By: Cathy Lamb Publisher: Kensington Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Kensington Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 400 Publication Date: May 01, 2007
Product Description: "I left my wedding dress hanging in a tree somewhere in North Dakota. I don't know why that particular tree appealed to me. Perhaps it was because it looked as if it had given up and died years ago and was still standing because it didn't know what else to do..."
In her deliciously funny, heartfelt, and moving debut, Cathy Lamb introduces some of the most wonderfully eccentric women since The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and The Secret Life of Bees, as she explores the many ways we find the road home.
From the moment Julia Bennett leaves her abusive Boston fiancé at the altar and her ugly wedding dress hanging from a tree in South Dakota, she knows she's driving away from the old Julia, but what she's driving toward is as messy and undefined as her own wounded soul. The old Julia dug her way out of a tortured, trailer park childhood with a monster of a mother. The new Julia will be found at her Aunt Lydia's rambling, hundred-year-old farmhouse outside Golden, Oregon.
There, among uppity chickens and toilet bowl planters, Julia is welcomed by an eccentric, warm, and often wise clan of women, including a psychic, a minister's unhappy wife, an abused mother of four, and Aunt Lydia herself--a woman who is as fierce and independent as they come. Meeting once a week for drinks and the baring of souls, it becomes clear that every woman holds secrets that keep her from happiness. But what will it take for them to brave becoming their true selves? For Julia, it's chocolate. All her life, baking has been her therapy and her refuge, a way to heal wounds and make friends. Nobody anywhere makes chocolates as good as Julia's, and now, chocolate just might change her life--and bring her love when she least expects it. But it can't keep her safe. As Julia gradually opens her heart to new life, new friendships, and a new man, the past is catching up to her. And this time, she will not be able to run but will have to face it head on.
Filled with warmth, love, and truth, Julia's Chocolates is an unforgettable novel of hope and healing that explores the hurts we keep deep in our hearts, the love that liberates us, the courage that defines us, and the chocolate that just might take us there.
Loved it This book was good in many ways. It was easy to fall in love with the characters, the setting was quaint and the story line was fun and heart warming. It had a little bit of mystery ,a whole lot of laughs and the book keeps good company. I recommend it
Unexpectedly poor... I was very surprised to be completely disappointed by this book. It was a poor cross between "The Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells and "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris. Both of these wildly popular books had a unique way of capturing the spirit of the characters. Yet, "Julia's Chocolates" fails to deliver that sense of knowing the people you are reading about. This novel seems to take elements from both of these books, and mishmash them together, to create something lesser than either.
The characters are more like caricatures, and none seem fully developed. Each one seems to be 'putting on a play', but not establishing themselves.
I wanted to love this book, and kept plugging along, even when it became repetitive and predictable. I wish I could say it ended better than it began. The beginning few pages were the best in the novel.
Wonderful! I loved this book! I picked it up at a garage sale on a whim and I could not put it down. I loved the characters, they truly rang true in my opinion. Julia's character, with her naive vulnerability, but also with the weathered skin of someone who has experienced too much to write about, was a prime example of the truest meaning of this book. She overcame adversity and moved throughout the novel to something of a heroe for all the women to look to for support. Her aunt, was a complete hoot. While I do not parise my genitals on any given chance with my girlfriends, we do try to lay it all on the table and support each other while also letting each one vent out their own personal issues. I felt the evolution of the other women in the novel was a foreshadowing of the evolution of Julia. As chocolate bound them together, spirit and light kept them that way. The making of the chocolate could almost be compared to the creation of each of the ladies' own true lives, for themselves. Each one had to move past the shadow of their circumstance and see the true end, which was happiness and support of their friends and lovers.
Recommendable read Someone recommended this book to me, and I in turn recommended it to someone else. I found this book, while sometimes outrageous, a completely enjoyable reading experience. I think that is why I did like it...the outrageous characters made me laugh out loud, and I couldn't wait to turn the page to find out what else was going to happen. The right amount of joy and sorrow are thrown into this book....what more could you ask for?
Very Entertaining, I couldn't put it down! From the moment I opened this book, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down. She gives her characters such depth and writes about real tragedies and situations that we can all relate to while at the same time making us laugh out loud. I am anxiously waiting to see if she will write a 3rd book because I absolutely loved the first two.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
