Richmond Times-Dispatch
Romance abounds...The perfect beach read.
Kristin Hannah
Beautifully written...this wonderful novel is filled with characters as real and honest as your own best friends...
Book Description
In this remarkable follow-up to Stranger in Paradise, Eileen Goudge returns to sun-drenched Carson Springs, an idyllic community where the only thing juicier than the oranges is the local gossip...
Taste of Honey FROM THE PUBLISHER
In this remarkable follow-up to Stranger in Paradise, Eileen Goudge returns to sun-drenched Carson Springs, an idyllic community where the only thing juicier than the oranges is the local gossip...
Author Biography:
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
An uncanny prescience must have inspired the plot of Goudge's current novel, which seems ripped from recent headlines. The protagonist is Gerry Fitzgerald, a feisty, divorced woman with an intriguing past who played a supporting role in Stranger in Paradise, set in Carson Springs, Calif. Nearly 30 years ago, Gerry was about to take her vows as a nun, but literally fled the altar, pregnant by her parish priest. Now, divorced with two teenage children and an ongoing liaison with symphony conductor Aubrey Roellinger, Gerry is still involved with the church as a beekeeper at the local convent. A deep-seated sadness and curiosity lead her to search for the daughter she gave up for adoption. She and Claire connect, and their reunion is an emotional one. When Claire decides to confront her father, Goudge gingerly explores the Church's response as exemplified in Father Jim's power to ruin Gerry's life once more. Goudge also tackles the issue of adoption and gives a refreshingly unsentimental take on how an adopted child adjusts to newfound family and vice versa. But her forte is portraying how relationships tick, as she explores the connections made by Gerry, Claire and other couples developed in previous novels. Along the way to a traditional happy ending, Goudge packs in plenty of drama and suspense as she continues to flesh out the much-beloved residents of Carson Springs. (June 10) Forecast: Viking will probably emphasize the timeliness of Goudge's plot; that, plus the familiar Carson Springs setting will no doubt make this another bestseller for Goudge. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Stranger in Paradise's Samantha Kiley here plays second fiddle to friend Gerry, who finally confronts the child she gave up at birth at the same time she renounced plans to become a nun. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
AudioFile
Gerry Fitzgerald, who once wanted to be a nun, runs the convent's apiary and honey business. Lately, she's been considering finding the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was 20. Goudge's story tells of relationships and love, families lost and found. Christine Marshall's smooth voice brings out Gerry's loving spirit. She accurately portrays petulant teens, adoring sons, and the secret world of nuns and priests. As the story unfolds, Gerry must discover her inner strength and determine how much she is willing to fight for the love and happiness of all her children and friends. M.B.K.
© AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
The second in Goudge's projected trilogy (after Stranger in Paradise, 2001), again set in Carson Springs, the fictional Californian paradise where storm clouds soon give way to sunshine. Familiar characters gather as the recently divorced Geraldine decides to find the daughter she gave up more than 20 years ago. Gerry was a nun then, a novice at the same convent where she now works as a layperson, and her lover was a young priest, the handsome James Gallagher. To avoid a scandal, she left the convent, bore baby Claire, and gave her up for adoption. Gerry subsequently married and divorced, and now has two children, daughter Andie, 15, and Justin, 11. On Christmas Day, Gerry nervously calls Claire. She's a lawyer who's unhappy in her work, likes to bake, and loves her adoptive older parents Millie and Lou, though she often feels stifled by their concern. Though stunned by the call from her birth mother, she does agree to visit. When they meet, though Claire still blames Gerry for her abandonment, and though Andie is jealous of her new sister, Claire finds herself much taken with Carson Springs-enough so to give up the law and open a tearoom there. As Claire and Gerry gingerly try to establish a relationship, Gerry's affair with noted conductor Aubrey Roellinger becomes more complicated and someone wants her fired from her job. And Claire has problems, too: her adoptive parents are upset by her move; her relationship with boyfriend Byron, a medical student, is increasingly strained; and she's attracted to divorced Matt, who's renovating her tearoom. Naturally, minor squalls-like the accident that sends heavily pregnant Sam into labor, or Andie's worries that she's pregnant-are soon, alongwith all other problems, agreeably resolved. Mind candy with just the touch of tartness to make it a comfort read instead of saccharine overdose.
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