Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer
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(Hardcover)
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Pub. Date: June 2008
- ISBN-13: 9780525950646
- Sales Rank: 16,947
- 320pp
- Other Formats:
- Hardcover - Large Prin - Large Print
Synopsis
An irresistibly delicious novel about the power of love . . . and dessert.
Like other well-meaning mothers, Julie Mueller's believed she did the right thing when she secretly ended her teenage daughter's crush on Michael Slayton, a wild older neighborhood heartthrob with a penchant for Shakespeare and the pedigree of trailer trash.
Twenty years later, Betty Mueller has come to realize that was a big mistake. Her daughter Julie - divorced and raising a teenage daughter alone - is a workaholic obsessed with her career. And Michael, the one man who could make her happy, is the one man to whom she won't speak.
Now dying and determined to make amends, Betty stages her last great feat of motherhood by reuniting the couple in a dessert class where she hopes the sweetness of a chocolate almond Torta Caprese will erase the bitterness of a wretched misunderstanding.
"Sweet love, renew thy force; be it not said thy edge should blunter be than appetite," Shakespeare once pleaded - though it will require more than poetry and passion fruit for Julie and Michael to renew their love.
It will, in fact, require the sweetest sacrifice of all.
Entertainment Weekly
The romantic insights . . . ring true.
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Sarah Strohmeyer is the author of The Sleeping Beauty Proposal, which was chosen as a Book Sense Notable book and as a finalist for the Romance Writers of America® RITA ® award. She is also the author of The Cinderella Pact, The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives and the popular Bubbles mystery series. She lives with her family outside Montpelier, Vermont.
Customer Reviews
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As smooth and luxurious as ganacheby Veggiechiliqueen
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November 05, 2008:
Sarah Strohmeyer's "Sweet Love" follows the hectic life of single mother Julie Mueller, a TV reporter who's currently single and seriously overworked. Julie's hoping to be picked to follow the upcoming presidential campaign even as she digs up facts on the abduction and murder of a local girl. As a single mother, the case touches her deeply, and she oversteps her journalistic bounds in pursuit of the truth.
Julie lives above her parents, and her mother Betty, a breast cancer survivor, is desperate to see Julie matched up with the perfect man before she dies. Betty enrolls Julie in a dessert class by the renowned chef Renee D'Ours, much to Julie's chagrin. Julie feels herself to be a modern, liberated woman, and has no desire to be chained to the kitchen simply to appease some male whim. She feels strongly that her mother is little more than a domestic slave to her father, who disappears as soon as Betty is ill. Julie struggles with the sense that her father is constantly abandoning her mother, and can't understand why Betty stands by him despite his shortcomings.
Despite her misgivings, Julie goes to the dessert classes to discover that a) she does enjoy learning how to make sumptuous desserts, and b) her first love Michael Clayton, newly divorced, is also enrolled in the same class. Coincidence?
The rest of this sweet confection reads like a primer in dessert porn (but is thankfully calorie-free!) as Julie struggles to master elegant desserts. She also comes to grips with her bitter earlier falling-out with Michael, and she must step in when a family health crisis arrives. "Sweet Love" is a delightful read, the story of an overworked single mom looking for love and unexpectedly finding a connection to her own mother in the kitchen, the last place she ever planned on being.
It's all about relationshipsby Anonymous
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September 14, 2008: Julie Mueller is a single working mom trying her best to juggle raising her teenage daughter and her career. She's also trying to be an adult woman with her mother, who sometimes treats her like a five year old girl. Her mom, Betty, means well though. She has the usual concerns most others have regarding their single daughters: please marry a nice man and allow him to take care of you and your daughter so I don't have to worry that you will be alone for the rest of your life! As Betty starts to face her own mortality, she realizes she has one regret regarding her daughter: she sabotaged her crush with Michael, who was good friends with Julie's older brother. Trying to correct this mistake, she surprises Julie with cooking classes for her Mother's Day present. Problem is, Betty loves to cook, while Julie, well... does not. Julie doesn't want to hurt her mother's feelings so she agrees to go to at least one class, while thinking of excuses to get out of the remaining classes. To Julie's surprise, her first true love, Michael is also in the class. Funny how old feelings can rapidly come back and fill you in the present. Both Michael and Julie will realize the intensity of their feelings. I absolutely loved this book! Julie's relationship with her mother was honest and real. What Julie considered to be nagging, Betty thought she was just being concerned for her well-being. The book not only focused on Julie's relationship with her mom, but relationships in general. I especially liked the relationship between Julie and her daughter. Highly recommended. 4.5 Stars
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