Book Review--Zucchini Pie: Granny's Recipe for Life by Susan Aylworth

***--3 Stars.
June 2013, 272 pages.

Amazon Description: When Karen Burnett receives word that 100-year-old Granny Adelaide is fading fast, she and her husband rush to the hospital to say their good-byes. As the end draws near, Granny reveals her dying wish: she wants each member of her fragmented family present at her funeral, as well as at a picnic dinner featuring nostalgic family foods. In her last breaths, she calls upon her granddaughter-in-law, Karen, to carry out this seemingly insurmountable task. With cherished recipes in hand and a determination to follow through with her promise, Karen sets Granny’s plan in motion. Karen’s husband, Tom, however, is less than enthusiastic about his grandmother’s meddling. He hasn’t seen his father—the man who abandoned Tom, his mother, and younger siblings—in decades, and the years have done nothing to diminish his bitterness. As the day of the funeral approaches, Tom must decide: will he allow himself to be consumed by his anger, or will he embrace the potential for peace? Zucchini Pie is a heartfelt novel of connection: of a struggling family and the food that one wise old woman trusts will bring them back together.

My Review: Why is that families and funerals always seem to revolve around food? Well, at least that's true in this story.

Just before Granny Adelaide passes away at the ripe old age of 100, she makes her granddaughter-in-law promise to get the whole family together for the funeral--even those who are estranged--and she wants the family dinner to be comprised of family recipes. Karen sets out to do just that.

There were a lot of recipes included and some really look good. There were a few times when I felt that the chapter was written just to get that recipe out there--where food was more important than people and feelings. Yet, there were other times when the characters really seemed to come to life and the reader really got a sense for what makes that particular character tick. The recipes tied these people together.

There were a lot of issues that needed to be dealt with and things were resolved, but it seemed that the problems were wrapped up a little too neatly. There were some hard and bitter feelings and after a few pages of trying to cope with them, *poof* they were gone. Either Granny got her wish and miracles happened or it was just a little too sudden for me.

I enjoyed the journey that this family took and loved watching them grow along the way.

Content: some talk of mental issues and the results of not taking meds; talk of an affair, but no details given. CLEAN.