The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the slice. To her horror, she finds that her cheerful mother tastes of despair. Soon, she’s privy to the secret knowledge that most families keep hidden: her father’s detachment, her mother’s transgression, her brother’s increasing retreat from the world. But there are some family secrets that even her cursed taste buds can’t discern.
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Community Reviews
I enjoy a fantastical story told well and this one checks that box for me. If you like a really interesting storyline, this isn't a waste of time. Have re-read and will again.
Okay. It was weird, but unique, and it kept my interest. I don't like it enough to write anything else about it, but I am glad I read it. I'd love to discuss it with others in the office who have read it now that I've finished it.
I LOVED this book. That doesn't mean I totally understood it.
Rose Edelstein, at 9 years old, bites into a piece of lemon cake made by her mother and discovers, to her horror, that she can taste the emotions of her mother, and thereafter everything she eats is tainted by this ability/curse.
I think I expected this book to be something akin to Like Water for Chocolate, which it was not. AND I was not prepared for the fantastical elements to the story. But once I got into that part of it, I was completely happy to go along for the ride. I only wish some of that stuff was developed/explained further!
Beautiful, lyrical writing, especially her descriptions of the food.
Rose Edelstein, at 9 years old, bites into a piece of lemon cake made by her mother and discovers, to her horror, that she can taste the emotions of her mother, and thereafter everything she eats is tainted by this ability/curse.
I think I expected this book to be something akin to Like Water for Chocolate, which it was not. AND I was not prepared for the fantastical elements to the story. But once I got into that part of it, I was completely happy to go along for the ride. I only wish some of that stuff was developed/explained further!
Beautiful, lyrical writing, especially her descriptions of the food.
Wonderful book! Surprising, fresh and entirely captivating. This completely impractical story was well told and beautifully characterized. The premise itself was a bit out of the realm of human experience, but an interesting idea - tasting the emotions of the food preparer in food items... but the story woven around this improbable condition was charming and enlightening at the same time. The lesson learned is simply to accept who you are and to glory in your skills, however improbable they might be.
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