Synopses & Reviews
When Suzan Colón was laid off from her dream job at a national magazine, she needed to cut her budget, and fast. That meant dusting off her grandmother Matilda’s old recipe folder and learning how to cook cheaply and simply. But Suzan found more than just amazing recipes—she found a new appreciation for the strong women in her family and the key to their survival through hard times.
Full of heart, Cherries in Winter is an irresistible gem of a book. It makes you want to cook, it makes you want to know your own family's stories, and, above all, it makes you feel rich no matter what.
Synopsis
An irresistible gem of a book that shows us that "when poverty looms, your best weapon may be a well-nourished soul" (People).
When Suzan Col n was laid off from her dream job at a national magazine, she needed to cut her budget, and fast. That meant dusting off her grandmother Matilda's old recipe folder and learning how to cook cheaply and simply. But Suzan found more than just amazing recipes--she found a new appreciation for the strong women in her family and the key to their survival through hard times.
Full of heart, Cherries in Winter makes you want to cook, it makes you want to know your own family's stories, and, above all, it makes you feel rich no matter what.
Synopsis
In a tattered treasure full of handwritten and meticulously typed recipes and peppered with her grandmother Matilda's commentary in the margins, Coln finds recipes for "sturdy food" and begins uncovering the stories of her resilient family's past.
About the Author
[insert author photo]
Suzan Colón is a contributing writer and editor for O, The Oprah Magazine. Her articles have appeared in Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, Rolling Stone, Details, and other magazines. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Nathan.
www.suzancolon.net
www.doubleday.com
From the Hardcover edition.
Reading Group Guide
The questions for discussion and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading group's discussion of Cherries in Winter, Suzan Colón's inspirational memoir about three generations of women who find solace in the comfort of their kitchens when hard times hit.
1. Do you remember your grandmother, mother, or another family member cooking for you? What was that person's signature dish? Is there one meal or dish that has been passed down through the generations in your family?
2. Suzan has strong emotional connections to food. What foods bring back pivotal moments in your life?
3. Suzan's family has a motto that describes how they get through difficult times—"Put up soup." Do you or your family have a similar motto? If so, does that saying have a different resonance for you today than it did when you were growing up?
4. How has your family handle adversity? What did that experience teach you about dealing with challenging issues and times?
5. What examples in the book show that good things can come from tough times? Have you found this to be true?
6. There are a lot of emotions tangled up in money. For example, do you think Matilde, Suzan's great-great-grandmother, was being irresponsible when she spent her family's food money on vases, or do you feel that sometimes it's okay to splurge on something meaningful, even if it means going without for a while? How does this relate to America's credit card crisis?
7. What foods traditionally served in your family help you trace your origins?
8. In what way do you pass your family's stories down to your children and grandchildren? Do you have photo albums, recipe books, or a written history? If you pass the stories down orally, would you want to tape record them or be videotaped so that your family's history could be preserved for future generations?
9. There are plenty of songs written about overcoming adversity. If Suzan's life and Cherries in Winter were to have a soundtrack—what songs would be appropriate to add to its track list?
(For a complete list of available reading group guides, and to sign up for the Reading Group Center enewsletter, visit www.readinggroupcenter.com)