Book Review: "Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies," by Vicky Zimmerman

Kate's entire world is falling apart. Her job at Fletchers is on the line once again as the company continues to downsize. Her boyfriend Nick invited her to move in and then promptly decided he needed to take a break from the relationship. Because she had already planned to move in with Nick, she has lost her flat and has just recently moved back into her mother's home. And to make matters worse, her 40th birthday is looming closer as the days pass, making Kate feel as if she has wasted the best portion of her life.

After a month of wallowing at home, waiting for everything to crash around her, Kate reluctantly begins volunteering at the Lauderdale House for Exceptional Ladies where she meets Cecily Finn, a 97-year-old woman. Kate is tasked with visiting Cecily on Sundays, and the two of them develop an unlikely friendship that starts with a simple love of cooking. And with the help of Cecily and her cookbook, Kate tries to get her life back on track, even if the changes are different than what she originally expected.

Vicky Zimmerman's novel "Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies" was easy to read. The characters, especially Kate, were very human and always dealt with relatable feelings and problems, which helped shape the interactions between Kate and Cecily as they slowly became friends. It was nice to see their understanding of each other grow as they each shared part of their own life stories. Because this book and its characters were well-developed, it was sometimes frustrating following them as they made poor choices, but the writing was so well done that I couldn't help but continue reading.

This was a lovely book I would definitely recommend, and if you are looking for something similar to read, you may want to try Elizabeth Berg's "The Story of Arthur Truluv," which is about a man who visits his wife's grave and ends up befriending his teenage neighbor. You might also like "Britt-Marie Was Here" by Fredrik Backman, which is the story of a 63-year-old woman who becomes a soccer coach after her marriage falls apart. The Cape Girardeau Public Library has all three books in print, and the latter two are also available as e-books.

~Sarah Vohsen is a member of the Adult Services department at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.