#BookReview: Season of Salt and Honey by Hannah Tunnicliffe

Reviewer: Annie

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Season of Salt and HoneySummary:

From the author of the “sweet, airy novel” (Publishers Weekly) The Color of Tea comes a resonant new book about a woman starting over following the tragic loss of her fiancé.

Frankie is a runaway bride. Or rather, she is running away from her fiancé’s funeral, the unthinkable event that has thrown her entire life into crisis. Frankie and Alex were high school sweethearts and each other’s first loves. They should have been together forever. But Alex died in a surfing accident, and now Frankie is walking away from her family, driving north and east, letting her body do the thinking, all the way into the Cascade Mountain range.

At Alex’s family cabin, Frankie can give in to her grief and think about nothing. There are no aunts trying feed her just a few polpette or just a taste of affogato, despite her lack of appetite; none of Alex’s family around to look questioningly at her left ring finger, no one there to perform for. Except for Jack, the cabin’s caretaker, who has been tasked with forcing Frankie out of the property that isn’t rightfully hers. And except for Bella, Frankie’s wild-child younger sister who deserted the family years ago only to reappear at Frankie’s lowest moment to dredge up painful memories from the past.

But Frankie learns she can’t hide—not from her family, not from the past, and not from truths about Alex she’d rather not face. The seasonal magic of the forest and its welcoming residents remind her that everything—flowers to bud, bread to rise, a heart to heal—takes its own time. This stunning novel, from the author of The Color of Tea, is a feast for the senses, with a message of forgiveness, hope, and the many ways to find and give love.

Review:

Hannah Tunnicliffe writes a delicious novel!  Between the collection of characters and the Italian recipes, I was tempted to stop reading and cook for my family!  Or simply, pour some espresso on to a scoop of vanilla ice cream, for myself and my husband.

I was in love with the name “Season of Salt and Honey”! And, the story certainly did not disappoint.  Having enjoyed this book so much, I must read Hannah’s other book, “The Color of Tea”.  She is a true gift to any reader that enjoys woman’s fiction.

This story is deeply wrapped in grief, secrets, betrayal and the bonds that tie a family together. The telling of this story is so beautiful, it was as if she was creating a painting.

“Season of Salt and Honey” began with Frankie (Francesca) Caputo learning of the death of her fiancé, Alex.  After the funeral Frankie runs to the cabin in the woods where Alex proposed with no plans for what she will do next.  She needs to weed through the events that transpired before his death….and hopefully come to terms with all she is learning about their self-proclaimed fairy tale romance.

Frankie is so lost in grief that she is having a hard time even being in her own skin.  She had hoped that in returning to the cabin she would find refuge and solitude, yet a vast array of characters keep showing up at the front door of the cabin. They are all such a delight.

These characters are what make this book simply marvelous.  I fell in love with Frankie’s sister, Bella, even though she had a lot of explaining to do. Bella ran off when they were just teenagers, and mending their relationship will be a tough pill to swallow for Frankie.

Jack Whittaker is the caretaker of the property and he is the first to meet Frankie, and shows up one day to bring her a letter to vacate the premises from her “would-be” in-laws.  Mr. and Mrs. Gardner do not care for Frankie, and the way they treat her after the death of their son, HER fiancé is beyond reproach.  But, getting her out of the cabin would not come easily…..

You will fall in love with the entire Caputo family, and all of the people that come knocking on the cabins door. Open this book, and you will not want to put it down.

This book was a delight to all of my senses.  Wonderful story-telling!

5 Stars.

 

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