October 15, 2015
This debut novel is women's fiction with a Belgian twist, and includes tempting classic Belgian recipes. The Arnaud siblings--Magali (nickname Maggie), Colette, Jacqueline, and Art--are scattered across the world, living separate lives, until their father summons them to his home in Pennsylvania for Christmas. Busy dealing with the challenges of careers, spouses, children, or the lack of offspring, they reluctantly agree, but they'll have to overcome past hurts and sibling rivalries before finding any joy this Yuletide. VERDICT Defrise's characters are dealing with real and relatable issues, but they occasionally veer into being annoyingly self-absorbed and whiny. Readers will still want to see how the story plays out, though, and the heavenly descriptions of food, cooking, and Belgian culture give the novel extra appeal.
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