Claire Doheney, recovering from a serious illness, agrees to house-sit an oceanfront mansion on Chappaquiddick Island in Martha's Vineyard. The New Yorker book editor hopes to find solace, strength, and sufficient calm to finish a biography of the iconoclastic psychotherapist Wilhelm Reich. The last thing she expects to find is love. Then she meets a mysterious man the locals call the Hermit. No one knows his real name or where he lives. Quite by accident and to their mutual surprise, Claire and the stranger discover that they share a passion for cooking. As Claire gets to know the Hermit, she finds rare qualities in a man most people have long since dismissed as an outcast. As Claire comes to appreciate this tiny island, with its colorful inhabitants, she experiences healing, redemption, and a happiness she hasn't known for years … until she discovers what drove the Hermit into seclusion. Will his terrible secret bring them closer together? Or drive them apart forever? The clock is ticking. Can Claire make peace with her disaffected daughter, callous ex-husband, and cynical boss? Can she let love into her life once more before it's too late? Told by a New York Times bestselling author and international TV host with a keen eye for Chappaquiddick's extraordinary natural beauty, Island Apart has it all—romance, history, travel, crime, lovemaking of exquisite intensity, and cooking scenes so vivid, they'll make your taste buds ache with hunger. Funny, tender, engaging, poignant, and ultimately triumphant, Steven Raichlen's novel is a smart love story—not to mention a terrific beach read.
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"Author Steven Raichlen offers a delicious slice of the pie that is Martha's Vineyard in "Island Apart". Both touching and tempting, with a poignant romance which celebrates the love of food and the fact that food is love, this book is a treat for the senses. Claire Doheney is a New York book editor whose life implodes with a series of devastating events--just as she learns she has breast cancer, her marriage ends through her husband's infidelity (which also cost him his career), and her relationship with her daughter disintegrates. Hoping to recover her health and equilibrium, Claire agrees to housesit a friend's estate on Chappaquiddick Island. Her plans are to finish her work on editing a biography of the famed psychotherapist, Wilhelm Reich, and to restore her peace of mind. She never expects that an accident will lead to her rescue by the island's most mysterious resident, "The Hermit". A culinary connection is made when Claire thanks The Hermit with a food gift, and he returns the gesture in kind. Thus begins a surprising, sweet and savory, succulent and satisfying love story between two wounded souls who deserve a second chance at happiness. The rich flavor of the writing comes not just from the food scenes, but also from the vivid depiction of the island itself, and from the joy to be found when you can share a true passion with another being. Food is not just a necessity for life, it is a sensory pleasure and a universal language. The area in which I live is full of antique shops, thrift stores, and second-hand shops–and there is always a treasure to be found! I collect books, cookbooks, and cookware, both old and new. I don’t really need more of any of those things, but reading and cooking are an essential part of my nature.
Review Copy Gratis Amazon Vine"
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Virginia (5 out of 5 stars)