Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
Published by Putnam Adult, an imprint of Penguin
Kate is officially clear of cancer, but is now facing something potentially even more terrifying: whitewater rafting through the Grand Canyon with her daughter. When her friends gather to celebrate her recovery, though, they convince her that she should take advantage of the years returned to her and go for it. If Kate is going to face her fears, though, she is determined that the rest of her friends – a very heterogeneous group of women, who originally befriended one another during a baby holding circle for Sara and her twins.
Bauermeister is a master of connected stories that read more like a single, complete unit than disparate pieces. Her debut novel, The School of Essential Ingredients, followed a group of people taking cooking lessons with a very special woman. Joy for Beginners is even more wonderfully cohesive; all of the women are friends, so their lives intersect and intertwine in lovely, natural ways.
Part of what worked so well about Joy for Beginners is the fact that each of these women were at different stages of life, and in different places in their life. There is something for nearly every woman to identify with. Even better, however, is the fact that all of the women are real and genuine enough that the reader can empathize even with the ones whose lives least closely resemble her own.
An absolutely lovely book. Highly recommended.
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And Erica Bauermeister is an absolutely lovely author. When I read School of Essential Ingredients, I finished that audio thinking “now THAT is what it is all about”. I do desperately want to read this but am holding out for the audio, which I am praying will come to the library soon.
I wholeheartedly agree with your review – fantastic book!
I keep seeing reviews of Joy for Beginners and it really looks wonderful. I think I’d like it better than School of Essential Ingredients, which I just haven’t gotten to yet.
I loved this book too – it was so refreshing to read about women who were there for each other.
Sounds fab…plus great title!
I’ve heard absolutely nothing but great things about this. It doesn’t strike me as something I would usually read but it’s something that I’ve put on my list as it’s just getting such rave reviews.
You make this book sound so good! Especially the part about the women being real and genuine.
I have bother of her books on my shelf! I really need to find some more time…