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In the vein of the classic 84, Charing Cross Road, this witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine.
When twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter—as well as a gift of saffron—to fifty-nine-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine, and while she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she’s never tasted fresh garlic—exotic fare in the Northwest of the sixties. As the two women commune through their letters, they build a closeness that sustains them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the unexpected in their own lives.
Food and a good life—they can’t be separated. It is a discovery the women share, not only with each other, but with the men in their lives. Because of her correspondence with Joan, Imogen’s decades-long marriage blossoms into something new and exciting, and in turn, Joan learns that true love does not always come in the form we expect it to. Into this beautiful, intimate world comes the ultimate test of Joan and Imogen’s friendship—a test that summons their unconditional trust in each other.
A brief respite from our chaotic world, Love & Saffron is a gem of a novel, a reminder that food and friendship are the antidote to most any heartache, and that human connection will always be worth creating.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 8, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593552513
- File size: 108784 KB
- Duration: 03:46:37
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Narrators Kimberly Farr and Cassandra Campbell perform most of this epistolary novel, and they couldn't be better. Imogen's column in Seattle's NORTHWEST HOME & LIFE inspires Joan in L.A. to send a fan letter, along with a packet of saffron from her travels. In time, their correspondence grows into a close friendship. Farr gives Imogen a genial gentility. We hear a cheerful smile behind her words. Campbell captures Joan's youth and enthusiasm, as well as her genuine delight whenever she hears from Imogen. Mark Bramhall depicts Imogen's husband, Francis, as a soft-spoken man. Maggie Meg Reed handles the narration in Part II of the novel. Filled with friendship, love, and deep emotions, this audiobook is comfort food for difficult times. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from June 1, 2022
When 27-year-old Joan pens a letter to 59-year-old Imogen, in Fay's (The Map of Lost Memories) charming epistolary novel, food and writing become the basis of a lifelong friendship. Set in the 1960s, the women live in a time when the United States is becoming more interested in the cuisines of the world and both are eager to try them all. Each trope, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is executed so skillfully that listeners will feel they've been comfortingly immersed in this friendship for years rather than a mere four hours. There are points where the food pronunciations were a bit jarring, but this only adds to the authentic feeling of Joan and Imogen discovering--and sharing--dishes with each other that teach them to move beyond their customary palates. VERDICT The two main narrators are so evenly matched that their conversation is a pure pleasure to experience. Listeners will truly feel the warmth of Joan and Imogen's growing bond, and though the plot may take listeners through familiar beats, they will enjoy every moment of the journey.--Matthew Galloway
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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