Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
I didn't start this book until after Christmas and almost didn't read it because January had started and I wasn't sure I wanted a holiday book in the new year. I am so glad I did read it! I would not call this a holiday book. It is a beautiful love story told through letters. It doesn't happen at Christmas but they start with believing the war will be over by Christmas. That doesn't happen.
This book takes place during WW1 and is a series of letters between Evie and Tom and their loved ones. Will is Evie's brother and Tom's best friend. And while there are letters from Will, their friends and family, the majority of the letters are Evie and Tom. These letters start as friends but grow into more. Reflecting their hopes and dreams, their fears and worries and the news from their immediate surroundings. We learn how frustrated Evie is that she can't contribute to the war like she wants and of her dream to be a journalist. We learn of Wills exhaustion and fears of the war and his hopes for the future. We also see how worried he is about his father and his obligations to the family business.
I love an epistolary novel! There is a talent in bringing the reader along on the journey through letters. Each character must have their own clear voice in their correspondence. These authors did a great job! I was rooting for both Tom and Evie and the journeys they each took. I was just waiting for them to get together!
There is a small part of the book not written in letters. The authors include a jump forward to the 60's where we know Tom is in Paris for one last time. We don't know why or what has happened. This jump forward is included in bits throughout the book and wraps up the story. I understand why they did this so we could see what happened to the characters but i wasn't even sure it was needed.
I would give this book a solid 4.5 stars. I will hold on to this one and probably read it again. This one made me want to revisit a few of my favorite Epistolary novels so i have labeled this part 1. Stay tuned!
I decided to go with a Winter Ratatouille. They don't talk about Ratatouille but it is a french dish so i just went with it. I really started planning to make a traditional ratatouille which i have never made. I'm not a big eggplant fan so i was hesitant. But then i found this recipe! It was perfect.
https://tasty.co/recipe/fall-ratatouille
the changes I made were to the actual call out of squash and potatoes. I used what I had. I had a red potato, a yellow potato, some zucchini and a delicata squash. I just improvised and used what was in the kitchen. It turns out sooooo good. Pure comfort food. I swear I will eventually try a traditional ratatouille but for now, this one was perfect! Oh, I forgot to mention that i watched the movie Ratatouille while making it! Super cute but there is something kind of weird about a rat in the kitchen 😀
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