The Memory of Lemon by Judith Fertig

the-memory-of-lemon

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Pages: 304

Published June 14th 2016 by Berkley

A crisp tang of citrus that is at once poignant and familiar, sharpening the senses and opening the mind to possibilities once known and long forgotten…

Claire “Neely” Davis is no ordinary pastry chef. Her flavor combinations aren’t just a product of a well-honed palate: she can “taste” people’s emotions, sensing the ingredients that will touch her customers’ souls. Her gift has never failed her—until she meets a free-spirited bride-to-be and her overbearing society mother. The two are unable to agree on a single wedding detail, and their bickering leaves Neely’s intuition frustratingly silent—right when she needs it most.

Between trying to navigate a divorce, explore a new relationship, and handle the reappearance of her long-absent father, Neely is struggling to make sense of her own conflicting emotions, much less those of her hard-to-please bride. But as she embarks on a flavorful quest to craft the perfect wedding celebration, she’ll uncover a family history that sheds light on both the missing ingredients and her own problems—and illustrates how the sweet and sour in life often combine to make the most delicious memories…

crownfullrating

Claire “Neely” decided to move back home to start up a bakery after her NFL star husband had been unfaithful multiple times, so they separated and she went on to begin her bakery “Rainbow Cake.” Neely’s cakery has helped many brides because Neely has an ability to see snippets of her client’s life and find the perfect flavor match up. These come to her in visions and helps her to read a person better to pinpoint what would suit them best.

Except she’s about to face a mother and daughter duo that will prove quite difficult. Especially when Neely’s ability seems to fail her.

Throughout this interesting book, we have many stories that are twined together and it will often slip back to the late 1800s. The interesting concept being that taste/scent can transport a being into a different time, pick up on a memory and experience something is really the main premise of this book. It does just that, with each chapter Fertig does well to pull you into the present as well as the past times, with the scent, taste, food, and experiences. She does well to deliver emotion, too.

The characters are well developed and their stories are not forgotten because everyone’s story is important and there is a reason behind them, which is what we learn, too. I was able to connect with all of them, the frustration, the sadness, and heartbreak.

As the story winds on, we do begin to know the depth behind each family from the past to present and during this time Neely experiences some frustrating moments, heartbreaking ones too, but also breaks through. By the end, I had a solid connection to all of the characters as well as the story.

This was really a fantastic, quick read. I devoured it in nearly one night and at times wish I could really devour it because there are some amazing desserts in this book!