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Recipe for a Good Life
Globe & Mail bestselling Lesley Crewe's new novel follows a mystery author with writer's block from 1950s Montreal to rural Cape Breton, in search of much more than her next big story.
On paper, Kitty's life is perfect. She lives in Montreal, so vibrant in the 1950s; she married her childhood sweetheart, who happens to also be a handsome movie star; and her detective novels, written under a plausibly male nom de plume, are bestsellers. But Kitty is suffocating under the truth of her Montreal feels chaotic and lonely without her mother, and with her father all but estranged. Her husband is a glib Lothario. And she never, ever wants to write another detective novel. When she says as much to her publishers, they panic. She's their golden goose. And so they convince her to go on a writing retreat to a beautiful remote island, Cape Breton, where with solitude and a luxurious change of scenery, she'll be able to whip up her next book. At least, that was the plan.
Kitty arrives in Cape Breton to a leaky, drafty shack and a cast of characters unlike anyone she's ever met. There's Edith, who listens in on everyone's party line calls and never keeps good gossip to herself; generous Bertha and her enormous family...and Bertha's son, Wallace ― Walrus, to all his nieces and nephews. A gentle giant who always has half a dozen children hanging off him. Soon Kitty's writing retreat turns her life upside down, and she has to face which parts of her life are non-negotiable and which she must cut loose. Can she preserve what she loves in Montreal now that Cape Breton is calling? If she frees herself from the weight of her past, will she float away altogether?
From Globe and Mail--bestselling author Lesley Crewe comes a story of loneliness and belonging, and a love letter to the women who have always kept the kettles warm and the neighbours fed in rural Cape Breton.
On paper, Kitty's life is perfect. She lives in Montreal, so vibrant in the 1950s; she married her childhood sweetheart, who happens to also be a handsome movie star; and her detective novels, written under a plausibly male nom de plume, are bestsellers. But Kitty is suffocating under the truth of her Montreal feels chaotic and lonely without her mother, and with her father all but estranged. Her husband is a glib Lothario. And she never, ever wants to write another detective novel. When she says as much to her publishers, they panic. She's their golden goose. And so they convince her to go on a writing retreat to a beautiful remote island, Cape Breton, where with solitude and a luxurious change of scenery, she'll be able to whip up her next book. At least, that was the plan.
Kitty arrives in Cape Breton to a leaky, drafty shack and a cast of characters unlike anyone she's ever met. There's Edith, who listens in on everyone's party line calls and never keeps good gossip to herself; generous Bertha and her enormous family...and Bertha's son, Wallace ― Walrus, to all his nieces and nephews. A gentle giant who always has half a dozen children hanging off him. Soon Kitty's writing retreat turns her life upside down, and she has to face which parts of her life are non-negotiable and which she must cut loose. Can she preserve what she loves in Montreal now that Cape Breton is calling? If she frees herself from the weight of her past, will she float away altogether?
From Globe and Mail--bestselling author Lesley Crewe comes a story of loneliness and belonging, and a love letter to the women who have always kept the kettles warm and the neighbours fed in rural Cape Breton.
408 pages, Paperback
Published July 5, 2023
About the author
Lesley Crewe
20 books582 followersLesley grew up in Montreal, PQ. After graduating from Concordia University with a degree in English and Education, she and her hubby settled down in Homeville, Cape Breton and raised a family.
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
August 21, 2023
I'm homesick for these characters and this setting in the best possible way. I didn't want this book to end.
Recipe for a Good Life took me back to my childhood, and I visited with my own lost loved ones while also following the story of Kate and Wallace. That is the brilliance of Lesley Crewes' character development - they read so authentically that they become real and remind you of your own people.
Feel the need to slow down, hug a warm cup of tea, and chat with a kindred spirit? Then, pick up this novel!
Recipe for a Good Life took me back to my childhood, and I visited with my own lost loved ones while also following the story of Kate and Wallace. That is the brilliance of Lesley Crewes' character development - they read so authentically that they become real and remind you of your own people.
Feel the need to slow down, hug a warm cup of tea, and chat with a kindred spirit? Then, pick up this novel!
May 9, 2023
Lesley Crewe is so wonderful! This book made me desperately wish I lived in a cottage in Cape Breton with a group of sweet dogs. Loved this!
August 1, 2023
Recipe for a Good Life by Lesley Crewe
“Kitty, is it asking too much to have some peace? How did you know I was here? Can’t this wait?”
“I’m afraid not seeing as I’m about to have a breakdown and may never write again.”
Meet ‘Kitty’ AKA C.J. (Catriona) Faulkner-author of the bestselling ‘Harry Gunn novels. Set against the backdrop of 1955 Montreal, Kitty is having a crisis. Her husband, the handsome actor and leading man extraordinaire, is a mama’s boy, narcissist, and womanizer. On top of that she’s not talking to her father, the inspiration of her Harry Gunn novels. Gaynor, her editor and confidante, suggests that what Kitty needs is just a little holiday, a get-away to re-charge her batteries. Get out of the city and into the country. When Gaynor rents a house in Cape Breton for a couple months and convinces Kitty it’s a ‘writer’s retreat.’ Kitty takes her up on it. What Kitty doesn’t know is that her life is about to get a lot more interesting and a whole lot better!
With beautiful settings, and wonderful characters we fall in love with I didn’t want it to end. Absolutely loved it! My recipe for a good life is to read more Lesley Crewe! 5+ stars
“Kitty, is it asking too much to have some peace? How did you know I was here? Can’t this wait?”
“I’m afraid not seeing as I’m about to have a breakdown and may never write again.”
Meet ‘Kitty’ AKA C.J. (Catriona) Faulkner-author of the bestselling ‘Harry Gunn novels. Set against the backdrop of 1955 Montreal, Kitty is having a crisis. Her husband, the handsome actor and leading man extraordinaire, is a mama’s boy, narcissist, and womanizer. On top of that she’s not talking to her father, the inspiration of her Harry Gunn novels. Gaynor, her editor and confidante, suggests that what Kitty needs is just a little holiday, a get-away to re-charge her batteries. Get out of the city and into the country. When Gaynor rents a house in Cape Breton for a couple months and convinces Kitty it’s a ‘writer’s retreat.’ Kitty takes her up on it. What Kitty doesn’t know is that her life is about to get a lot more interesting and a whole lot better!
With beautiful settings, and wonderful characters we fall in love with I didn’t want it to end. Absolutely loved it! My recipe for a good life is to read more Lesley Crewe! 5+ stars
July 11, 2023
I love these characters so much. I don’t often read as steadily as I did this book but I just had to know how everyone was going to make out. Finished in just over a day and I can see me rereading this one just to spend time with these people again! Terrific family drama. I laughed and cried both and, as usual with a Lesley Crewe book, I thoroughly enjoyed. Easy to recommend. #indigoemployee
September 8, 2024
Oh my word.
I didn’t want to start this book because I didn’t want it to end. Like all of this author’s books, I fell in love with the characters, the storyline and the scenery. I felt like I was having tea with Bertha and Ethyl, I could taste the salt in the air, I could smell the baking.
I loved this story. I feel homesick for the new friends I made in this book, it was that good. I will reread it again and again.
I always want to thank this author for the books she writes. So proud that they are Canadian as well!
I didn’t want to start this book because I didn’t want it to end. Like all of this author’s books, I fell in love with the characters, the storyline and the scenery. I felt like I was having tea with Bertha and Ethyl, I could taste the salt in the air, I could smell the baking.
I loved this story. I feel homesick for the new friends I made in this book, it was that good. I will reread it again and again.
I always want to thank this author for the books she writes. So proud that they are Canadian as well!
July 29, 2023
Another amazing tale that wraps you in the characters like a warm blanket. The perfect summer read. I finished the book feeling like I made about 6 new friends. There is just so much heart in her writing that you just can’t not love her books. It was funny, warm, loving…just all of the feelings. Adored it!!!!
July 13, 2023
Review published in The Miramichi Reader July 10th- 2023.
https://miramichireader.ca/2023/07/re...
“Life is like a recipe. What do you want in your life cake? What ingredients do you need to make it rise and taste wonderful? Sometimes the simplest recipe is the best, because the more you add to the mix, the more things can go wrong.” pg 136
I had the immense pleasure of binge-reading Lesley Crewe’s latest and maybe even her best novel yet, Recipe for a Good Life. Set in 1955, it accurately depicts rural hospitality and cooperative community spirit.
Kitty Wagner aka C.J. Faulkner bestselling author of the Inspector Harry Gunn novels, has hit a creative brick wall. Her editor Gaynor and her husband Simon come up with a plan for Kitty to go on a writer’s retreat to Cape Breton for two months to recharge her batteries and get her creative juices flowing again with her publishing company Empire and Bloom picking up the tab.
With her famous actor husband on his way to New York for his next movie, 33-year-old Kitty and her dog Pip pack up and leave Montreal, crossing the brand new Canso Causeway on their way to the remote Cape Breton Island. When they arrive at their destination, it isn’t at all what they expected. The cabin, better described as a shack, is on a dirt road in the middle of the woods, it’s drafty, with a lumpy bed and no shower. It has a wood stove, a party line telephone, and wild animals that may mistake her small dog for lunch.
Within a short period of time Kitty discovers that despite the cabin appearing to be remote and isolated, she was far from being lonely like she was in Montreal. Shared meals with neighbours, the joy of children, happy conversations, and community gatherings, every day she spent in this rural community she was discovering what was missing in her life.
Lesley Crewe hits the nail on the head with her descriptions of life in rural communities with the speed and popularity of gossip and everyone knowing your business. But they also pull together to help one another and have lots of community fun. As with all of her novels, the cast of characters in this story are well-developed, with very unique personalities that you can’t help but fall in love with.
“Once they were sorted, Bertha, Jean, and Ruth sipped their tea and ate gingerbread cake heaped with whipped cream. “pg. 130
Warning: This story should also come with a “reader’s beware”: Do not read if you are trying to diet. Once finishing this tasty book you may also have the urge to bake some cookies for your neighbours.
“Food is her language of love. She keeps filling you up, in more ways than one.” pg 213
https://miramichireader.ca/2023/07/re...
“Life is like a recipe. What do you want in your life cake? What ingredients do you need to make it rise and taste wonderful? Sometimes the simplest recipe is the best, because the more you add to the mix, the more things can go wrong.” pg 136
I had the immense pleasure of binge-reading Lesley Crewe’s latest and maybe even her best novel yet, Recipe for a Good Life. Set in 1955, it accurately depicts rural hospitality and cooperative community spirit.
Kitty Wagner aka C.J. Faulkner bestselling author of the Inspector Harry Gunn novels, has hit a creative brick wall. Her editor Gaynor and her husband Simon come up with a plan for Kitty to go on a writer’s retreat to Cape Breton for two months to recharge her batteries and get her creative juices flowing again with her publishing company Empire and Bloom picking up the tab.
With her famous actor husband on his way to New York for his next movie, 33-year-old Kitty and her dog Pip pack up and leave Montreal, crossing the brand new Canso Causeway on their way to the remote Cape Breton Island. When they arrive at their destination, it isn’t at all what they expected. The cabin, better described as a shack, is on a dirt road in the middle of the woods, it’s drafty, with a lumpy bed and no shower. It has a wood stove, a party line telephone, and wild animals that may mistake her small dog for lunch.
Within a short period of time Kitty discovers that despite the cabin appearing to be remote and isolated, she was far from being lonely like she was in Montreal. Shared meals with neighbours, the joy of children, happy conversations, and community gatherings, every day she spent in this rural community she was discovering what was missing in her life.
Lesley Crewe hits the nail on the head with her descriptions of life in rural communities with the speed and popularity of gossip and everyone knowing your business. But they also pull together to help one another and have lots of community fun. As with all of her novels, the cast of characters in this story are well-developed, with very unique personalities that you can’t help but fall in love with.
“Once they were sorted, Bertha, Jean, and Ruth sipped their tea and ate gingerbread cake heaped with whipped cream. “pg. 130
Warning: This story should also come with a “reader’s beware”: Do not read if you are trying to diet. Once finishing this tasty book you may also have the urge to bake some cookies for your neighbours.
“Food is her language of love. She keeps filling you up, in more ways than one.” pg 213
August 22, 2023
Recipe for a Good Life by Lesley Crewe
Thank you to Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley for the ebook to read.
This is not the genre that I typically read, but I did enjoy it. A story of loneliness and finding the meaning of belonging and being loved when you least expect it. The characters of Cape Benton in Province of Nova Scotia, will snuggle in your heart and you won’t soon forget them. A light read that I found I couldn’t put down. I’ve never read anything by Lesley Crewe before and will look at other books she has written.
Thank you to Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley for the ebook to read.
This is not the genre that I typically read, but I did enjoy it. A story of loneliness and finding the meaning of belonging and being loved when you least expect it. The characters of Cape Benton in Province of Nova Scotia, will snuggle in your heart and you won’t soon forget them. A light read that I found I couldn’t put down. I’ve never read anything by Lesley Crewe before and will look at other books she has written.
April 18, 2024
Everytime I finish a Lesley Crewe book I want to give it a hug and say thank you for the story. This book is no different. I already miss the characters they came to life with each page. An incredible story of the women of cape breton. 👏
September 7, 2023
Crewe’s novel are infused with warmth, love and humour and Recipe for a Good Life has these heart-warming qualities and more. Kitty is a successful mystery writer living in Montreal. One day she meets with her editor and declares that she is finished with writing. Not wanting to lose one of their most popular writers, the editor and publisher suggest a writer’s retreat in Cape Breton. They rent a house for her for 3 months. Kitty packs up her car and she and her dog head for the wilds of mid-1950s CB. Here she finds the joys of family, friends and a special friend. A tad too long, this is a wonderful pick-me-up.
October 11, 2023
Excellent feel good book!
November 17, 2023
Ooh, a new-to-me Canadian author to stalk! Fortunately there’s lots of stalking opportunity since Lesley Crewe has published 13 novels and 2 essay collections.
This book is wonderful. I want to meet the characters in person; I’d swear they are real. The plot resolution is perfection. The humour is spot-on. And the food? Don’t read if you are dieting. It won’t end well.
This book is wonderful. I want to meet the characters in person; I’d swear they are real. The plot resolution is perfection. The humour is spot-on. And the food? Don’t read if you are dieting. It won’t end well.
June 23, 2024
Nice, light, entertaining read with Montreal added to the mix!
May 18, 2024
Not quite the magic of The Spoon Stealer. However, worth reading in its own right; lovely characters and the transformation of a young woman in the 1950’s Montreal. She lives a “status quo” life but an expected trip to Cape Breton Island has her take a second look. After living a beautiful country life she finds her footing and devises the life that works for her.
September 9, 2023
This is such a sweet story! Very heart-warming.
March 26, 2024
When a popular author has hit a wall, and is considering a career change her publisher feels it is time for a getaway. Kitty is in need of a break from her husband, mother in law and her work. She heads off to Cape Breton, from Montreal where things are much different.
She meets so many different characters when she arrives, and faces living in a country home far from what she normally experiences. While she is in Cape Breton she learns so much about family , community , makes some true friendships, and helps her to remember whats important in life.
Highly recommend. This was such a great comfort read. I caught myself grinning my way through it as I read. Brought me so many laughs and much love for the people of Cape Breton. Having been born in NFLD and going to university in Nova Scotia - Cape Breton is so dear to my heart. If you need a reminder that there are good people in the world - pick this one up.
She meets so many different characters when she arrives, and faces living in a country home far from what she normally experiences. While she is in Cape Breton she learns so much about family , community , makes some true friendships, and helps her to remember whats important in life.
Highly recommend. This was such a great comfort read. I caught myself grinning my way through it as I read. Brought me so many laughs and much love for the people of Cape Breton. Having been born in NFLD and going to university in Nova Scotia - Cape Breton is so dear to my heart. If you need a reminder that there are good people in the world - pick this one up.
September 11, 2023
Recipe for a Good Life is the second Lesley Crewe book I’ve read and I can say that she definitely has a knack for creating characters that are both relatable and loveable. I tried to think of what character in Recipe for a Good Life stood out the most but I couldn’t because every character is so real and well developed that you can’t help but love them all.
The plot is so well written you feel like you are there with Kitty and everyone in South Head, Cape Breton. The setting felt cozy and made me want to live there. I enjoyed every moment of it. Recipe for a Good Life was difficult for me to put down so you might want to find a cozy chair to curl up in and read Recipe for a Good Life in one sitting.
The plot is so well written you feel like you are there with Kitty and everyone in South Head, Cape Breton. The setting felt cozy and made me want to live there. I enjoyed every moment of it. Recipe for a Good Life was difficult for me to put down so you might want to find a cozy chair to curl up in and read Recipe for a Good Life in one sitting.
July 23, 2023
100 *s and more! I cannot begin to say how much I loved this book! For me, pure enjoyment from beginning to end which will stay with me for a long time to come. I thought The Spoon Stealer was the very best, but sadly, it must now drop to #2. And then there are all of Lesley Crewe's other wonderful books. She is truly a treasure who writes from her heart of things she loves and has lived.
I will update this review once I have digested it further, but I assure you it is all GOOD! You must read it if you want to know real, down-to-earth people. This is not a mystery, or a thriller, or any of those labels - it is a wonderful story, told as only Lesley Crewe can tell. ♥
I will update this review once I have digested it further, but I assure you it is all GOOD! You must read it if you want to know real, down-to-earth people. This is not a mystery, or a thriller, or any of those labels - it is a wonderful story, told as only Lesley Crewe can tell. ♥
August 6, 2023
Lesley Crewe always writes characters who are relatable especially to anyone living on the East Coast. She writes about life and and people and none of it is an exaggeration. Recipe For a Good Life is no exception. Her main character, Kitty, is a strong independent woman, maybe more of a 70’s woman than from 1955, but that doesn’t detract from the story. Incorporating two locations that are equally loved by Kitty and the dilemma of where she should stay is creatively solved in the end. Lesley’s descriptions of place and people are her best skills and part of the pleasure of reading her books. I rate 3 stars only because l can’t help compare to a couple of her books that I found more compelling.
August 15, 2023
Lesley Crewe has enchanted readers with her wit, charm, and humour once more with this gem of a novel. She gives us a cast of characters so vivid and loveable, you can’t help but root for them. Her storytelling feels effortless, pulling you along with it as it flows to the last page. And what a treat to have the magic of the maritimes so gracefully represented!
i truly enjoyed this book, devoured it in 6 hours cover to cover in one sitting.
i truly enjoyed this book, devoured it in 6 hours cover to cover in one sitting.
July 22, 2023
A new Canadian favourite. I loved every moment of this book. So funny and authentic. The people remaindered me of my own family in Northern Ontario...which is very similar to those in Cape Breton Island. I long to go back.
March 22, 2024
Loved, loved, loved, loved this book. I fell in love with all the characters (except Kitty’s dud of a husband of course). Adding this to my “must read again every few years stash”. I didn’t want the book to end and miss all the characters already. You have to read it!!
September 13, 2023
I loved this book, the characters and the story were so enjoyable and it was such an easy read!
September 30, 2023
I enjoyed this book but….I have liked other Lesley Crewe books more.
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
November 30, 2023
What a fun book! Couldn’t wait to pick it up and keep reading. Did not quite turn out the way I expected, which is a bonus.
February 1, 2024
Lesley Crewe has become one of my favourite authors, I always feel as though I’m wrapped in a warm hug whilst reading her books. I very much loved this book but I’m giving it 4.5 stars just because I’ve enjoyed her others a bit more (Spoon Stealer and Nosy Parker). There were a few parts in the book I wish were developed more and others I had already gotten the gist of.
I recommend this book as it is a feel good story with characters you will easily come to love.
I recommend this book as it is a feel good story with characters you will easily come to love.
April 1, 2024
Might just be my favourite book by her yet and that says a lot because I LOVED Amazing Grace and Nosy Parker!
August 1, 2024
Such a feel good book. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews