughter and they fall in love and are married before the end of the calendar year?!? How weak!

I do have one good thing to say about this book : Some of the recipes seemed interesting enough to try out. Most seemed pretty common. However there were a few that seemed to shine, only time and cooking will tell.

The ending of this book was a bittersweet moment for me. It was a happy moment for me because I was now finished with this terrible book. But I was also completely frustrated with the ending events that brought a close to this story. I am just glad I didn't buy this book and I got it through a book swap, which is where it will end up again, getting swapped.
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Oct 15, 2011 Karyl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this book at a used book store and was excited by the premise, as I do so dearly love to cook. The only thing I love better is reading, so this book really appealed to me. Shame it failed so very badly.

The letter format is an interesting one for a novel. However, by the time the first section of emails ended, I was so annoyed and irritated by the Lilly character that I almost didn't want to keep reading to find out why she and Val had fallen out so spectacularly. Then when the childhood...more

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May 22, 2011 Marigold rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: food, power-of-friendship

What makes a good trashy light-reading book, & what makes a bad trashy light-reading book? I wish I knew! I wish I could define it. This for me was a good trashy light read & I had loads of fun with Lilly & Val! They are two friends who grow up together & begin a tradition of writing one another letters & sending recipes back & forth because from a young age they both enjoy cooking. Though they are very different, their friendship endures over the course of many years. Th...more

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Feb 07, 2011 CinintheCity rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Tale of food and friendship. Initially (1964) told through a series of letters,emails and recipes, they deal with issues of trust, love, anger and resentment between friends - you will definitely recognize yourself and your own friends in these two women.There is something very special about 1964 however, something that every 12 year old girl in the United States would have been all agog over, because 1964 was the year of the British Invasion, the year that teens of my generation first heard o...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship, Val and Lilly have been close friends for a long time. The two of them have shared many recipes over the years as the only two members of "The Recipe Club". However, a misunderstanding has left them estranged. As they try to reconnect, a long kept secret is finally revealed and once again their friendship is threatened.

I loved so many things about this book. First, the format. It's a little quirky as most of the story is told through letters go...more In The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship, Val and Lilly have been close friends for a long time. The two of them have shared many recipes over the years as the only two members of "The Recipe Club". However, a misunderstanding has left them estranged. As they try to reconnect, a long kept secret is finally revealed and once again their friendship is threatened.

I loved so many things about this book. First, the format. It's a little quirky as most of the story is told through letters going back and forth between Lilly and Val. I thought the style and the story were a good fit. Second, the recipes. I love to cook and am always pleased to find new recipes. This is especially nice when I find recipes in unexpected places, like in a novel. Third, the story. Val and Lilly had a falling out and openly shared their thoughts about that. I loved that it wasn't just a big love fest. I also loved that the story was unique and unpredictable. I had no clue where the story was going or where it was going to end up.

Having said all that, I didn't think the recipes went that well with the story. Mostly the recipes were mentioned as an aside or after thought in the letters. Although one of the characters was a caterer, she didn't do a lot of that in the story, so there was little or no connection there. In addition, some of the recipes were a little exotic for girls of that age. For example, Lilly sent Val a recipe for "Wild Duck with Cherry Orchard Sauce" (page 81). This was when they were thirteen-year-olds. This recipe would not at all have appealed to me when I was that age. Perhaps they were more sophisticated. Also, the "Turkish 'Cigarettes'" (page 67) calls for phyllo dough. Was that readily available in 1965? I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have been able to find it in our area.

I haven't made any of the recipes in the book, but I plan to. The "Cheerful Salmon Croquettes" (page 145) look promising. Also, the Turkish "Cigarettes" (with the above mentioned phyllo dough) sound wonderful.

Recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins website or The Recipe Club website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel, HarperCollins, ©2009. ISBN 9780061992193(Hardcover), 363p.

This review can also be found on my blog, Daisy's Book Journal. (less)

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Oct 17, 2010 Anna Williams rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: bad, never-read-again, make-sure-others-never-suffer-throu

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I cannot believe that this got published.

This is the story of two women who grow up as sort of friends/penpals. They also for no reason exchange recipes. The recipes are included in the book, and are bogus. I don't think too many women out there who know their way around a kitchen are impressed by recipes for cooked carrots. Just saying.

So the characters of Lilly and Val are supposedly friends, and the book is their letters to one another over 35 years. The conflict is supposed to be the tensio...more I cannot believe that this got published.

This is the story of two women who grow up as sort of friends/penpals. They also for no reason exchange recipes. The recipes are included in the book, and are bogus. I don't think too many women out there who know their way around a kitchen are impressed by recipes for cooked carrots. Just saying.

So the characters of Lilly and Val are supposedly friends, and the book is their letters to one another over 35 years. The conflict is supposed to be the tension between them because Lilly's father Issac is more fatherly to Val than to her. But honestly the real tension is in the writing, as the authors strain to communicate emotion in stilted, overly formal and sometimes outright hostile letters.

You are clearly supposed to like both characters, but I hated both. Lilly is supposed to be kind of a bitch, and comes off as the worst person in the world. Her 'redemption' is supposed to come when she arranges an abortion for Val, which really does nothing to impress the reader. Val is meant to be tender, caring and kind, but comes off as naive, clinging and childish. I kept wondering, why is Val even giving this Lilly person the time of day? Why does Lilly bother? She obviously hates Val.

The climax is a revelation of a family secret, which changes the relationship between the characters, but not in a believable way. The storytelling is at odds with the writing, which seems more journalistic than anything. And even though the letters cross a span of 35 years, the writing in the letters does not reflect the age of the characters. The only time clues the authors give are references to historic events, which, frankly, is not important. It's more important that I can pick up the approximate age of the character at the time of writing than the time the letter is supposed to be written. Nine year olds do not write the same letters as forty year olds. It's a fact.

The good thing about this book is it gives me hope. Apparently all you need to be a successful novelist is a few credits for writing stories for Dateline.
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Jul 29, 2010 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lilly and Val have been friends since childhood in spite of their great personality differences. Lilly is artistic and creative while Val is smart and ambitious. Throughout their childhood, the girls send letters to each other and form a Recipe Club where they exchange recipes with each other. These shared letters and recipes follow the girls as they grow up and go through all the experiences that brings with it. The novel follows the journey of these two now grown up women, and their attempts t...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

The storyline is two women, Lilly and Val, who reconnect after a parent’s death through email. After a few emails, we discover that Val has discovered the letters they sent to each other as young girls. Along with their emails we now read the letters they wrote each other and learn that they started sending recipes to each other.

I admit that the beginning of this book had some tension between Lilly and Val. This made it difficult for me to continue reading through their emails where they started...more

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Jan 29, 2010 Bookworm rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Recipe Club is one of those books that grabs your attention and does not let go. If I didn't have to work full time and tend to two children, I would have finished this one in one sitting, instead, I read it in two.

Lilly and Val are lifelong friends who haven't spoken in 26 years due to a falling out. Lilly is outgoing, flirty and dramatic, Val is the shy one, who tends to have her nose in a book and feels insecure most of the time.

In April of 2000, when Val's mother passes away, she email...more

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Nov 14, 2009 Chocolate & Croissants rated it 3 of 5 stars

Many cultures focus important events and celebrations around food. The Recipe Club is no exception as readers are introuced to the lives of Val and Lily.

The Recipe Club is a compilation of emails and letters written back and forth between Val and Lily. Friends since their childhood they have not spoken in over 26 years. Both come from dysfunctional families with thier own issues that they struggle with as they come of age during the 60's. Val's mother is neurotic and constantly depressed, while...more

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Oct 22, 2009 Katrina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009-favorites

This heartwarming book was so creative and fun to read. It begins as emails going back and forth through two former friends. We can tell there is some tension and you immediately want to know why. The book then flashes backwards to the childhood of these friends, through Pen Pal type letters. The letters dont tell you everything like a book does. You never are privy to what happens between each letter or when the girls are together unless they write about it to each other. With the letters they...more

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Sep 15, 2009 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lilly and Valerie used to be the best of friends. Something happened along the way that shook them both. Neither Valerie nor Lilly could recover after that. It has been years since they have spoken.

Valerie’s mother pasted away last month. She realizes it is about time to put the past behind them. She sends Lilly an email. Lilly responds. When Valerie goes through her mom’s possessions, she finds old letters that she and Lilly wrote each other as well as the recipes they shared when they formed...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was really good, but not at all what I expected! The entire book was a series of letters and emails between two friends from 1963 - 1973, and then again in the early 2000's. I don't normally read books written in this format, but I thought that I might as well since I had it. With that being said...let's review...

The story opens with a letter from Val to her former friend Lilly, hoping to reconnect after twenty years of silence. Her mother has recently passed away, and she's hoping to...more This book was really good, but not at all what I expected! The entire book was a series of letters and emails between two friends from 1963 - 1973, and then again in the early 2000's. I don't normally read books written in this format, but I thought that I might as well since I had it. With that being said...let's review...

The story opens with a letter from Val to her former friend Lilly, hoping to reconnect after twenty years of silence. Her mother has recently passed away, and she's hoping to talk to someone who knew her and her mother together. Someone to share her grief.

Lilly responds with what appears to be genuine surprise and an openness to picking up where they left off; but it seems that even after twenty years to bury the hatchet these two cant.

From here we get to read their letter to one another from the 60's through the 70's, when they were both a part of 'The Recipe Club'. A club consisting of two best friends forever, and the evolution of their friendships and their inner selves.

Its apparent from the beginning of these earlier letters that the friendship is a little more 70/30 in a lot of areas. Lilly comes across as selfish, and way more into herself and her own life then in her friend. In contrast, Valerie, seems to be clingy and unsure, unless its something to do with school work. In the back ground of these letters is are the parents that help shape them.

Val's mom has intense anxiety, and can't manage to leave the house most days. Her father, loyal to a fault, is a teacher and part time inventor. Lilly's mother is a director and set designer with multiple lovers (whom she flaunts), and her father is a prestigious therapist who just so happens to be treating Val's mom.

Likes:
1: This was a super quick read! I finished it in a single day.
2: The recipes placed through out the book were a lot of fun, and I liked that they became gradually more complicated to reflect their creators.
3: Friendships can be hard, I liked that this was showed.

Dislikes:
1: I really did not care for the format, but was able to get past it ;)
2: I didn't care for the mostly unsympathetic parental figures. I wanted to slap "Katherine the Great".
3: I had a very hard time with Lilly's character, although I had warmed up to her by the end.

Overall:
A must read for anyone who's had a friendship. You'll be able to connect to this story almost immediately. But, be prepared...some of the subject matter is heavy. I did like it, and recommend it as a must read. (less)

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Jan 09, 2010 Libby rated it 3 of 5 stars

What a delicious book!! Full of wit and wisdom and some very tasty recipes.... Life as seen through the eyes of Val and Lily, two childhood friends that trip through the sixties and seventies with the background of a recipe club. Woven between delicate measures of love, loss, and all sorts of emotional challenges that represent all of humanity.
The book opens up after twenty-six years of separation, trying to pick up the threads of the ignored relationship. The reader is ushered through the ingr...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Food lovers, Leisure readers

Shelves: reads-of-2010, realistic-fiction, read-from-library, reviewed

This book just lends itself to a creative review, so here goes.

The Recipe Club's Review Recipe

1 cup funny (especially when Lilly fills out Val's sex questionnaire)
2 tsp melodramatic
1/2 cup of "tried to hard" (At times I thought that the authors went a little overboard on the emotions and language...a little to poetic and strained out for simply letters written between two friends)
2 cups of Lilly being a bitch for every 1 cup of Val being clingy and whiny
1/2 cup predictable
1 lb recommended to re...more

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Feb 14, 2010 Tina Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vine

"The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship" by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel was a delight to read, and a unique treat to the eyes. The work was put together like a collection of correspondence, with recipes, illustrations, and visual surprises interspersed sort of scrapbook style.

Except for a few short sections, the novel is penned as an epistolary. It begins with emails exchanged between long estranged friends, then presents the reader with a collection of letters mailed between those...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

I would give this 3.5 stars, but since you can't rate with halves on here I will round it up to 4 stars. I am not really sure what to say. I really enjoyed this book, but I am finding it hard to put my feelings into words. I really like Val. She was probably my favorite character. I related to her a lot while reading this. She is smart, nice, polite, and well read. I had mixed feeling about Lilly though. At first, I couldn't stand her. It felt like she didn't care about the friendship she had wi...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Martha Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I know there are some people (one of my sisters to be specific) who don't like epistolary novels. (I should own up to have to look up the the spelling of this I think it would sound better as epistlatory which of course is dead wrong) Anyway, I know reading a story told in letter form is not some folks cup of tea but I like them or at least I don't mind them. Especially a well written one. Though I guess that could be said about any book, if it's well written then it's a good book, no matter, r...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Book Clubs and Best Friends

Recommended to Lisa by: Tattered Cover Book Store

This is more than a novel about friendship - it is a wonderful cook book with more than 80 recipes. It is the story of Val and Lily told in letters. It opens with emails in the current time of Val trying to reconnect with her best friend from childhood. They'd had a terribly argument which ended their friendship in the 70s. As they reconnect, you find out about them as people now and then the second part of the book shares their childhood letters and recipes (that are good and all tried and true...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Denise Cuenin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book and debated whether to award it 3 or 4 stars. The book is written as a series of letters and e-mails between two young girls and later on, the same girls as women. The recipes are classic sixties fare -- old stand bys many of us grew up eating (meat loaf, lasagne, fish sticks) -- very entertaining if you love to read recipes. The women are very different but deeply connected New York Jewish school girls. The big revelation seemed obvious to me before it came about -- wondered...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this book from the publisher through the Goodreads book giveaways. At first I didn't think I'd like the it because the format are letters written between the two main characters. Reading old letters of people who I have no connection with hold no interest for me, but slowly as the book unfolds and you get the bigger picture between the two old friends you can relate more to the emotional sides of both parties. I could remember feeling the same way they did to situations in their past...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Serena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel is a narrative mostly written in emails and letters, shifting from a budding friendship between young girls and blossoming into adulthood. Beyond the emails and letters, the novel also includes recipes, which mesh well with the story as each of the girls deals with lost loves and problems with family, including Lovelorn Lasagna.

The novel begins after Valerie and Lilly have endured a 26-year silence in their friendship. After an attempt to rega...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Rachael rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 12, 2009 Renee rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was not overly excited by this book once I started reading. I figured out the shocking secret very early on so there was little to which to look forward. When the author finally disclosed the secret, it was like ho-hum, I knew that already and there was no excitement leading up to the discovery.

I enjoyed the recipes and especially like that there is an index to them in the back of the book. I found what I think is a glaring writing and editorial oversight. On page 92, Val says "We had Or'Derve...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Zoë (In The Next Room) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copy

"I’m starting to understand what it takes to make friends: it’s all about connecting with other strong, intelligent, focused women. About abandoning the shell you’ve been hiding in your whole life. And when you do it right, you’re rewarded with love. With people who really get you. Who never judge you. Who admire you for who you are and what you have to offer."

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel is a "novel about food and friendship", the half a century story of Lilly and Val w...more "I’m starting to understand what it takes to make friends: it’s all about connecting with other strong, intelligent, focused women. About abandoning the shell you’ve been hiding in your whole life. And when you do it right, you’re rewarded with love. With people who really get you. Who never judge you. Who admire you for who you are and what you have to offer."

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel is a "novel about food and friendship", the half a century story of Lilly and Val who form a two person Recipe Club as children. They write intimate and funny letters, each one including a recipe, often with relevant and funny names like Lilly's "Lovelorn Lasagna" which is to be prepared following a breakup. Lilly and Val could not be more different- Lilly is confident and melodramatic, loves singing and attention while Val is shy, awkward and intelligent with a passion for the sciences. They both have their own struggles as well. Val's mother is housebound by anxiety following the death of her sister and brother in law, who's son is raised basically as Val's brother. Val and Lilly's mothers were once in the theatre together and Lilly's mother continues to maintain the scandalous lifestyle including regular affairs with producers and choreographers. Her husband attempts to help Val's mother cope with her agoraphobia, and has a deep bond with Val herself while remaining distant from his own daughter. Lilly struggles to earn her father's recognition and respect, while feeling excluded from the clear fondness he has for her best friend. Add some misunderstanding, some lifelong grudges, and you have the recipe for one very complex but clever book that never quite reaches its full potential.

Israel and Garfinkel deftly capture the emotions of Lilly and Val no matter what their ages are- I genuinely felt like the letters were written by the girls as they got older and their relationship became deeper and more complicated. The book is sharp and witty, not afraid of the brutal honesty which is often present in female friendships. One such biting line is when Lilly writes Val:

"Look, I know I'm high-strung and a bit of a diva, but there's something I need to get off my 36 DD chest- the one you've always wished you had."

Unfortunately as much as I wanted to truly love The Recipe Club there were several glaring flaws. I felt like the third portion of the book, told in traditional narrative instead of letters, was out of place and I wish that the authors had decided to maintain one method of storytelling. Even more disappointing was the postscript, which felt rushed and tacked on, as if the authors were trying a little too hard to tie everything up in a neat little bow. While I can understand the desire not to have loose ends, it is clearly not how life works and seemed both silly and unrealistic. There was also a "shocking" secret revealed which I think most readers will have guessed very early on in the book, so the huge buildup to it seemed unnecessary.

Although I haven't read them in a decade, I was reminded strongly of P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More both by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin while reading this book- both involve two very different girls who somehow manage to be best friends writing letters to each other. Overall, it was the middle portion of The Recipe Club containing the actual letters which I found the most heart-warming and enjoyable, I just wish the rest of the book had contained their magic. From a Cookbook perspective the authors have included a useful index of all the recipes, and although I haven't tried any of them yet they sound delicious and there's definitely a few I've bookmarked for future use. ***(less)

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May 26, 2011 Sarah Fowler rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Completely predictable. Flat, stock characters who never really grow up. A story that's been done to death.

It feels very much like the pitiful first novel a high schooler would write. (It's unforgivable that it was written by two older women who should know better, much less that it was published!)

Using correspondence as a narrative tool is the easy way out-- it allows crappy writing to pass as "original and creative". Many novelists use letters back and forth between characters to write the o...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Nely rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

Lilly and Val have been friends their whole lives.

Yet the story starts with an e-mail where you soon learn that they have not talked to each other in over two decades.

Although you are initially introduced to Val and Lilly in the 21st century, you quickly jump to their first letters and the start of their Recipe Club some thirty years earlier when they are young girls. Although the story is told in epistolary fashion - I found it quite unique and entertaining to read it this way. Through their le...more

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Oct 30, 2009 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

After falling in love with Julie and Julia, I was thrilled to have received a copy of : The Recipe Club: A Tale of Love and Friendship. (This book was received from Caitlin Price at FSB Associates).

(about the book--from amazon.com)

Lilly and Val are lifelong friends, united as much by their differences as by their similarities. Lilly, dramatic and confident, lives in the shadow of her beautiful, wayward mother and craves the attention of her distant, disapproving father. Val, shy and idealistic—a...more After falling in love with Julie and Julia, I was thrilled to have received a copy of : The Recipe Club: A Tale of Love and Friendship. (This book was received from Caitlin Price at FSB Associates).

(about the book--from amazon.com)

Lilly and Val are lifelong friends, united as much by their differences as by their similarities. Lilly, dramatic and confident, lives in the shadow of her beautiful, wayward mother and craves the attention of her distant, disapproving father. Val, shy and idealistic—and surprisingly ambitious—struggles with her desire to break free from her demanding housebound mother and a father whose dreams never seem to come true.

In childhood, “LillyPad” and “Valpal” vow to form an exclusive two-person club. Throughout the decades they write intimate letters in which they share hopes, fears, deepest secrets—and recipes, from Lilly’s “Lovelorn Lasagna” to Valerie’s “Forgiveness Tapenade.” Readers can cook along as the girls travel through time, facing the challenges of independence; the joys and heartbreaks of first love; and the emotional complexities of family relationships, identity, mortality, and goals deferred.
But no matter what different paths they take or what misunderstandings threaten to break them apart, Lilly and Val always find their way back together through their Recipe Club . . . until the fateful day when an act of kindness becomes an unforgivable betrayal.

Now, decades later, while trying to recapture the trust they’ve lost, Lilly and Val reunite once more—only to uncover a shocking secret. Will it destroy their friendship, or bring them ever closer?

My Thoughts: I generally like epistolary style novels, and I thought this book was very good. I enjoyed the friendship aspect of the story of these gals, polar opposites, who began as pen pals, writing letters, and exchanging recipes at an early age. As the girls entered adulthood, letters turned into emails, and the carefree life and secrets of childhood, became real life problems and stresses of adulthood. I also enjoyed the way some 80 recipes were included, along with photos and illustrations. I actually tried the Starry Night Scampi and the Stuffed Peppers (which we enjoyed), and hope to try the Peanut Butter Blondie bars soon too. If you are looking for something more in a novel than a story about the trials and tribulations of friendship, then this book may be worth a try.
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Jan 31, 2012 Dianesugars rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Recipe Club is one of those books that surprised me! I ended up loving this story. There was a time while reading this book that I thought "ugh, this book is not what I thought it would be and I don't like it". But I only had that feeling for a few pages! The last third of this book is what made me love it! It threw a curveball that I never saw coming and the aftermath is just as interesting as the oh my gosh moment that is revealed twords the end. Very good reading. I personally did not pay...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Diane rated it 2 of 5 stars

I did not read the entire book, so perhaps I shouldn't comment. However, I found the "email" format of this book disconcerting. The book also jumps back and forth between the present (through emails between best friends) and the past (through letters back and forth between the same friends as young girls). The recipes do look sumptuous, but I found it very hard to get interested in the story. On the surface, it seems as though it should be engaging but the format was too cumbersome in my opinion...more

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title link	preview: The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6614152-the-recipe-club?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1255637355l/6614152.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6614152-the-recipe-club?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel[/url]

The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship

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The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship

Friend Reviews

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Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (7)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Andrea Israel

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Trivia About The Recipe Club: ...

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Other Editions (7)