Heaping Spoonful

by Shauna Glenn (Contributor)

Heaping Spoonful Will Make You Believe in the Power of Starting Over When Claire Hamilton lost her husband to cancer, her self-image shattered overnight. Once a happily married and financially secure mother of two, Claire suddenly finds herself a single parent trying to keep her small bakery running smoothly. While she manages to continue her daily duties as mom, boss, sister and daughter, Claire's anger and inability to move on have her emotionally crippled. Luckily for Claire, the people who love her refuse to stop pushing her to learn to really live-and love-again. Claire's family is impossible to Lucy, Claire's man-crazy younger sister and employee, prides herself on being blunt and brash, but amazingly loveable. Claire's father is an ex-high school principal who, though he is a great help with the business and his grandchildren, can still make her feel like a teenager. Claire's mother, a southern belle suffering from Alzheimer's, helps Claire most of all by providing her with a surprising gift from her own past. "Heaping Spoonful is a simple story overflowing with meaning. Claire is a brave, young woman-a lot braver than she gives herself credit for-who faces her fears and follows her heart, even when she is unsure where either will lead her. Shauna Glenn's ability to tell a story in a truly candid voice makes her characters as real as your next-door neighbor. Glenn is a lively, creative storyteller-and funny" -Jennifer Nice, San Francisco, California Publisher, Editor and Award-Winning Author "After reading the first three pages of Shauna Glenn's new book, Heaping Spoonful, I sent her a text message telling her I wanted to marry her writing. Glenn is a literary artist. She has an extraordinary way of taking you from the past to the present to develop her characters. From the opening scene, Glenn uses her magic to pull you into the complicated mind of the book's main character as she deals with the

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. I was sure she would marry Henry.

[Sondra Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew that it was about a woman who lost her husband (it says so on the back of the book) but I also knew, from reading Shauna’s blog and following her Twitter stream that she is a riot. So her book was going to be funny! A funny book about a widow dealing with the loss of her husband, right?

I had NO IDEA her book was going to bring me to tears over and over again.

Heaping Spoonful (recipes included)

I fell in love with Claire immediately. And then I couldn’t put the book down. Actually, I did, in between chapters, to wipe away my tears – and to send a Direct Message (DM) to Shauna – every few minutes – on Twitter, expressing my pure delight in the fact that her book was affecting me in such a way. I haven’t read a book from start to finish like that in a long time!

Usually, when I’m reading late at night, my eyes get tired and at some point the words start running into each other and I finally decide to close the book for the night. Other times, I get to a point in the story where I’m just not as invested as I would hope to be and I close the book, for good. I don’t like reading books that I can’t finish, but let’s face it, not every story appeals to every reader.

Shauna Glenn’s book appealed to me on so many levels that at some point I had to stop and think about how she had gotten inside my brain to steal my stories. Not like I lived Claire’s life, or vice versa, but the way she experienced grief and loss reminded me of the emotions I felt (and continue to feel) over the end of my marriage. Being a single mom, I get that too.

Dating and making a fool of yourself – Yep, been there!

For those of you who don’t want to know what happens in Heaping Spoonful, don’t read this next section…

I felt the pain and shock all over again of miscarriage along with Claire and the slap-in-the-face of being abandoned by the person she needed the most – at that time.

The part of the story that made me literally sit up and cry out was when Claire heard the story of how Henry met his fiance, Rebecca. Those who follow me will know my story and how I recently connected with my college crush, how we dated other people and set our feelings for each other aside until just last month (much like the story of Henry and Rebecca).

All of these little coincidences between the characters in Shauna’s book and my own life left me feeling even more convinced that people, books and relationships come into our lives for a reason – and at the perfect time.

I’m so pleased that Shauna Glenn – and her writing – came into my life. She has reached me in such a way that I know I have become a better writer, a more honest, forgiving, and a loving partner and friend and she has inspired me to put my own bittersweet experiences down on paper, finally.

If her writing could be summed up in one word it would be this – perfection.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon Shauna Glenn's blog recently and find her to be hilarious, so I was excited to read her first book. It's a quick and easy read, and I liked the main character, Claire, quite a bit. There were a few plot points that changed a bit abruptly for my liking, but beyond that it was a fun book. I'm anxious to try some of the recipes that were included and I also enjoyed the short stories at the end. I look forward to whatever Ms. Glenn comes out with next.

[Monika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaping Spoonful is an easy read and the characters are refreshingly real. Claire is down-deep angry over her husband's death and is struggling to keep her newly single-parent family and her small Dallas bakery afloat. It is full of honest writing and you can believe in the characters. Lucy (Claire's sister) is hysterical and a spin off book about her would be great!

[Margarette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of a woman who after losing her husband to cancer has to complete her day to day life as daughter, mother, sister, friend and still be able to find a love.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not love it but thought it was a very good try for a first published. I will get her second book when it comes out. I think this author may be going places.