American Cookery

American Cookery has everything. Laura Kalpakian's usual artistry with her characters, a magical story that compel and is never quiet. Eden Douglas is a wonderfully complex young woman, and she takes you from her more than unusually dysfunctional (pathetic and hilarious) family in Idaho, which even as a child she held together, and off to find her own future in the big city, and further to find love and excitement as a WAC in WWII European theatre. Kalpakian enthralls the reader with her artistry, whether she is describing a silent film screen star, the passionate meeting of two young Americans in Europe amid the war, or a Beautiful Ham. Kalpakian can make one laugh out loud, bring tears to one's eyes, and lick one's lips. And yes, with this enchanting novel, you also get recipes--good ones. This is a great idea for gift-giving. I have given it to a friend who devoured it in one week-end, and an elderly aunt, who couldn't put it down, to my 23-year-old dubious daughter, who also loved it. Great Christmas gift. PS. For more wonderful reading from LK, buy "Educating Waverly," "Caveat" or "These Latter Days" This is one fantastic writer!! I put her right up there with BKingsolver and Pat Conroy for superb storytelling, unforgettable characters.

Laura Kalpakian is a master of character development. It was a joy to look into the history and personalities of more of the Douglas women, flaws and all. Eden Douglas marches into literature like the Mormon stock she comes from. If you like life stories (not quite a saga), Kalpakian delivers. St. Elmo and Greenwater become real places because of her descriptive ability. The dialog is set up so well that you may feel like an eavesdropper. I'm sure Eden did more during the war than just fall in love so I look forward to more about that time in her life. Kalpakian's sense of history would do it justice. Why did I give it only four stars? Gripping plots are not one of Kalpakian's strengths but because her characters become so believable and she tucks in so much knowledge (old movies, old music, recipes, religion, history, [I could go on]that plot takes a backseat to the every-day joys and sorrows.