From 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.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From 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 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Twenty-eight years have elapsed since Gerry Fitzgerald gave her newborn daughter up for adoption. At the time, it was one of the hardest choices she had to make--right after her decision not to take her final vows to become a nun. The child's father was a parish priest who seduced Gerry during the final weeks of her novitiate. Now a divorced mother of two, Gerry searches for the daughter she gave up, hoping to assuage the years of guilt she's suffered for abandoning her. Miraculously, she does find Claire and tentatively forges a relationship. For her part, Claire is burdened by an identity crisis that goes far beyond coming to terms with the circumstances of her adoption. When she unexpectedly moves to lovely Carson Springs, California, Claire seizes the opportunity to escape an unsatisfying love affair and unyielding adoptive parents. In the second installment of her Carson Springs trilogy (following Stranger in Paradise [BKL Je 1 & 15 01]), Goudge sensitively touches on themes of letting go and holding back, ones that many mothers will recognize. Despite soap-opera-like plot twists, Goudge's novel features beguiling characters, lush locations, and a timely focus on the consequences of a priest's breaking his vows and harming a parishioner. Great summertime beach reading both for readers new to Carson Springs and those eager for more tales of its romantic residents. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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...
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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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