About This Book:
Armed with a Crock-Pot and a pile of recipes, a grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together in this uplifting novel for readers of The Chicken Sisters.
Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the “funeral ladies,” she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed—it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can’t fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days.
Iris, Esther’s whip-smart Gen Z granddaughter, would do anything for her family and her community. As she watches her friends and family move out of their lakeside town onto bigger and better things, Iris wonders why she feels so left behind in the place she is desperate to make her home. But when Cooper Welsh shows up, she finally starts to feel like she’s found the missing piece of her puzzle.
Cooper is dealing with becoming a legal guardian to his younger half-sister after his beloved stepmother dies. While their celebrity-chef father is focused on his booming career and top-ranked television show, Cooper is still hurting from a public tragedy he witnessed last year as a paramedic and finding it hard to cope. With Iris in the gorgeous Ellerie County, though, he hopes he might finally find the home he’s been looking for.
It doesn’t seem like a community cookbook could possibly solve their problems, especially one where casseroles have their own section and cream of chicken soup mix is the most frequently used ingredient. But when you mix the can-do spirit of Midwestern grandmothers with the stubborn hope of a boy raised by food plus a dash of long-awaited forgiveness—things might just turn out okay.
My Thoughts After Reading:
In many ways, The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County is a love letter to life in Wisconsin. The author does a wonderful job capturing our beloved badger state’s culture: raving about Culvers and Kwik Trip, never skipping happy hour, finding solace in the woods, welcoming loons back to the lake, and more. Much of this book’s charm comes from understanding lake life quirks and Midwest hospitality. This would certainly be lost on non-Midwest readers. But, lucky for you (a presumed patron of the Town Hall Library and thus, Wisconsin resident), I think you’ll really enjoy this aspect of the book.
Similarly, I believe you’ll relate to many of the characters; they are real people with real problems. I know a real-life version of every character portrayed in this book, with the exception of a celebrity chef – can’t say I know anyone with that kind of culinary clout. The chapters featuring the entire cast of funeral ladies ended up being my favorite pages to read. Given the title, I felt they deserved more dedicated page time.
This is a heartwarming and often humorous read that does tackle heavy issues including PTSD, grief, family dysfunction and domestic abuse. I admired the sensitive way Swinarski handled the serious topics including the romance between Iris and the troubled Cooper. Their storyline was unconventional, yet more realistic, when compared to your typical small-town romance tropes.
In under 300 pages, Swinarski delivers a surprisingly complex story bursting with love, community, hope… and pie.
– Michelle
