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Lizzy and Jane
Lizzy and Jane never saw eye to eye. But when illness brings them together, they discover they may be more like Austen’s famous sisters after all.
Lizzy was only a teenager when her mother died of cancer. Shortly after, Lizzy fled from her home, her family, and her cherished nickname. After working tirelessly to hone her gift of creating magic in the kitchen, Elizabeth has climbed the culinary ladder to become the head chef of her own New York restaurant, Feast. But as her magic begins to elude her, Paul, Feast’s financial backer, brings in someone to share her responsibilities and her kitchen. So Elizabeth flees again.
In a desperate attempt to reconnect with her gift, Elizabeth returns home. But her plans are derailed when she learns that her estranged sister, Jane, is battling cancer. Elizabeth surprises everyone—including herself—when she decides to stay in Seattle and work to prepare healthy, sustaining meals for Jane as she undergoes chemotherapy. She also meets Nick and his winsome son, Matt, who, like Elizabeth, are trying to heal from the wounds of the past.
As she tends to Jane's needs, Elizabeth's powers begin to return to her, along with the family she left behind so long ago. Then Paul tries to entice her back to New York, and she is faced with a hard decision: stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane, or return to New York and the life she worked so hard to create?
Lizzy was only a teenager when her mother died of cancer. Shortly after, Lizzy fled from her home, her family, and her cherished nickname. After working tirelessly to hone her gift of creating magic in the kitchen, Elizabeth has climbed the culinary ladder to become the head chef of her own New York restaurant, Feast. But as her magic begins to elude her, Paul, Feast’s financial backer, brings in someone to share her responsibilities and her kitchen. So Elizabeth flees again.
In a desperate attempt to reconnect with her gift, Elizabeth returns home. But her plans are derailed when she learns that her estranged sister, Jane, is battling cancer. Elizabeth surprises everyone—including herself—when she decides to stay in Seattle and work to prepare healthy, sustaining meals for Jane as she undergoes chemotherapy. She also meets Nick and his winsome son, Matt, who, like Elizabeth, are trying to heal from the wounds of the past.
As she tends to Jane's needs, Elizabeth's powers begin to return to her, along with the family she left behind so long ago. Then Paul tries to entice her back to New York, and she is faced with a hard decision: stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane, or return to New York and the life she worked so hard to create?
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2014
203 people are currently reading
6841 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Reay
16 books3,704 followersKatherine Reay is the national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels and one full length non-fiction work. Her novels have been chosen as “One Book, One Community” reads and her writing has appeared in publications such as Criminal Reads, The Daily Beast, Redbook, and USA Today, among others. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University. She lives with her husband and too many dogs in Montana.
You can meet her at www.katherinereay.com or on Facebook: KatherineReayBooks, Twitter: @katherine_reay or Instagram: @katherinereay.
You can meet her at www.katherinereay.com or on Facebook: KatherineReayBooks, Twitter: @katherine_reay or Instagram: @katherinereay.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,081 reviews
November 11, 2014
2.5 stars (average). A thoughtful, introspective story, but too slow to consistently hold my interest. I was also consciously aware that certain moments were supposed to elicit an emotional response, but they never did. The final, divisive conflict felt completely out of context and only made me confused at a point when I should have been the most invested in the characters and their plight. Several long passages describing recipes or cooking procedures had me skimming to get back to the action, and new story threads were introduced late in the book and never resolved. The lead characters were cliche, but I liked a few of the minor characters, particularly Cecilia the nurse. Overall, I just couldn't connect with a story that was so obviously trying to manipulate me emotionally. Other women's fiction fans will no doubt love this, but it wasn't a home run for me.
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I received a digital review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
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I received a digital review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
August 12, 2015
I read this one earlier than I got to the last one... Read every word. :) And thoroughly enjoyed it. :)
July 10, 2019
DNF at 57%
I really just don't like this book. I just don't.
I don't understand it, I don't get, I don't like Elizabeth, and I thought all the food and cooking would make my mouth water, but my stomach has heaved more times than I've felt delighted by the food.
I'm not attached to anyone (although I rather liked Nick) and I don't care what happens next.
This was so different from Dear Mr. Knightley, which I loved. Hopefully the next one will be better, but this one is a pass. :(
I really just don't like this book. I just don't.
I don't understand it, I don't get, I don't like Elizabeth, and I thought all the food and cooking would make my mouth water, but my stomach has heaved more times than I've felt delighted by the food.
I'm not attached to anyone (although I rather liked Nick) and I don't care what happens next.
This was so different from Dear Mr. Knightley, which I loved. Hopefully the next one will be better, but this one is a pass. :(
November 15, 2017
by Andrea Renee Cox
Can a book about food be about more than the food?
Katherine Reay shows us that the answer is definitely YES with her novel Lizzy and Jane. This book went much deeper, especially thematically, than her debut, yet she retained that lighthearted banter I so enjoyed in Dear Mr. Knightley. The thing I most like about Ms. Reay's work is that, no matter what themes or characters or problems or whatever the books contain, she always presents a heart journey. It isn't just an emotional one or a spiritual one, but it's a journey that the reader feels directly in the heart, and then it affects every other aspect of who the reader is. I'm not quite sure how she captures that in her stories, but I'm terribly glad she has. When I'm reading her books, I laugh, I cry, I scoff, and I let out joy-filled sighs. Honestly, she's turning out to be one of my favorite authors, and it's a little strange for me, because I don't typically like books that talk about wine and have a few crude remarks. But there's something about Ms. Reay's storytelling that, by the end of the book (and usually WAY before that), I've fallen completely, head over heels, in love with the story. Not many authors capture my imagination the way Ms. Reay does with her books. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her already-published collection, and of course, I'll be eagerly awaiting whatever she releases next.
*November 15, 2017*
Just finished my second reading of this book. Wow. Will this story ever stop making me cry buckets? It's such a powerful expression of family squabbles, finding new hope, and battling for and with the people who mean the world to us. I hope to learn to live like that, with my heart emblazoned right on my sleeve and offering my gifts to the people around me without attaching strings or doing it for myself. Living like that seems to be exactly what God created us for. May we all learn to live that way and do it well.
I was not compensated for my honest review.
Can a book about food be about more than the food?
Katherine Reay shows us that the answer is definitely YES with her novel Lizzy and Jane. This book went much deeper, especially thematically, than her debut, yet she retained that lighthearted banter I so enjoyed in Dear Mr. Knightley. The thing I most like about Ms. Reay's work is that, no matter what themes or characters or problems or whatever the books contain, she always presents a heart journey. It isn't just an emotional one or a spiritual one, but it's a journey that the reader feels directly in the heart, and then it affects every other aspect of who the reader is. I'm not quite sure how she captures that in her stories, but I'm terribly glad she has. When I'm reading her books, I laugh, I cry, I scoff, and I let out joy-filled sighs. Honestly, she's turning out to be one of my favorite authors, and it's a little strange for me, because I don't typically like books that talk about wine and have a few crude remarks. But there's something about Ms. Reay's storytelling that, by the end of the book (and usually WAY before that), I've fallen completely, head over heels, in love with the story. Not many authors capture my imagination the way Ms. Reay does with her books. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her already-published collection, and of course, I'll be eagerly awaiting whatever she releases next.
*November 15, 2017*
Just finished my second reading of this book. Wow. Will this story ever stop making me cry buckets? It's such a powerful expression of family squabbles, finding new hope, and battling for and with the people who mean the world to us. I hope to learn to live like that, with my heart emblazoned right on my sleeve and offering my gifts to the people around me without attaching strings or doing it for myself. Living like that seems to be exactly what God created us for. May we all learn to live that way and do it well.
I was not compensated for my honest review.
June 29, 2022
This was my hidden gem for May, a little late, and it was a great pick!
This is the story of Lizzy, a chef n New York City, and her sister, Jane, who has recently started treatments for breast cancer living in Washington. Lizzy was there while their mom was sick, Jane was not. With lots of pain, hostility, regret, anger, and misunderstanding, Lizzy heads "home". While her restaurant in New York is not as flourishing as it had been, this is the perfect time for Lizzy to go home and help her sister and her family. Along with taking care of Jane, Lizzy finds a new way to help cancer patients - eating! Lizzy meets Nick, the man Jane gave her marketing clients to while she was sick, and he helps Lizzy realize that she has dreams, adventures, and there is love out there if you let it. Lizzy and Jane work towards forgiveness, but forgiveness is not always easy, and sometimes it hits you right in the face (literally) before you see straight.
Once Lizzy goes back refreshed to New York, she realizes that it isn't "home" and that the good she found in creating meals for those who were unable to eat because of their treatments, her sister, her family, Nick and Matt, that home really wasn't were she thought it was.
I enjoyed this book, I could see myself in it. The difficult relationship between Lizzy and Jane, the life of living with a cancer patient, and the emotions everyone keeps inside because letting them out just seems selfish. Now I have to go out and read Persuasion (another book to add to my TBR).
This is the story of Lizzy, a chef n New York City, and her sister, Jane, who has recently started treatments for breast cancer living in Washington. Lizzy was there while their mom was sick, Jane was not. With lots of pain, hostility, regret, anger, and misunderstanding, Lizzy heads "home". While her restaurant in New York is not as flourishing as it had been, this is the perfect time for Lizzy to go home and help her sister and her family. Along with taking care of Jane, Lizzy finds a new way to help cancer patients - eating! Lizzy meets Nick, the man Jane gave her marketing clients to while she was sick, and he helps Lizzy realize that she has dreams, adventures, and there is love out there if you let it. Lizzy and Jane work towards forgiveness, but forgiveness is not always easy, and sometimes it hits you right in the face (literally) before you see straight.
Once Lizzy goes back refreshed to New York, she realizes that it isn't "home" and that the good she found in creating meals for those who were unable to eat because of their treatments, her sister, her family, Nick and Matt, that home really wasn't were she thought it was.
I enjoyed this book, I could see myself in it. The difficult relationship between Lizzy and Jane, the life of living with a cancer patient, and the emotions everyone keeps inside because letting them out just seems selfish. Now I have to go out and read Persuasion (another book to add to my TBR).
July 9, 2017
I love a book that makes me examine my own thoughts or feelings! This was a book that definitely had some thoughtful moments. It was a fun read with all the literature nods to Jane Austen, Hemingway and even the classic, Wind in the Willows. I wasn't able to relate to all the bitterness and anger that was present in the various relationships in this story, but I do have a sister I absolutely adore, and it made me love her even more. I thought the scene at the waterfall, between Jane and Lizzy, was simply beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Jane Austen, loves a book with good introspection, loves stories about sisters, or even those who are dealing with cancer. It was a beautiful book about learning to forgive, to get past all the bitterness in our lives, see the beauty before us, and hand our burdens over to God.
October 1, 2014
Among the inspirational, Christian fiction crowd, I’m not sure there were many books more anticipated than the follow up to 2013’s debut author Katherine Reay’s lovely epistolary novel, Dear Mr. Knightley. While the two share no connection story wise besides being seeped in Austen-esque loveliness, readers couldn’t wait to see what Reay had next for us. Myself included. Lizzy & Jane tells the story of the titular sisters who are at odds with one another ever since their mother died years earlier from cancer – Lizzy was there for her mother. Jane was not. Now, both girls are grown up, living their own lives and Lizzy’s nearly ten years elder sister, Jane is going through the terror of cancer. Burned out from her work as a chef at an elite, New York restaurant – Feast, Lizzy agrees to take a trip west to visit her father… and Jane. Afraid for her own future, tired of fighting with Jane and still healing from a past and loss she never mourned, Lizzy is about to rediscover her passions… and all that really matters.
This market found a treasure when that agent and publisher read Katherine Reay’s manuscript. She is a gifted, marvelous storyteller, who never takes anything in her story for granted – either for her characters or for us, the reader. Lizzy & Jane is a very different kind of story for those of us still on a book high from Dear Mr. Knightley (which just won not one but two Carol awards this past weekend - congrats, Katherine!), but that in no way is a criticism for this beauty. I’m not sure if this will sound horribly cliché or not, however I have to say it, because in my pondering over this novel post that final swipe that led to the last page; I realized while this book is about women fighting for their life and suffering the emotional impact of the ravages of cancer, this isn’t a book about cancer. Katherine has done a beautiful job making this about the characters… the sister’s relationships as opposed to letting the story hide in the tragedies of overcoming something so difficult to write about.
Since I read an early NetGalley ARC galley, I will have to confess that my reading experience for this novel wasn’t as pleasant as I’d have liked it to be because the format wasn’t how it should have been. That being said, nothing was going to deter me from discovering the hidden joys of this one, and thankfully, those distractions didn’t. While I don’t think I can say I related nearly as well to Lizzy & Jane (in terms of the characters being in the same stage of life as I am – or being closer in age), I doubt there are many of us who won’t be able to feel or understand what these sister’s go through. Whether it be because of the disease that brings them back into the same space or because of their foolish differences they let build a wall between them – who of us hasn’t been in one of these situations? Sadly we all have – I know I have, and probably experienced both extremes.
Another thing Austen purists will appreciate, these are not retellings of Austen’s works. Instead of reshaping the classics to fit a contemporary mold, Reay weaves in references in honorable nods to the great literature and uses all of the good in those stories to an advantage in the breathtaking novels she pens. One of the ending references in particular left me all swoon-y and happy inside – particularly since it is such a popular Austen moment that is used to a charming advantage in the final moments of Lizzy & Jane. This is one of those books I was loathe to see end. In fact, while reading it, I swiped my screen and had a reaction of dismay that I had reached the end. In trying to get to the end, I had sped through the book faster than normal and was forced to say good-bye to two lovely women whose relationship is as realistic as any of our sister relationships are and it’s all brought together with much laughter, love and forgiveness.
Sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley as well as Katherine Reay (thank *you*) for providing a complimentary ARC copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
This market found a treasure when that agent and publisher read Katherine Reay’s manuscript. She is a gifted, marvelous storyteller, who never takes anything in her story for granted – either for her characters or for us, the reader. Lizzy & Jane is a very different kind of story for those of us still on a book high from Dear Mr. Knightley (which just won not one but two Carol awards this past weekend - congrats, Katherine!), but that in no way is a criticism for this beauty. I’m not sure if this will sound horribly cliché or not, however I have to say it, because in my pondering over this novel post that final swipe that led to the last page; I realized while this book is about women fighting for their life and suffering the emotional impact of the ravages of cancer, this isn’t a book about cancer. Katherine has done a beautiful job making this about the characters… the sister’s relationships as opposed to letting the story hide in the tragedies of overcoming something so difficult to write about.
Since I read an early NetGalley ARC galley, I will have to confess that my reading experience for this novel wasn’t as pleasant as I’d have liked it to be because the format wasn’t how it should have been. That being said, nothing was going to deter me from discovering the hidden joys of this one, and thankfully, those distractions didn’t. While I don’t think I can say I related nearly as well to Lizzy & Jane (in terms of the characters being in the same stage of life as I am – or being closer in age), I doubt there are many of us who won’t be able to feel or understand what these sister’s go through. Whether it be because of the disease that brings them back into the same space or because of their foolish differences they let build a wall between them – who of us hasn’t been in one of these situations? Sadly we all have – I know I have, and probably experienced both extremes.
Another thing Austen purists will appreciate, these are not retellings of Austen’s works. Instead of reshaping the classics to fit a contemporary mold, Reay weaves in references in honorable nods to the great literature and uses all of the good in those stories to an advantage in the breathtaking novels she pens. One of the ending references in particular left me all swoon-y and happy inside – particularly since it is such a popular Austen moment that is used to a charming advantage in the final moments of Lizzy & Jane. This is one of those books I was loathe to see end. In fact, while reading it, I swiped my screen and had a reaction of dismay that I had reached the end. In trying to get to the end, I had sped through the book faster than normal and was forced to say good-bye to two lovely women whose relationship is as realistic as any of our sister relationships are and it’s all brought together with much laughter, love and forgiveness.
Sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley as well as Katherine Reay (thank *you*) for providing a complimentary ARC copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
December 9, 2016
This book is inspired by the relationship between Elizabeth and her sister, Jane, in Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie is a chef in New York and she goes back to her hometown of Seattle because her sister, Jane, is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. While Lizzie helps take care of Jane, she resolves old issues in her relationship with her sister and expands her horizons with the help of her sister's friends and neighbors.
June 30, 2016
Elizabeth is a top chef in her own restaurant in New York, but she has lost her zing. Feast has been her life for years, but now the man who financed her restaurant has brought in another chef to hopefully help Elizabeth get that zing back.
Disheartened by the need for another chef and being encouraged to go "home" to visit her sister battling breast cancer, Elizabeth embarks on a quest to find her zing and repair relationships with those she left behind.
Elizabeth left home soon after her mother died from cancer. She is not prepared to deal with all of the emotions that this trip home brings her, not to mention the friction that still stands between the sisters.
Jane doesn't make it easy for Lizzy, but Lizzy makes it her mission to try and find the right foods that will give her sister the desire to eat. Slowly the sisters work through old resentments and hurts, but Lizzy has built such a wall around her emotions, will there be any way that this relationship can be healed?
Lizzy & Jane brought such a roller-coaster of emotions to me. One minute I would be laughing at some antic or other and then in the next moment I would be crying along with the characters as they dealt with the reality of cancer, their past and Lizzy's journey of self-discovery. Just when I would think okay, things are going to start getting better old resentments would cause another rift between the sisters. I have to say that that kind of frustrated me until I really thought about it. Old hurts just don't go away because apologies were made. It took years for Lizzy to build her walls, of course it is going to take a while for those walls to crumble. The story was also a little difficult to read because Jane is battling breast cancer. At the moment I have a friend in the same battle. Trips to the infusion center are a weekly trip for me. It is hard to see so many people battling this awful disease called cancer. While helping Jane to find the right types of foods to tempt her to eat Lizzy manages to find her zing once again. I loved how the author could make the reader "see" the excitement on Lizzy's face as she prepared foods for people. There was also a bit of romance in the story. Nick is a single dad who manages to be an anchor for Lizzy while she tries to put her life back together. He definitely makes it hard for her to go back to New York. I loved all of the food talk! Mixing spices and finding foods that match personalities, who knew that food was such an art or really a science? I was entertained, and my heart was warmed while reading Lizzy & Jane.
Disheartened by the need for another chef and being encouraged to go "home" to visit her sister battling breast cancer, Elizabeth embarks on a quest to find her zing and repair relationships with those she left behind.
Elizabeth left home soon after her mother died from cancer. She is not prepared to deal with all of the emotions that this trip home brings her, not to mention the friction that still stands between the sisters.
Jane doesn't make it easy for Lizzy, but Lizzy makes it her mission to try and find the right foods that will give her sister the desire to eat. Slowly the sisters work through old resentments and hurts, but Lizzy has built such a wall around her emotions, will there be any way that this relationship can be healed?
Lizzy & Jane brought such a roller-coaster of emotions to me. One minute I would be laughing at some antic or other and then in the next moment I would be crying along with the characters as they dealt with the reality of cancer, their past and Lizzy's journey of self-discovery. Just when I would think okay, things are going to start getting better old resentments would cause another rift between the sisters. I have to say that that kind of frustrated me until I really thought about it. Old hurts just don't go away because apologies were made. It took years for Lizzy to build her walls, of course it is going to take a while for those walls to crumble. The story was also a little difficult to read because Jane is battling breast cancer. At the moment I have a friend in the same battle. Trips to the infusion center are a weekly trip for me. It is hard to see so many people battling this awful disease called cancer. While helping Jane to find the right types of foods to tempt her to eat Lizzy manages to find her zing once again. I loved how the author could make the reader "see" the excitement on Lizzy's face as she prepared foods for people. There was also a bit of romance in the story. Nick is a single dad who manages to be an anchor for Lizzy while she tries to put her life back together. He definitely makes it hard for her to go back to New York. I loved all of the food talk! Mixing spices and finding foods that match personalities, who knew that food was such an art or really a science? I was entertained, and my heart was warmed while reading Lizzy & Jane.
May 11, 2016
I enjoyed this book more than Dear Mr Knightley.
The book was a roller-coaster of emotions which took you through the ups and downs of dealing with hurt, fear, forgiveness, reconciliation of relationships and loss. The relationships between all the characters felt so real, I could picture them as people I would know. Even though the book deals with cancer and hurt, there was also a lot of fun and enjoyable sections.
I loved Lizzy. She saw more in the situations than other people, for example she understood Peter better than Jane did and she was a key element of reconciliation for Jane's family. Her bacon ice cream sounded interesting and something I would like to try. I never even thought about altering food tastes to make it more tasty for cancer patients.
I enjoyed all the food descriptions. I'm a foodie so these sections were the highlights of the book.
My favourite quote which is so true and will always be applicable is: "The love needs to be stronger than the like."
The book was a roller-coaster of emotions which took you through the ups and downs of dealing with hurt, fear, forgiveness, reconciliation of relationships and loss. The relationships between all the characters felt so real, I could picture them as people I would know. Even though the book deals with cancer and hurt, there was also a lot of fun and enjoyable sections.
I loved Lizzy. She saw more in the situations than other people, for example she understood Peter better than Jane did and she was a key element of reconciliation for Jane's family. Her bacon ice cream sounded interesting and something I would like to try. I never even thought about altering food tastes to make it more tasty for cancer patients.
I enjoyed all the food descriptions. I'm a foodie so these sections were the highlights of the book.
My favourite quote which is so true and will always be applicable is: "The love needs to be stronger than the like."
December 29, 2014
Elizabeth is a talented chef whose personal distractions are interfering with her cooking, which in turn is interfering with the profits of her otherwise admiring boss. Against Elizabeth's wishes, a celebrity chef is brought in to temporarily assist in turning things around. Elizabeth doesn't cope with this well, and takes a hiatus from the restaurant.
At this point, the story seemed to invoke plot lines reminiscent of Barbara O'Neal, whose food fiction novels I greatly admire. However, when Elizabeth's hiatus lands her on the doorstep of Jane, her estranged sister who is fighting a battle with cancer, the story becomes uniquely Katherine Reay's.
Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of cancer themes in fiction novels - not at all. I prefer engaging struggles that are, well, fictional (should the main character follow that amazing guy off into the sunset, or should she take the money she unexpectedly fell into and buy the orchard of her dreams... I like those sorts of fictional struggles!). Reading the gritty details of Jane's drug treatments, side effects, and resulting family strain made my heart heavy. It was, however, a realistic and gripping portrayal of two sisters trying to repair their relationship, and eventually converted me to the strengths of such realistic fiction.
Throughout the story, Katherine Reay expertly weaves Elizabeth's cooking struggles effectively into the expanding plot. When Elizabeth turns her cooking talents to the task of preparing meals desirable to the palates of people struggling with food due to the side effects of chemotherapy, the reader is pulled into an aspect of cooking-for-healing that is rarely portrayed in books.
Lizzy & Jane is not a beach read... it won't make you laugh nearly as often as it will tug at your heart. Nonetheless, for gripping "sister fiction" written with finesse, I highly recommend this book!
At this point, the story seemed to invoke plot lines reminiscent of Barbara O'Neal, whose food fiction novels I greatly admire. However, when Elizabeth's hiatus lands her on the doorstep of Jane, her estranged sister who is fighting a battle with cancer, the story becomes uniquely Katherine Reay's.
Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of cancer themes in fiction novels - not at all. I prefer engaging struggles that are, well, fictional (should the main character follow that amazing guy off into the sunset, or should she take the money she unexpectedly fell into and buy the orchard of her dreams... I like those sorts of fictional struggles!). Reading the gritty details of Jane's drug treatments, side effects, and resulting family strain made my heart heavy. It was, however, a realistic and gripping portrayal of two sisters trying to repair their relationship, and eventually converted me to the strengths of such realistic fiction.
Throughout the story, Katherine Reay expertly weaves Elizabeth's cooking struggles effectively into the expanding plot. When Elizabeth turns her cooking talents to the task of preparing meals desirable to the palates of people struggling with food due to the side effects of chemotherapy, the reader is pulled into an aspect of cooking-for-healing that is rarely portrayed in books.
Lizzy & Jane is not a beach read... it won't make you laugh nearly as often as it will tug at your heart. Nonetheless, for gripping "sister fiction" written with finesse, I highly recommend this book!
December 26, 2015
This story was drastically different than the aughor's first book. Really, I don't know how else Reay would have followed a book so unique as "Dear Mr. Knightley"...except with a book as unique as "Lizzy and Jane!"
The basic similarity between the two is the affirmation of the importance of family relationships--and the incredible love of literature. Yet this one is based also on the love of food, and what our food says about our lives and vice versa. Don't read this if you're hungry, because her descriptions are so incredibly tangible that you can almost taste/smell/see what is being described. Yet I also challenge you to manage to lay it aside for any great length of time!
Like the first book, I read it all in one evening. And thoroughly enjoyed it, even the sad parts!
For the tender of conscience: there is the drinking of wine, but no drunkenness.
The basic similarity between the two is the affirmation of the importance of family relationships--and the incredible love of literature. Yet this one is based also on the love of food, and what our food says about our lives and vice versa. Don't read this if you're hungry, because her descriptions are so incredibly tangible that you can almost taste/smell/see what is being described. Yet I also challenge you to manage to lay it aside for any great length of time!
Like the first book, I read it all in one evening. And thoroughly enjoyed it, even the sad parts!
For the tender of conscience: there is the drinking of wine, but no drunkenness.
September 23, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! Not quite as good as Dear Mr. Knightley, but I liked the ending better. I liked that it was romantic, but that it wasn't all about the romance, more about the sisters and their relationship. I even liked the food parts, and I don't even cook!
November 30, 2014
This book was ridiculous to the extreme. I bought it as a plane read, and quite honestly should have put it down without finishing after the 2.5 hour flight.
The plot was barely sketched out and the dialogue so ridiculously stilted as to be almost laughable. One of the main constructs of the book was that the main character, a chef, was able to make individualized meals for people based on what books they read -- and what the characters in those books ate. Someone who loved Hemingway loved Spanish flavors that were bold and "filled with sunshine" or some such.
So. Here's my thing. How did the character have such a command of literary feasts? How was it that the people she interacted with regularly were so well read? How did those people manage to only read the classics that were helpfully (for this author at least) out of copyright reach and therefore able to be quoted in this book?
Very convenient.
I would almost be able to forgive the focus on literary taste buds, but the dialogue. Oh dear, the dialogue. These people spoke in complete paragraphs, almost with footnotes attached.
The whole thing was just ridiculous.
The plot was barely sketched out and the dialogue so ridiculously stilted as to be almost laughable. One of the main constructs of the book was that the main character, a chef, was able to make individualized meals for people based on what books they read -- and what the characters in those books ate. Someone who loved Hemingway loved Spanish flavors that were bold and "filled with sunshine" or some such.
So. Here's my thing. How did the character have such a command of literary feasts? How was it that the people she interacted with regularly were so well read? How did those people manage to only read the classics that were helpfully (for this author at least) out of copyright reach and therefore able to be quoted in this book?
Very convenient.
I would almost be able to forgive the focus on literary taste buds, but the dialogue. Oh dear, the dialogue. These people spoke in complete paragraphs, almost with footnotes attached.
The whole thing was just ridiculous.
July 9, 2014
What a wonderful book! Katherine Reay’s Lizzy & Jane is a beautifully written, deeply moving novel that is a feast for the senses. When a gifted chef at a trendy New York restaurant takes a break to visit the sister who needs her, she thinks she’s there to search for the missing spark in her cooking. Instead, she discovers what’s really missing from her life: family, friends, self-awareness, the healing power of forgiveness, the joy of making a difference, and love. In short, everything that really matters. An homage to a famous moment from Austen’s Persuasion satisfied one of my dearest Janeite fantasies. And the food! Every description of Lizzy’s masterpieces in the kitchen will make your mouth water and have you dying for a taste. It all adds up to a poignant, romantic, culinary delight that will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your heart.
August 24, 2020
Deeply moving and intensely meaningful, Reay’s latest gives readers an intimate look into the lives of sisters. Elizabeth’s character is raw and real —her desire to live a meaningful life, yet her authentic fear of rejection will help everyone identify closely with her journey. Delicious descriptions of food and the closeness that provides to others gives the novel even more depth.
After the ordeal of her mother’s battle with and death from cancer when she was a teenager, Elizabeth has spent the following years making a name for herself as a chef while keeping her distance from her father and older sister Jane. Yet Elizabeth has lost her edge with her restaurant and decides to visit her family on the West Coast. Jane is undergoing chemo for cancer, and as much as Elizabeth wants to avoid the situation, she must find a way to help Jane and figure out the next steps in her own life.
After the ordeal of her mother’s battle with and death from cancer when she was a teenager, Elizabeth has spent the following years making a name for herself as a chef while keeping her distance from her father and older sister Jane. Yet Elizabeth has lost her edge with her restaurant and decides to visit her family on the West Coast. Jane is undergoing chemo for cancer, and as much as Elizabeth wants to avoid the situation, she must find a way to help Jane and figure out the next steps in her own life.
November 29, 2020
You did it again Katherine Reay, this book was amazing!! I can really relate to this book. Lizzy ran away from her family after watching her mother die from cancer comes back to help her sister journey with cancer. My Mother died of cancer 9 years ago and I understood so much what this book was trying to say. It was a beautiful testimony to the sisters both trying to redeem themselves and and the journey of cancer. I just loved this book. Again, I would have given it more than 5 stars, it was that good. All the characters in this books was so well written. You could feel them and understand each of their journey they were on with this battle with cancer. Katherine Reay really did her homework in this book. Her knowledge of the cancer journey was right on. To the blood counts they have to watch to what it feels like not to have hair. My mother went through all those things. It made me miss my Mother, and isn't that what a good book does, make you remember your own past. I love listening to her books on audiobooks because. like I said before, the language is excellent, and I love her narrator! The book was simply amazing and I highly recommend this book! The only problem is I am out of Katherine Reay books to read!! Katherine if you're reading this write another one soon!! I will so miss reading her books. she is amazing!!
January 25, 2016
Two sisters, one nearly 10 years older than the other. In a fit of rebellion, Jane left home, leaving a void in her younger sister, Lizzy's life, a void that only widens when her mother dies of cancer. As soon as Elizabeth is of legal age, she's gone too, following her dreams to be a big-time chef in New York City. She has her restaurant, Feast, the potential for a romantic match the restaurant's financial backer, Paul. No need for family. But now her skills as a chef are slipping and she's losing the magic. Thinking a return home will stir the passion she once felt for food, Lizzy heads to Washington only to discover that her sister is now battling cancer, the same cancer that killed their mother. While Jane eventually came home and proved herself stable, the relationship between Jane and Lizzy is anything but. Except now Jane needs her and maybe this is a second chance to make their relationship work, just as their mother always hoped. After all, you don't name your daughters after the Bennet sisters in Pride & Prejudice without a good reason.
First, do not read Reay's books unless you love classic literature or you will be completely lost with all the literary references. These women eat, sleep, and breathe Jane Austen, although this one also references a lot of Hemingway. And don't read this book unless you're at least a little bit of a foodie since food references are on almost every single page.
Despite the heroines being named after the Bennet sisters, Lizzy's favorite Austen novel is Persuasion which also happens to my personal favorite. So I appreciated her insight and love of the novel, especially her thoughts on how Anne being forced to wait might have been a blessing.
Second, if you've ever known someone, either a friend or a family member, who battled cancer than this book will be an inspiration and encouragement to you. While I'm fortunate in the good health of my immediate family and friends, I also realize that the pain, confusion, hurt, and anger over that dreadful diagnosis of cancer is very real. And this book offers at least gentle semblance of healing and hope.
Life and family are sometimes messy. I cannot connect to the reality of Lizzy and Jane's relationship, their anger, the long history of bitterness and snipping at one another. I don't know how defensiveness can be the first reaction you have to your sister. But then, I've been blessed with a best friend in my younger sister. I love her, so very much, and so my heart breaks when I remember the sad reality that a lot of siblings don't have the same relationship that I have with my sibling.
This book is about closing relational rifts, especially in times of pain and suffering. It's about forging ahead to reconciliation, about being trusting and transparent with family. It's about giving of yourself when your first reaction for decades has always been self-preservation.
I thoroughly enjoyed Reay's first book, Dear Mr. Knightley. It was a very sweet read, cute, but whatever I felt lacked in that novel has been found in Lizzy & Jane. Katherine Reay has matured into the author she was meant to become, and I hope and pray that she accomplishes much more with her writing in the years to come. I just know this book has already touched and softened many lives and that it will touch many more. That's the magic of books that connect to Austen. People read them, and they should this book!
Now for the audiobook which is how I first began "reading" this novel. I won't go too much into this except to say that I am THANKFUL that I didn't let my opinion of this novel hinge on the narrator. I started out just listening to the audio book and it was just so . . . depressing. Bone deep depressing with a droning tenor to it that just grated on me.
My advice? Skip the audio book on this one. I listened to exactly 33% of the audio book before picking up the actual novel. The best decision I ever made and the absolute saving of the brilliant Lizzy & Jane.
And for parental guidance. One of the things I like about Reay's work is that she doesn't necessarily preach to her readers. With that in mind, this is a little bit more of a clean read. I mean, Jane is honest with her sister that sex has no appeal right now because she feels shriveled and dry. Yes, it's a bit blunt and I was a bit shocked, but you know what? That's life! I'm comfortable with everything I read within the pages of Lizzy & Jane and there was nothing sexually questionable. Just some brutal honesty and a lot of family hurt that needed to be worked through.
First, do not read Reay's books unless you love classic literature or you will be completely lost with all the literary references. These women eat, sleep, and breathe Jane Austen, although this one also references a lot of Hemingway. And don't read this book unless you're at least a little bit of a foodie since food references are on almost every single page.
Despite the heroines being named after the Bennet sisters, Lizzy's favorite Austen novel is Persuasion which also happens to my personal favorite. So I appreciated her insight and love of the novel, especially her thoughts on how Anne being forced to wait might have been a blessing.
Second, if you've ever known someone, either a friend or a family member, who battled cancer than this book will be an inspiration and encouragement to you. While I'm fortunate in the good health of my immediate family and friends, I also realize that the pain, confusion, hurt, and anger over that dreadful diagnosis of cancer is very real. And this book offers at least gentle semblance of healing and hope.
Life and family are sometimes messy. I cannot connect to the reality of Lizzy and Jane's relationship, their anger, the long history of bitterness and snipping at one another. I don't know how defensiveness can be the first reaction you have to your sister. But then, I've been blessed with a best friend in my younger sister. I love her, so very much, and so my heart breaks when I remember the sad reality that a lot of siblings don't have the same relationship that I have with my sibling.
This book is about closing relational rifts, especially in times of pain and suffering. It's about forging ahead to reconciliation, about being trusting and transparent with family. It's about giving of yourself when your first reaction for decades has always been self-preservation.
I thoroughly enjoyed Reay's first book, Dear Mr. Knightley. It was a very sweet read, cute, but whatever I felt lacked in that novel has been found in Lizzy & Jane. Katherine Reay has matured into the author she was meant to become, and I hope and pray that she accomplishes much more with her writing in the years to come. I just know this book has already touched and softened many lives and that it will touch many more. That's the magic of books that connect to Austen. People read them, and they should this book!
Now for the audiobook which is how I first began "reading" this novel. I won't go too much into this except to say that I am THANKFUL that I didn't let my opinion of this novel hinge on the narrator. I started out just listening to the audio book and it was just so . . . depressing. Bone deep depressing with a droning tenor to it that just grated on me.
My advice? Skip the audio book on this one. I listened to exactly 33% of the audio book before picking up the actual novel. The best decision I ever made and the absolute saving of the brilliant Lizzy & Jane.
And for parental guidance. One of the things I like about Reay's work is that she doesn't necessarily preach to her readers. With that in mind, this is a little bit more of a clean read. I mean, Jane is honest with her sister that sex has no appeal right now because she feels shriveled and dry. Yes, it's a bit blunt and I was a bit shocked, but you know what? That's life! I'm comfortable with everything I read within the pages of Lizzy & Jane and there was nothing sexually questionable. Just some brutal honesty and a lot of family hurt that needed to be worked through.
February 2, 2016
I read this book last month on a trip and I'm only now getting around to reviewing it. SILLY SILLY PROCRASTINATING ME.
But can I just honestly say this is one of the most almost-tear-jerkers I've read in a while? Books rarely make me cry, and... well, this one didn't, but still. I was reading it in an airport, so I couldn't cry if I wanted to. It was a super sweet story, and touching. Katherine Reay did a wonderful job developing the characters and making me fall in love with them. They were a lot different from the characters in her debut, too, which I must compliment her on. Sometimes it's easy to just write the same character in a different situation, but Lizzy/Elizabeth was soooo different from Sam.
I did have a few little things in this book that bugged me, like when Lizzy spends the night at Nick's house, on his couch. He even said he was trying to seduce her, and nothing happens... but still. DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN THAT SITUATION, LIZZY!!! There's also mentions of the effects the steroids (for chemo) have on Jane, which isn't so bad.
WARNING: There's a fairly graphic scene that made me shudder a bit, but it's a spoiler, so I'll be mentioning it in spoiler tags. But just be forewarned that it's a little... gory?
Overall, a great read! I've already recommended it to my mom, who will most likely cry. ;)
But can I just honestly say this is one of the most almost-tear-jerkers I've read in a while? Books rarely make me cry, and... well, this one didn't, but still. I was reading it in an airport, so I couldn't cry if I wanted to. It was a super sweet story, and touching. Katherine Reay did a wonderful job developing the characters and making me fall in love with them. They were a lot different from the characters in her debut, too, which I must compliment her on. Sometimes it's easy to just write the same character in a different situation, but Lizzy/Elizabeth was soooo different from Sam.
I did have a few little things in this book that bugged me, like when Lizzy spends the night at Nick's house, on his couch. He even said he was trying to seduce her, and nothing happens... but still. DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN THAT SITUATION, LIZZY!!! There's also mentions of the effects the steroids (for chemo) have on Jane, which isn't so bad.
WARNING: There's a fairly graphic scene that made me shudder a bit, but it's a spoiler, so I'll be mentioning it in spoiler tags. But just be forewarned that it's a little... gory?
Overall, a great read! I've already recommended it to my mom, who will most likely cry. ;)
January 20, 2015
My first thought is what a brave second novel. What must be more frightening than a debut novel? Releasing a second novel after a wildly successful first novel!
Was Lizzy & Jane as good as Dear Mr. Knightly? In my opinion, it was not as strong. Is Lizzy and Jane a novel to read? Absolutely!
I say Katherine Reay is brave because Lizzy and Jane is so different from Dear Mr. Knightly and why venture far from what worked the first time?
Lizzy and Jane is a novel about two sisters that were once close and grew apart due to their mother's death, distance and time. We understand how difficult it can be to mend a relationship after many years of living with a broken relationship. This novel is about the two of them and their journey toward repair. Jane is going through cancer treatments and Lizzy is going through a creative funk as a chef.
Although, I'm not a foodie, I really enjoyed the literary references to food. I also enjoyed the secondary characters of Cecilia, Peter and Nick. Lizzy and Jane is full of character development with sprinklings of Austen. It was an enjoyable read and I recommend it to contemporary novel readers.
My big question is what will novel three bring? I look forward to it!
Was Lizzy & Jane as good as Dear Mr. Knightly? In my opinion, it was not as strong. Is Lizzy and Jane a novel to read? Absolutely!
I say Katherine Reay is brave because Lizzy and Jane is so different from Dear Mr. Knightly and why venture far from what worked the first time?
Lizzy and Jane is a novel about two sisters that were once close and grew apart due to their mother's death, distance and time. We understand how difficult it can be to mend a relationship after many years of living with a broken relationship. This novel is about the two of them and their journey toward repair. Jane is going through cancer treatments and Lizzy is going through a creative funk as a chef.
Although, I'm not a foodie, I really enjoyed the literary references to food. I also enjoyed the secondary characters of Cecilia, Peter and Nick. Lizzy and Jane is full of character development with sprinklings of Austen. It was an enjoyable read and I recommend it to contemporary novel readers.
My big question is what will novel three bring? I look forward to it!
January 9, 2016
I loved this book! I was worried after reading Dear Mr Knightley that this one would be disappointing because Dear Mr Knightley was so good, but I needn't have worried! I enjoyed this one just as much, though the two are different!
I loved how the book ended for Lizzy. I was so glad to see that she went from struggling with every area of her life and spinning her wheels, to being much happier, having a much fuller life, and living it with purpose. This wasn't a fluffy and unrealistic book, but it was a really enjoyable read! One thing though, I never really understood what was going on between Jane and her husband. I kept waiting for the author to clarify. But still, a great read! I absolutely cannot wait to read more books by this author!
I loved how the book ended for Lizzy. I was so glad to see that she went from struggling with every area of her life and spinning her wheels, to being much happier, having a much fuller life, and living it with purpose. This wasn't a fluffy and unrealistic book, but it was a really enjoyable read! One thing though, I never really understood what was going on between Jane and her husband. I kept waiting for the author to clarify. But still, a great read! I absolutely cannot wait to read more books by this author!
November 13, 2014
Though I did enjoy Lizzy and Jane, I did not adore it in the way I did Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. I love "fresh start/new kind of life" narratives and am always interested in the sister dynamic. I am more than into Jane Austen, food, literary references, references to food in literary works, and faith. However, to have all of these elements woven into one story sometimes seemed a little much and a little forced. Some of the dialogue between characters did not ring true to me.
March 29, 2016
To say that I was excited to read this book would be a vast understatement. After devouring Dear Mr. Knightley last year, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that whatever Ms. Reay wrote next I would read. In fact, at only two books in, I'm thinking to place her on my list of authors I'll read no matter what! Because she is just that good. :)
This story is real. By which I mean, the characters feel real and true. No cardboard cutouts, no easy happy-ever-afters, but real people dealing with heartaches, loss, relationships, and feelings. That's the core of the story, in my opinion. Relationships. Specifically the relationship between Lizzy and Jane, sisters who have hurt one another and struggle to get back to a good place again. But also the relationship between a father and his daughters, between a husband and his sick wife, between a handsome neighbor and a visiting sister. And even the relationship between life and food!
There are lots of literary references, I'd never analyzed how food is used in literature, but Ms. Reay excellently points these out using Lizzy's love of books and food. (And the dishes Lizzy makes! I could almost taste some of them. :) I loved the references to Jane Austen, but there are many more to be found hidden in these pages. It's like a literary feast for all the senses! It's quite obvious that Ms. Reay is a reader and knows her classics very well. She incorporates these stories into her story until they permeate the entire book, even when not mentioned!
This is not the type of story to throw you from one twist to another with loads of action. Instead, it's the quiet moments that shine. Like when Lizzy accompanies Jane to her chemo appointments. (The other patients and families that they interact with only there, yet I could picture that they were busy living their lives even while not appearing on the page.) Lizzy's conversations with Nick and Matt. Danny and Kate learning how to adjust to their mother being sick and finding their new "normal". Lizzy and Jane's dad, who is simply wonderful. Peter figuring out how to handle his wife's sickness and all the daily changes that comes with that. Lizzy and Jane themselves. Tiptoeing around one another, yet unable to deny the love they have for each other, even while sniping and criticizing.
This story is breathtaking. While it may be quieter, it still packs a punch! And that ending! Ah, such a wonderful ending. Ms. Reay uses a softer touch with the romance, but that just makes each moment so much sweeter. And the ending references one of my absolute favorite moments in literature! (Hint: It involves a letter.) Most definitely swoonworthy! I confess to rereading the last couple of chapters several times. ;)
This one is a keeper. Trust me. READ IT!!!
*Many, many thanks to Katherine Reay for providing me with an ARC in response to my enthusiasm via twitter. :)
This story is real. By which I mean, the characters feel real and true. No cardboard cutouts, no easy happy-ever-afters, but real people dealing with heartaches, loss, relationships, and feelings. That's the core of the story, in my opinion. Relationships. Specifically the relationship between Lizzy and Jane, sisters who have hurt one another and struggle to get back to a good place again. But also the relationship between a father and his daughters, between a husband and his sick wife, between a handsome neighbor and a visiting sister. And even the relationship between life and food!
There are lots of literary references, I'd never analyzed how food is used in literature, but Ms. Reay excellently points these out using Lizzy's love of books and food. (And the dishes Lizzy makes! I could almost taste some of them. :) I loved the references to Jane Austen, but there are many more to be found hidden in these pages. It's like a literary feast for all the senses! It's quite obvious that Ms. Reay is a reader and knows her classics very well. She incorporates these stories into her story until they permeate the entire book, even when not mentioned!
This is not the type of story to throw you from one twist to another with loads of action. Instead, it's the quiet moments that shine. Like when Lizzy accompanies Jane to her chemo appointments. (The other patients and families that they interact with only there, yet I could picture that they were busy living their lives even while not appearing on the page.) Lizzy's conversations with Nick and Matt. Danny and Kate learning how to adjust to their mother being sick and finding their new "normal". Lizzy and Jane's dad, who is simply wonderful. Peter figuring out how to handle his wife's sickness and all the daily changes that comes with that. Lizzy and Jane themselves. Tiptoeing around one another, yet unable to deny the love they have for each other, even while sniping and criticizing.
This story is breathtaking. While it may be quieter, it still packs a punch! And that ending! Ah, such a wonderful ending. Ms. Reay uses a softer touch with the romance, but that just makes each moment so much sweeter. And the ending references one of my absolute favorite moments in literature! (Hint: It involves a letter.) Most definitely swoonworthy! I confess to rereading the last couple of chapters several times. ;)
This one is a keeper. Trust me. READ IT!!!
*Many, many thanks to Katherine Reay for providing me with an ARC in response to my enthusiasm via twitter. :)
May 8, 2017
I felt the same way about this book as I did The Bronte Plot- disappointed. I was bored, possibly because of the huge amount of detailed cooking descriptions, and some of the main characters sometimes annoyed me. There were also a lot of instances that seemed like they were supposed to be deep but only skimmed the surface and didn't make sense in the story. However, there were a few moving moments, such as the ending. The best part of the story for me were the kids (Katie, Danny and Matt).
I personally didn't love it, but I still thought it had some good elements and I liked all the Austen references. I came into it with both high and low expectations, because I was hoping that it would be as good as Dear Mr.Knightley but worried that it might be like the The Bronte Plot (unfortunately, it was like the latter). I hope I like her next book better! 2.5 stars.
I personally didn't love it, but I still thought it had some good elements and I liked all the Austen references. I came into it with both high and low expectations, because I was hoping that it would be as good as Dear Mr.Knightley but worried that it might be like the The Bronte Plot (unfortunately, it was like the latter). I hope I like her next book better! 2.5 stars.
October 25, 2023
I think this was even better the second time through than it was when I first read it a few years ago. I love the depth of the character development, and how far both Lizzy and Jane come in their ability and willingness to understand each other. This book brought tears to my eyes multiple times.
October 23, 2025
Beautiful, beautiful story!!!
Full review to follow.
Full review to follow.
Read
March 3, 2020I don't have the time or inclination to review this fully right now, but I'll leave a short one below!
November 18, 2024
4.25/5 stars
‘You can’t do the same things and expect different results.’
Elizabeth is a chef at Feast in NY. She’s kind of lost her mojo in the kitchen of her restaurant and decides to take a few weeks off. Her sister Jane has been diagnosed with cancer, and she goes back to Seattle to help care for her, and try to mend fences. They have been estranged for years. Can they heal old wounds?
Highlights | ✨
•Complicated sister relationships
•Nods to Jane Austen
•Literary references
•Cooking and restaurants
•Small, sweet faith elements
Cancer is quite prevalent in my family, and it can be tough to read about. In spite of this, I found myself caught up in the story. It doesn’t sugar coat difficult descriptions and the ways we can wound others when we are also hurting. I loved the evocative descriptions of food and how food can have healing properties. It has a romantic subplot that I enjoyed as well. I’d recommend this book, if you’re in the right headspace for the topic. It also contains themes of healing and forgiveness, which I love.
‘You can’t do the same things and expect different results.’
Elizabeth is a chef at Feast in NY. She’s kind of lost her mojo in the kitchen of her restaurant and decides to take a few weeks off. Her sister Jane has been diagnosed with cancer, and she goes back to Seattle to help care for her, and try to mend fences. They have been estranged for years. Can they heal old wounds?
Highlights | ✨
•Complicated sister relationships
•Nods to Jane Austen
•Literary references
•Cooking and restaurants
•Small, sweet faith elements
Cancer is quite prevalent in my family, and it can be tough to read about. In spite of this, I found myself caught up in the story. It doesn’t sugar coat difficult descriptions and the ways we can wound others when we are also hurting. I loved the evocative descriptions of food and how food can have healing properties. It has a romantic subplot that I enjoyed as well. I’d recommend this book, if you’re in the right headspace for the topic. It also contains themes of healing and forgiveness, which I love.
March 8, 2015
Lizzy – a thirty-three-year-old gifted New York City chef who seems to have temporarily lost her magic in the kitchen. Her restaurant isn’t packed, her dishes aren’t as focused and vibrant, and her financial backer thinks she is distracted by events in her personal life.
Jane – Lizzy’s older sister. A mother of two, who, at the age of forty-one, is battling the very terrifying and unpredictable disease known as cancer. While Jane’s cancer isn’t aggressive and was diagnosed at an early stage it has created a vast amount of tension and upheaval to every aspect of her life.
Lizzy and Jane – sisters who lost their mother to cancer fifteen years ago and still have emotional scars that have not yet healed. Jane left home at eighteen and never came to visit while their mom was sick. Lizzy, feeling abandoned by her sister, left home as well and the two now have a very distant and cold relationship full of unresolved issues and pain. But due to the situations in both their lives they are brought together for an extended visit…
With Dear Mr. Knightley, we’ve seen how skilled story-teller, Katherine Reay, can take a very serious and difficult situation like growing up in the foster system, and pen a heartfelt and honest story full of challenge, growth, and realism. She does the same with Lizzy and Jane. Cancer and overcoming fear and grief are very tough and sometimes off-putting subjects, but blended with Ms. Reay’s thoughtful and sensitive prose and accessible characters, these subjects are more inspiring and uplifting than they are depressing and dark.
As with Dear Mr. Knightley, my favorite part of the story was witnessing the main character’s emotional journey and growth. Their mother’s death affected Lizzy and Jane in so many ways; they lost a lot more than their mother when she died. I especially enjoyed Lizzy’s journey to find herself and discover what she was missing. When Lizzy traveled to Seattle to visit her family, she was hoping to solve her problems with cooking and find her magic again, but she ended up learning so much more, she ended up finding love, family, forgiveness, and a life.
It was so easy to fall in love with the characters in this story – my heart was engaged by each and every one of them and I thoroughly enjoyed observing how they grew closer together. Besides her relationship with Jane, I enjoyed seeing Lizzy’s interactions and friendships with Nick, a single father who feels guilty about a past mistake, and Cecilia, a nurse at the infusion center with so much heart and spirit. I enjoyed how so many characters connected to each other through Jane Austen and other authors; and I loved how Jane Austen was so full of meaning and history to both Lizzy and Jane (there are plenty of fun nods to Jane Austen for readers to discover!) And the food references and descriptions were so delectably tempting! Whether it was food Lizzy was preparing, eating at a restaurant, or purchasing at a market – my senses were tingling with all the fresh, vivid, and tantalizing ingredients described. (I think I may have learned a cooking trick or two, as well!) And while I loved how this tale integrated so many diverse elements, I did sometimes find myself wanting a little more attention and page time devoted to certain aspects of the story.
Profound, perceptive, and poignant – Katherine Reay once again delivers a story that will pull at your heartstrings, make your eyes well up with tears, and in this case, give you plenty of food for thought! An incredible read!
Jane – Lizzy’s older sister. A mother of two, who, at the age of forty-one, is battling the very terrifying and unpredictable disease known as cancer. While Jane’s cancer isn’t aggressive and was diagnosed at an early stage it has created a vast amount of tension and upheaval to every aspect of her life.
Lizzy and Jane – sisters who lost their mother to cancer fifteen years ago and still have emotional scars that have not yet healed. Jane left home at eighteen and never came to visit while their mom was sick. Lizzy, feeling abandoned by her sister, left home as well and the two now have a very distant and cold relationship full of unresolved issues and pain. But due to the situations in both their lives they are brought together for an extended visit…
With Dear Mr. Knightley, we’ve seen how skilled story-teller, Katherine Reay, can take a very serious and difficult situation like growing up in the foster system, and pen a heartfelt and honest story full of challenge, growth, and realism. She does the same with Lizzy and Jane. Cancer and overcoming fear and grief are very tough and sometimes off-putting subjects, but blended with Ms. Reay’s thoughtful and sensitive prose and accessible characters, these subjects are more inspiring and uplifting than they are depressing and dark.
As with Dear Mr. Knightley, my favorite part of the story was witnessing the main character’s emotional journey and growth. Their mother’s death affected Lizzy and Jane in so many ways; they lost a lot more than their mother when she died. I especially enjoyed Lizzy’s journey to find herself and discover what she was missing. When Lizzy traveled to Seattle to visit her family, she was hoping to solve her problems with cooking and find her magic again, but she ended up learning so much more, she ended up finding love, family, forgiveness, and a life.
It was so easy to fall in love with the characters in this story – my heart was engaged by each and every one of them and I thoroughly enjoyed observing how they grew closer together. Besides her relationship with Jane, I enjoyed seeing Lizzy’s interactions and friendships with Nick, a single father who feels guilty about a past mistake, and Cecilia, a nurse at the infusion center with so much heart and spirit. I enjoyed how so many characters connected to each other through Jane Austen and other authors; and I loved how Jane Austen was so full of meaning and history to both Lizzy and Jane (there are plenty of fun nods to Jane Austen for readers to discover!) And the food references and descriptions were so delectably tempting! Whether it was food Lizzy was preparing, eating at a restaurant, or purchasing at a market – my senses were tingling with all the fresh, vivid, and tantalizing ingredients described. (I think I may have learned a cooking trick or two, as well!) And while I loved how this tale integrated so many diverse elements, I did sometimes find myself wanting a little more attention and page time devoted to certain aspects of the story.
Profound, perceptive, and poignant – Katherine Reay once again delivers a story that will pull at your heartstrings, make your eyes well up with tears, and in this case, give you plenty of food for thought! An incredible read!
December 23, 2014
This review originally appeared on Austenprose: http://austenprose.com/2014/11/24/liz...
Anyone with siblings can tell you how tumultuous of a relationship you can have with them. There are times where you love them to death for being a shoulder to cry on or a voice of reason. Then there are the times where they think they know everything and refuse to see you as your own individual. Katherine Reay explores the complex relationship of two sisters undergoing some intense situations in both their personal and professional lives in Lizzy and Jane.
After losing her mom to cancer, Lizzy cannot deal with the emotional burden and leaves home. She turns her anguish into a relentless energy to create in the kitchen, and works endlessly to become a respected chef. Eventually Lizzy becomes the owner of a swanky New York City restaurant, Feast. After a good amount of success, she begins to lose some of her earlier skills and the restaurant begins to falter. Paul, the restaurant’s financial backer, brings another chef in to fix this, and Lizzy does what she does best—runs away. Unfortunately she runs into another cancer diagnosis, and this time it’s her sister, Jane. Lizzy decides to finally stand her ground and deal with this new blow, and as she tends to her family she finds her abilities to create amazing foods return to her. Now, Paul attempts to woo her back to New York, but how will she react to this now that old hurts with Jane are healed?
Having a sister myself I immediately connected with this book; Lizzy and Jane’s journeys were deeply relatable for me. Due to the circumstances of their adolescence, Lizzy feels like her role is being a caretaker and a tasker. She knows what makes her tick as a professional, but lets her personal life derail her. Her sister’s cancer diagnosis as well as all of the unresolved anger that exists between the two over their mother’s death continuously eats away at her. As a person who lives her life putting her feelings and emotions into her profession, this doesn’t make for a good recipe for Lizzy’s future in the restaurant.
Jane on the other hand has an overwhelming amount of guilt and fear ruling her life. Her cancer diagnosis has made her think of her mother and the unsettled issues that stem from her death. She’s let it eat away at her marriage and the relationship she has with her children. In the end, Lizzy and Jane both exist in these self-created worlds of isolation. Their only hope to is help one other heal and in the process learn how to allow others in.
I cannot express in words how much I truly loved this book. Reay’s writing is incredibly touching and well-developed. To see how alike Lizzy and Jane were to each other and how blind they were to the parallels was astonishing. But I guess that’s life, right? We don’t always see how we’re the same as others. We all strive to be individuals, but sometimes the best way to heal is to connect with someone on a level of similarity.
Lizzy and Jane is a tale of great individual growth and familial healing that will move your heart and soul. With themes of love, family, and the power of forgiveness, this is the perfect read for the holidays.
Anyone with siblings can tell you how tumultuous of a relationship you can have with them. There are times where you love them to death for being a shoulder to cry on or a voice of reason. Then there are the times where they think they know everything and refuse to see you as your own individual. Katherine Reay explores the complex relationship of two sisters undergoing some intense situations in both their personal and professional lives in Lizzy and Jane.
After losing her mom to cancer, Lizzy cannot deal with the emotional burden and leaves home. She turns her anguish into a relentless energy to create in the kitchen, and works endlessly to become a respected chef. Eventually Lizzy becomes the owner of a swanky New York City restaurant, Feast. After a good amount of success, she begins to lose some of her earlier skills and the restaurant begins to falter. Paul, the restaurant’s financial backer, brings another chef in to fix this, and Lizzy does what she does best—runs away. Unfortunately she runs into another cancer diagnosis, and this time it’s her sister, Jane. Lizzy decides to finally stand her ground and deal with this new blow, and as she tends to her family she finds her abilities to create amazing foods return to her. Now, Paul attempts to woo her back to New York, but how will she react to this now that old hurts with Jane are healed?
Having a sister myself I immediately connected with this book; Lizzy and Jane’s journeys were deeply relatable for me. Due to the circumstances of their adolescence, Lizzy feels like her role is being a caretaker and a tasker. She knows what makes her tick as a professional, but lets her personal life derail her. Her sister’s cancer diagnosis as well as all of the unresolved anger that exists between the two over their mother’s death continuously eats away at her. As a person who lives her life putting her feelings and emotions into her profession, this doesn’t make for a good recipe for Lizzy’s future in the restaurant.
Jane on the other hand has an overwhelming amount of guilt and fear ruling her life. Her cancer diagnosis has made her think of her mother and the unsettled issues that stem from her death. She’s let it eat away at her marriage and the relationship she has with her children. In the end, Lizzy and Jane both exist in these self-created worlds of isolation. Their only hope to is help one other heal and in the process learn how to allow others in.
I cannot express in words how much I truly loved this book. Reay’s writing is incredibly touching and well-developed. To see how alike Lizzy and Jane were to each other and how blind they were to the parallels was astonishing. But I guess that’s life, right? We don’t always see how we’re the same as others. We all strive to be individuals, but sometimes the best way to heal is to connect with someone on a level of similarity.
Lizzy and Jane is a tale of great individual growth and familial healing that will move your heart and soul. With themes of love, family, and the power of forgiveness, this is the perfect read for the holidays.
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