In The
Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County, Claire Swinarski debuts
her first adult novel, a poignantly refreshing story centered on the bonds of
family, food, faith, and small-town communities.
At the helm is Esther Larson, a
warm, 82-year-old, Wisconsin widow—a mother and grandmother. Esther and a group
of local women, ‘The Funeral Ladies,’ have shared a bond for decades, providing
luncheons for the bereaved in the basement of St. Anne’s Catholic Church. When
the ‘funeral ladies’ learn that Esther’s been conned out of $30,000,
they--along with Esther’s family--devise a plan to write a local cookbook. Can
they raise enough funds to save Esther’s home?
Along the way, a pie Esther
serves at a funeral arranged by celebrity chef, Ivan Welsh-- his wife dies in a
tragic car accident--wows him enough to take notice. After Ivan and his
Chicago-based adult stepson, Cooper, and Cricket, the 13-year-old daughter Ivan
shared with his deceased wife, visit the town for the burial services, they
decide to stay on. They rent an Airbnb from Esther’s adult granddaughter, Iris,
who falls romantically for Cooper, a former paramedic who now works “flipping
pancakes” at the local diner. Cooper harbors a secret that impinges upon his
life—might it affect Irises’ life, as well?
Serious themes--underscored by
tenets of love, acceptance, and forgiveness--are compassionately threaded
through Swinarski’s (What Happened to Rachel Riley?)
tenderly drawn story that will hold multi-generational appeal.
The
Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski
Avon
Books (Harper Collins), $30.00 hardcover, 9780063319875, 272 pages
Publishing Date: March 12, 2024
To order this book on INDIEBOUND/Bookshop.Org, link HERE
NOTE:
This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this
review as originally published on Shelf Awareness (March
12, 2024), link HERE