25810609Title: Dinner with Edward

Author: Isabel Vincent

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Publication Date: May 2016

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction/Memoir

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

 

 

Synopsis can be found here.
I have received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Review:

Dinner with Edward should be savored slowly, carefully. Each chapter is like a little short story.

This book came at the perfect time for me. Right now, my whole life has changed and I find myself with slow days and not a lot of sleep, only able to digest reading in very short doses. Therefore, Dinner with Edward was the perfect reading for the last week.

Vincent recalls a time in her life when she was asked to look in on her friend Valerie’s father, Edward. Edward had just lost his wife Paula and found himself adrift. Isabel Vincent was going through a similar crisis; her family was breaking apart and she had no way to fix herself.

So begins a charming and heartwarming friendship between two people who teach each other so much over delicious dinners and lush wine. As Edward recalls his lovely wife and the life they made, Vincent tries to come to terms with her new circumstances and hopes to make changes in her own.

The stories are sweet and bitter. Edward’s sorrow is palpable and Vincent’s feelings of loss are well written. It’s easy to sympathize with these two people, but this story is more about life and finding meaning again. It’s a short book, but full of emotion and warmth. There is a bit of repetition in each chapter which made it perfect for me in my short reading bursts. Every chapter acted like a story to be read individually, so I wasn’t bothered by it.

Overall, Dinner with Edward is charming. It came at the perfect time for me. And made me appreciate my own Edward in my life.

Though he doesn’t cook. Maybe I’ll lend him this book. 😉

Rating 6