The Love Goddess' Cooking School

November 22, 2010
Senate (See Jane Date) serves up a delicious mix of wishes and memories with more than a dash of spice in her latest novel centered on healing and cooking. The story opens as Holly Maguire returns to her grandmother's home on Blue Crab Island in order to make sense of her life, loves, and gifts. Through rebuilding her grandmother's cooking school, Holly learns about events in the past that defined her family's role in local society and established her grandmother as a gifted fortune-teller. Themes of healing, love, and loss circle effortlessly to create mystery, magic, and authentic romance. Voices from Holly's past add gently complicating layers to the narrative and keep the story moving at a satisfying clip. Senate has a tender and humorous touch with her characters and a straightforward style that finds magic in the quotidian. "As she cut out her squares and stuffed each ravioli with the spinach and cheese, she checked the recipe for the final ingredient. A wish." Senate handles the hefty topics of loss and remembrances with lightness and respect and in so doing, redefines comfort food.