The Summer Kitchen

by: Karen Weinreb

Published by: St. Martin's Press

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Nora Banks lives the good life. She has a husband who makes a lot of money, three beautiful boys, and a home that she has lovingly restored. She resides in a community where there are strict rules about who is “in” and who is “out.” Nora Banks is in the “in” crowd.

Everything in Nora’s life changes the morning the FBI rings her doorbell and arrests her husband, Evan, for his “white collar” crimes. Suddenly her husband is in prison, the Feds confiscate everything but her home and some money Evan has hidden in a wall safe. The women who are her friends can’t run away from her fast enough and she is suddenly a “nobody.” Her loss of money and social prominence is gone with the wind. To complicate things she suffers a miscarriage.

Nora takes a job with the local bakery, and a local attorney offers to help her with her legal and “personal” problems. But even with a local mother who wishes to cause her problems, Nora begins a new business and grows emotionally and becomes a strong woman who impacts her own life and that of others in a positive way.

The Summer Kitchen is a fascinating story ripped from the headlines. Nora is a sympathetic woman and the lifestyle of the extremely wealthy makes one cringe. Weinreb has skillfully crafted a story with characters who are three dimensional. Some of the characters you will love and some you will dislike.

The one criticism I have about The Summer Kitchen is that it is driven by narrative rather than dialog, and I feel that that weakens the impact of the novel. I felt that the extensive narrative detracted from the book.

Armchair Interviews says: A good novel that will challenge the reader’s thoughts about wealth and the lifestyle and restrictions within the small enclaves of the wealthy.

Author’s Web site: http://www.KarenWeinreb.com