Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

LOVE & SAFFRON by Kim Fay is a unique novel that explores a deepening friendship through letters.  The correspondents are Joan Bergstrom, an unmarried, kind-hearted 27-year-old from Los Angeles and Imogen Fortier, an older, married woman who lives in Washington state. They initially bond over food; Mrs. Fortier crafts a column which Joan reads and then sends a gift of saffron spice to convey her gratefulness. Over time, the two become close confidantes (Joan and Immy) who encourage each other and share stories, hopes, and fears about illness and life’s many unexpected changes. I especially liked the philosophical musings (“To think we are made up of so many different layers, and we may never meet all of them before the big sleep” or “The less we cement ourselves to our certainties, the fuller our lives can be”). Plus, the novel is set in the early 1960s and the casual historical references (e.g., Warren Magnuson, Scoop Jackson, author Phyllis Whitney) were so much added fun. Kirkus summarizes reader reaction well: “The story leaves the reader wanting more—more recipes, more letters, more time in the gentle, unfolding friendship of these two women.”

WITH LOVE FROM LONDON by New York Times best-selling author Sarah Jio is described by the publisher as “a story about healing and loss, revealing the emotional, relatable truths about love, family, and forgiveness.” Recently divorced Val is the main character and she heads to London to take over the flat and bookshop which she just inherited from Eloise, her estranged mother. Mystery, romance, London and books … sounds great, but I struggled to keep the characters and time frames (2013 and 1968) straight. Do consider this title if you have patience and are looking for a lighter, escapist read. After Jio references Maeve Binchy (“her cozy stories were a much-needed life raft”), she speaks to readers about her own work “wherever you are, and wherever life may take you, I hope you find reading this story to be as comforting as it has been for me to write.”  WITH LOVE FROM LONDON received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.