Joy for Beginners
by Erica Bauermeister
I read Erica Bauermeister’s The School of Essential Ingredients first and fell in love with her wise, almost lyrical writing style. I also really liked her format of having each chapter focus on a different character who learns a life lesson. In Joy for Beginners, a group of girlfriends make an interesting pact. They each do something they’re afraid of to celebrate the great risk of life. From the large, like white-water rafting, to the small, like getting rid of old books, each activity is symbolic and effective.
I have a friend who didn’t enjoy reading this book, and for a valid reason. “Cancer books” are very much in fashion at the moment, and it’s not a pleasant subject to read about. Joy for Beginners is a “post-cancer book”, in which the main character starts the book having survived chemotherapy and is in remission. But there are several flashbacks to her time of trouble, the effects of the chemo on her body, and her mental worries at the time. So even though this isn’t a book that makes you wonder whether or not she’ll live, it can still be upsetting to some readers.
I still loved the book. It was inspiring and featured a great variety of characters who all learned lessons and tried new things to better their lives. After two books of Bauermeister’s, I’m hooked. Whatever she writes, I’ll buy a copy no matter the synopsis.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Erica Bauermeister's The Lost Art of Mixing here!
I have a friend who didn’t enjoy reading this book, and for a valid reason. “Cancer books” are very much in fashion at the moment, and it’s not a pleasant subject to read about. Joy for Beginners is a “post-cancer book”, in which the main character starts the book having survived chemotherapy and is in remission. But there are several flashbacks to her time of trouble, the effects of the chemo on her body, and her mental worries at the time. So even though this isn’t a book that makes you wonder whether or not she’ll live, it can still be upsetting to some readers.
I still loved the book. It was inspiring and featured a great variety of characters who all learned lessons and tried new things to better their lives. After two books of Bauermeister’s, I’m hooked. Whatever she writes, I’ll buy a copy no matter the synopsis.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Erica Bauermeister's The Lost Art of Mixing here!