DEBORAH Joyce

One of my all time favorite books. Some books are excellent, like a gourmet meal prepared by a trained skillful chef. Think coq au vin. After a meal such as this you are satiated, very impressed, and satisfyingly full. Other books, like this one, is like one prepared by a down home cook. Both cooks use the same rooster, and both braise that rooster a long time to render tender, perfect meat, but this book—it not only fills the belly and pleases your tastebuds—it comforts your soul, too. Think juicy chicken with fluffy plump dumplings in a cream-rich sauce! It’s comfort food at its best. I put very few books in this second category, and when I find one, I’m so pleased. I highly recommend you read it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A rare book. An unforgettable novel. Exceptional writing. A book you’ll be glad you had the privilege of reading. Online once, I read about a New Zealand creature that had an unusual way of eating: when it cannot store more food in its stomach, it absorbs nutrients through its skin. That’s how I can describe my experience after reading this book, (and only a few more in my 70 years of reading.) What my feeble intellect could not take in, I seem to have absorbed through my cells where It continues to nourish my thoughts and my very being.