Lizzy & Jane

Title: LIZZY & JANE

Author: Katherine Reay

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

October 2014

ISBN: 978-1401689735

Genre: Women’s fiction  

Sometimes the courage to face your greatest fears comes only when you've run out of ways to escape.

At the end of a long night, Elizabeth leans against the industrial oven and takes in her kingdom. Once vibrant and flawless, evenings in the kitchen now feel chaotic and exhausting. She's lost her culinary magic, and business is slowing down.

When worried investors enlist the talents of a tech-savvy celebrity chef to salvage the restaurant, Elizabeth feels the ground shift beneath her feet. Not only has she lost her touch; she's losing her dream.

And her means of escape.

When her mother died, Elizabeth fled home and the overwhelming sense of pain and loss. But fifteen years later, with no other escapes available, she now returns. Brimming with desperation and dread, Elizabeth finds herself in the unlikeliest of places, by her sister’s side in Seattle as Jane undergoes chemotherapy.

As her new life takes the form of care, cookery, and classic literature, Elizabeth is forced to reimagine her future and reevaluate her past. But can a New York City chef with a painful history settle down with the family she once abandoned . . . and make peace with the sister who once abandoned her?

LIZZY AND JANE is Ms. Reay’s second book and for me, a crash-landing after the acclaimed Dear Mr. Knightley. I was looking forward to this book and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, but it was a sore disappointment for me. Lizzy was not a very likable character. She was a chef. That is all. Flat, one dimensional. She didn’t seem to care very much about her friend’s job, the opportunity she’d been given, or her sister when she finally has her arm twisted enough to go home and care for her sister with breast cancer.

Okay. I’ve been there. I had breast cancer. And quite frankly, if my sister showed up to take care of me when she couldn’t care less I’d resent it. If you don’t care, don’t pretend. The only things Lizzy cared about was herself and food. That came through loud and clear.

If you love women’s fiction, and if you’re a foodie, you might love LIZZY AND JANE. There are a lot of positive reviews on there from people who loved it. It is well written. And detailed. Even realistic. I just didn’t like it (and this review is only my opinion) but don’t take my word for it. Give it a try yourself.

  

Available in ebook, large print, audio, and paperback. 352 pages.