The Christmas Cookie Club

August 31, 2009
Memoirist Pearlman (Infidelity
) tries her hand at fiction in this uneven tale of female bonding. Each December, a dozen Ann Arbor, Mich., women gather with 13 dozen cookies (one for each “cookie bitch” plus one to donate to charity), and while group members come and go, there is one constant: cookies are exchanged and sisterhood is celebrated. This year, Marnie’s hosting the shindig, and she muses about other club members and their problems—from domestic issues to the effects of the recession. Although a few of the club’s members are believable enough, none receives enough narrative attention to leave a lasting impression. Though the idea of celebrating these bonds of friendship through dessert is admirable, the execution is lacking.

December 21, 2009
Complete with an enhanced CD featuring real cookie recipes, Pearlman's effort tries hard not to be that lump of coal that it really is. A group of women dubbing themselves “The Christmas Cookie Club” gather together each holiday season to share new recipes, drink countless bottles of wine, and trade gossip. Zackman delivers a competent but overly sappy reading that does little to ameliorate the cliché-ridden material. An Atria hardcover.