An Imperfection in the Kitchen Floor: A Novel

by Heather Greenleaf

Two women who, living one hundred years apart, face similar sacrifices to make the life they deserve in this perfectly moving debut novel.   With the unexpected news of her pregnancy, Molly’s suddenly responsible husband Corey persuades her to leave her job as a sous chef in a bustling Washington, DC, restaurant and move to an old-fashioned, run-down house in small-town Pennsylvania. Stuck with a colicky newborn and a husband who loves the creaky steps, old décor, and even the broken tiles in the kitchen, Molly finds herself trapped in a life that only Corey wants—but is too busy working to enjoy.   A century earlier, the same house was home to adventurous Tish, the middle daughter of the Hess family, who yearns to leave the family delicatessen behind to travel west and paint sweeping mountain landscapes. When Tish meets Ellis, a wanderer from California, their romance carries them through World War I, but cannot survive his return to civilian life and a train crash that claims the life of many aboard. Tied by tragedy to the delicatessen, Tish must forfeit everything for her family.   After so much sacrifice, how can two women living a hundred years apart find happiness in the present, while living a life they would never choose for themselves?

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2018

Reviews

[Bamboozlepig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, sweet little story that was a good change from all the "why the fuck did I check THIS book out?" novels that I've plagued myself with recently. Molly's story is set in current time and Tish's story is set around WWI. The transitions between the two narrators was smoothly done. Greenleaf has a solid writing style that doesn't overdo the descriptors, but gives enough details to set the scenes well for readers. Historical aspects were spot on and the characters were interesting...sometimes in a dual-narration novel, one character doesn't "come through" as well as the other one, but this time both Molly and Tish were engaging and likeable.

[Guenevere Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Imperfection in the Kitchen Floor is a novel about one house, and the two women who live in it a century apart. One, a modern woman who feels that she is failing as a mother, and can't get comfortable living in the shadow of the house's former owner. The other, a young girl who dreams of living a life of adventures and love, but is constantly forced to face the stark realities of the 1910s.

This was a really moving and beautiful book that sucked me in as soon as I started reading. I loved seeing a character like Molly, who genuinely loves her baby, but is having such a difficult time. The stress and helplessness she felt is something a lot of mothers must go through, but are always made to feel guilty if they admit it. And Tish was someone I felt I could really relate to, as someone with a big imagination who loved to travel when I was younger.

Heather Greenleaf's prose is so clear, I felt like I could really picture not only the house, but both versions of Willow Grove vividly. The 1910s version was particularly enchanting; I loved the real historical details that Greenleaf added. She also did an amazing job describing the food. I felt hungry the entire time I was reading. Everything sounded so delicious - even some of the weirder recipes Molly finds while rummaging through the old house.

This is a great book about our ties not only to our families, but the places we live.

[Jackie Robins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I loved the pace, the writing, and the two main characters in this book. The story is told from the point of view of two women living in the same house 100 years apart- Tish grows up in Willow Grove around WWI and Molly who is married to Tish‘s nephew, Corey. When Tish passes away, she leaves the house to Corey who decides that moving into the house with pregnant Molly is the perfect place to raise their family. The writing was very captivating and captured a lot of the confusion and exhaustion and that comes with being a new mother in a new place when you don’t have friends or family around. The writer also captured the sense of obligation towards family and difficult life choices.
However, I felt like some of the characters fell flat for me. In particular, Molly‘s father. I also felt like Molly‘s story was wrapped up a little too neatly, but without an explanation of how we arrived there. I don’t want to spoil but I felt like we got from point A to point Z without the journey. I feel like I’m missing a few chapters. I would’ve liked to have seen a little more time devoted to that part of the story because the rest was so emotional.

[Lisa Rosan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put this book down when I started reading it. The characters are very well developed and their stories are intertwined with great descriptive language and emotion. My only complaint is that I wished it kept going! The ending felt a little abrupt and I wanted to keep reading and hearing Molly and Tish’s stories. What an enjoyable journey and a great debut novel!

[Michele Angello · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tender story of love and loss, Heather Greenleaf captures the challenges of motherhood, young love and family loyalty in this debut novel. The Imperfection in the Kitchen Floor is a heartfelt tale spanning two generations of a family in a Victorian house that also becomes a strong contributing character to the story. A warm and soulful read.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, especially due to the local references since I’ve lived in the Willow Grove area for 30 years. In fact, I often walk past the very spot of the SEPTA train accident (which is now part of the pennypack trail).

It was well written, a nice summer read.

[Mary-K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! love how the author weaved the two stories together!