Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) -
This novel was full of pleasant surprises:
- It's a beautiful story of female friendship rather than a romance or romcom as the illustrated cover may imply.
- It's epistolary, written primarily in letters, which one of my favorite formats for a novel.
- It packs so many emotions into only 200 pages.
Love & Saffron is the emotional tale of an unlikely friendship between Joan Bergstrom (age 27, single, living in LA) and Imogen Fortier (age 59, newspaper columnist, living near Seattle) in the 1960s. Their mutual interest in food sparks their long-distance connection which quickly develops into a deep and abiding friendship. Joan and Imogen's letters outline their very different life experiences, and together they process world events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and President Kennedy's assassination. Their relationship is especially important as each woman experiences significant events in her personal life, and I was very emotional at the end of this short and sweet story.
The characters are well developed, and I wanted to be a penpal to both women. I really enjoyed Imogen's husband Francis, especially as he typed some letters to Joan while Imogen dictated. This novel deserves the comparisons to 84 Charing Cross Road and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; it's one of my favorite reads so far in 2022.
Many thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the review copy. I rarely reread books but this is one I'd consider.
- It's a beautiful story of female friendship rather than a romance or romcom as the illustrated cover may imply.
- It's epistolary, written primarily in letters, which one of my favorite formats for a novel.
- It packs so many emotions into only 200 pages.
Love & Saffron is the emotional tale of an unlikely friendship between Joan Bergstrom (age 27, single, living in LA) and Imogen Fortier (age 59, newspaper columnist, living near Seattle) in the 1960s. Their mutual interest in food sparks their long-distance connection which quickly develops into a deep and abiding friendship. Joan and Imogen's letters outline their very different life experiences, and together they process world events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and President Kennedy's assassination. Their relationship is especially important as each woman experiences significant events in her personal life, and I was very emotional at the end of this short and sweet story.
The characters are well developed, and I wanted to be a penpal to both women. I really enjoyed Imogen's husband Francis, especially as he typed some letters to Joan while Imogen dictated. This novel deserves the comparisons to 84 Charing Cross Road and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; it's one of my favorite reads so far in 2022.
Many thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the review copy. I rarely reread books but this is one I'd consider.
