A novel about grief and rebuilding which could border on the depressive but actually is so beautifully written and so tenderly handled it is uplifting, funny, warm and eventually joyous. The style completely wins you over, you feel for Sophie all the way, she’s quite a woman and this is a wonderful first novel.
36-year-old Sophie Stanton has lost her young husband to cancer. In an age where women are expected to be high-achievers, Sophie desperately wants to be a good widow - a graceful, composed Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, Sophie is more of a Jack Daniels kind. Guzzling cartons of ice-cream for breakfast, breaking down in the frozen food aisle of her local supermarket, showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers - soon she's not only lost her husband, but her job and her waistline. With nowhere to go but up, Sophie leaves California for Oregon and after several false starts opens her own fabulous bakery. Juggling the success of the bakery, her friends and her new life, Sophie proves that with enough humour and chutzpah it is possible to have life after loss. And falling in love again is all she needs....
Lolly Winston is a freelance journalist. Her work has appeared in Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Glamour, and many others. She lives with her husband in California.
