Timeless heroine solutions for a well-nourished life
Review of "Eat Like a Heroine" by Lorilee Craker and Jenny Williams.
Eat Like a Heroine: Nourish and Flourish with Bookish Stars, from Anne of Green Gables to Zora Neale Hurston
Lorilee Craker and Jenny Williams
End Game Press, 2024.
In their delightful, humour-packed book geared to female readers, literary enthusiasts and food connoisseurs Lorilee Craker and Jenny Williams invite heroines to join them “around the (metaphorical) table for a feast for the soul where kindred spirits gather and there is room for everyone. . . . Experience your favorite books, characters and authors in an entirely new and relishable way.”
Craker and Williams realize that readers might wonder why they should even consider eating like classic authors and heroines. The authors point out that both “can teach us everything about improving the quality of our lives through the food we cook, eat, serve and share with others.”
The authors enlighten their audience with “eleven elevations,” means by which readers can improve how they approach food within the contexts of community and their individual lives. Subjects include providing comfort through food, offering informal and formal hospitality, creating a cozy atmosphere with food, bonding with one’s heritage through food, eating local food and more.
In each chapter, the authors cleverly tie the past to the present by addressing a current problem and offering “timeless and savvy heroine solutions for a more openhearted, compassionate and well-nourished life.” For example, in the chapter on picnicking like a heroine, the authors address the problem that readers might have negative perceptions of this outdoor activity: “You think of picnics as drab and joyless affairs. You may think picnicking is for other people, not you.” The heroine solution? “Eating outside on the ground is the lost art our grownup social lives are missing: it’s playful, far less intimidating than a dinner party, and allows us to see our friends (and dare we say, the world?) in an entirely different light. Thankfully, our heroines teach us how to REVEL joyfully in picnics, from modest and simple to more elaborate.”
Eat Like a Heroine is a feast of funny literary food-related foibles and catastrophes, as well as a banquet of delectable dishes and hosting events that shimmer and shine with success. It would make a lovely gift for a literary loved one – or a treat for yourself. One need not have read all the classics that the authors draw from to enjoy the book, though, of course, it is beneficial to know the narratives. Each chapter includes the insights and food-related adventures of one heroine, insights from other heroines and a recipe connected to the theme. Whimsical illustrations put the finishing touch on a marvelous reading journey which masterfully meshes literature and food to add some warmth to your bookshelf and kitchen table.
