It was the title of this debute novel by Mary Simses that made me want to read it. The last seven days were the coldest one this winter and to be frank, even though I love winter and snow, I started missing summer.
The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe
reminded me of warmth, sun and of course, blueberries. It reminded me of hot, lazy days we spend eating ice cream and drinking lemonade.
Is there a better reason to read the book than to travel to some other place or some other time?
Not for me, there's not.
So let's travel together.
Ellen Branford is a high-powered Manhattan attorney, traveling to Beacon, Maine, to deliver the last letter her late grandmother has ever written.
A long time ago, her grandmother has left her hometown and with it, the man she loved. She left behind her plans and the dream they shared together. For more than sixty years, she never looked back.
Didn't she?
And with her last breath, Ruth asks her beloved granddaughter to take her letter to Chet Cummings.
Once in Beacon, while looking for Chet, Ellen will find more than she could have ever hope for.
Her adventure will make her question everything she thought she knew - who she was, what she did and wanted to do and, most importantly, who she loved.
If one would like to find a perfect place for a vacation, it would be in Beacon, Maine. Imagine a small city, friendly people, and endless blueberry fields. Imagine blueberry pies, muffins, and ice cream. Imagine a few days away from a busy city, someplace where there are no traffic jams and one can walk your way to the beach, just think and watch the sunset. Imagine a simpler life.
This is exactly what this novel is trying to show us. After coming to Beacon, Ellen finds herself in the series of situations that show her how little she actually knew about her grandmother, but while exploring everything there is about her grandmother's life, she starts to understand she herself too started to change.
The successful attorney realizes that living in the small town isn't actually that bad, and she could quite easily fit in.
And that, precisely, is the problem. Because Ellen has build a life for herself someplace else. She has a good job, is soon to be married to a great man and live a life she always has imagined.
But did she really?
Once in Beacon, while exploring the city with a mysterious man that has saved her life, Ellen starts to feel drawn to turn her back to everything she ever wanted and to go chase after another, entirely new an unexpected dream.
Because, is there anything worse than to live a life wondering about making the wrong choice?
If only she knew what the right choice was. But if she did, life wouldn't be as half as fun as it is.
This story is about courage, about facing a simple fact that people change. We are the result of everything we have been through, we learn and grow and let go of old habits and sometimes even old dreams. We make place for new people, new experiences and new decisions. Life is a scary thing we all have to deal with. But it's also a beautiful adventure.
This sweet story made me think about how there the times when everything changes. It made me want to welcome those time with a smile on my face.
Here you can find this review in Croatian.
