“Filled with cherished memories and treasured recipes, The Recipe Box is a touching tribute to the women and food that unite us and connect our past to the present.” –Richard Paul Evans, #1 New York Times bestselling author “An easy, delightful novel” -Good Housekeeping In The Recipe Box, bestselling beloved author Viola Shipman spins a tale about a lost young woman and the family recipe box … spins a tale about a lost young woman and the family recipe box that changes her life.
Growing up in northern Michigan, Samantha “Sam” Mullins felt trapped on her family’s orchard and pie shop, so she left with dreams of making her own mark in the world. But life as an overworked, undervalued sous chef at a reality star’s New York bakery is not what Sam dreamed.
When the chef embarrasses Sam, she quits and returns home. Unemployed, single, and defeated, she spends a summer working on her family’s orchard cooking and baking alongside the women in her life–including her mother, Deana, and grandmother, Willo. One beloved, flour-flecked, ink-smeared recipe at a time, Sam begins to learn about and understand the women in her life, her family’s history, and her passion for food through their treasured recipe box.
As Sam discovers what matters most she opens her heart to a man she left behind, but who now might be the key to her happiness.
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Disappointing
It wasn’t a bad book but I just couldn’t get into it.
Enjoyable. Includes recipes that should be fun to bake. Also enjoyed the setting in northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
Great recipes.
Really enjoyed this story and how her grandmothers revipes changed the main chsracters life
This was a disappointment for me, after reading and loving The Charm Bracelet and The Hope Chest, The Recipe Box fell short. It fell short in the execution the stories felt like they were resolved too easily. We were barely introduced to a difficult moment or decision, and then BAM, it was resolved and we were moving on. It lacked depth and the dialogue didn’t seem natural to me. The themes of history, got to the point where I began skipping over the excessive and moved on to the far more interesting parts. Sam, the main character, was weak and unlikeable , just not like Shipman’s characters from previous books.
Overall the concept of the story was lovely, the idea of a recipe box passed down from generation to generation. It was a ‘sweet treat’. You can appreciated that the characters all had different experiences to the recipes, that the box and its tradition saw them through happy and difficult times. There was both good and bad with the book, just not as heartfelt or precious as his other stories.
Amazing recipes with a never endikg abundance of great family history and picturesque words used to describe the northern mitten of Michigan. Loved the characters and the fact that this book wasn’t overly romantic and mushy.
I truly enjoyed this book. Wonderful characters. Three generations of women whose lives revolve around their apple orchard. It’s a great story and the book includes several recipes which you will want to make. I have already recommended this book to friends and plan to read another book by this author.
Loved it!
Soulful, nostalgic, searching, hopeful. These are some of the adjectives that went through my mind as I read The Recipe Box. I laughed out loud at parts and was touched and thoughtful in others. This story is full of heritage and family. Although I indicated the time period to be “Contemporary”, it spans many generations. It is not a saga, but is full of snippets from the lives of the matriarchs of Sam’s family.
I loved the way the author wove the history into the present day. She managed to go into the past and back to the present without making the story feel disjointed, giving enough detail to draw you in and get you invested. There were recipes included as well, and each one played a part in the narrative.
My dear friend, Chris, is from Michigan, and I hear her talk about it all the time. After reading The Recipe Box, I really get it. Author Viola Shipman has caused me to fall in love with a place and a lifestyle I have never experienced.
The characters in the story were wonderful. The women had rich wisdom to share. The men were strong and steady. Angelo was charming and delightful. Conner was unexpectedly sweet. Chef Dimples was … Well, let’s just say that he was and let you find out what he was.
Though there were many parts of the book that I loved, I think my favorites were the parts where Sam’s dad talked about the day he decided to not leave Michigan to be an engineer and the ending. I won’t give anything away here, but do want to say that the way the author tied everything up here was masterful.
This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net
I would like to thank Netgalley for giving me this item. My opinion and review were not influenced by this gift.
Sam loves her family, but all she ever wanted to do was get out and make her mark. When her professional career hits a snag, she heads home to figure out the next steps in her professional career. She feels her return home means she is a failure, despite the success of her family’s business.
This was a sweet and heart-warming story of family, women, and tradition. I really enjoyed the role of women in this story. They were strong and dedicated to the family and the continuing the family’s legacy. Tradition is very important, and part of this is passing down recipes with a recipe box. Each woman in this story has left their mark on the family business, and Sam needs the chance to look at her family’s past, and the women involved with new eyes, and realize that honoring tradition doesn’t mean there is no room for change.
I loved the peek into to the recipe box each chapter brought and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I recommend a print copy so you can bake with ease.
#NetGalley #TheRecipeBox
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The concept behind this story is just darling! I loved the idea of a recipe box passed down from generation to generation. It hits home in a lovely way. I also appreciated that the characters all had different relationships to the recipes, that the box and its tradition saw them through different times.
Viola Shipman has a knack for description. I felt like I was there in Michigan with Sam. I could almost smell the apple crisp and the fall weather. And having the recipes included at the end of each part was a special treat! I can’t wait to try making some of them (I’m partial to the apple ones).
While this was a great idea for a story, it did fall short in the execution in some parts. The conflicts in the story felt like they were resolved too easily. We were barely introduced to a difficult moment or decision before it had been resolved and we were moving on. Parts of it felt like it lacked depth and that made it come off a little cliched or heavy-handed. And some of the dialogue didn’t seem natural to me. It was stilted at points and I ended up skimming those sections.
On the whole, I enjoyed this read. It was a wonderful escape, a great way to relax.
I would recommend this to anyone who:
– needs a good beach book/palate-cleanser
– is from the country and is feeling a bit homesick
– wants some delicious-sounding dessert recipes
I’d give it more stars if I could
A great book! Going back to our early life and our Grandma’s recipe box! Great characters!
Enjoyed it but it ended very abruptly.
What a great read. Two days. Non stop.
A great read!!
Roots, individual (and family) strength and recipes fill the pages of this saga. Sam left Suttons Bay and her family to seek her independence and her place in the world. Returning home, she felt like a failure…
Enjoyed this inspirational romance. Generations are shared thru this family. Loved Willo, Deana, Gary and Angelo, the history and recipes. Slow moving and repetitive, at times. Good read. 3 1/2 stars.
Voluntarily read ARC, thru Netgalley and publisher, for honest review.
A charming novel of hope and rebuilding in the genre of foodie lit. The recipes in the novel, as in real life, connect the generations of women. Food brings the family together. Sam is a realistic and loveable character. We all cheer for her to rebuild her life.