Cherries in Winter, Suzan Colon
Cherries in Winter, Suzan Colon
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Cherries in Winter
My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times

Author: Suzan Colon

Narrator: Suzan Colon

Unabridged: 3 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/03/2009


Synopsis

What is the secret to finding hope in hard times?

When Suzan Colón was laid off from her dream job at a magazine during the economic downturn of 2008, she needed to cut her budget way, way back, and that meant home cooking. Her mother suggested, “Why don’t you look in Nana’s recipe folder?” In the basement, Suzan found the tattered treasure, full of handwritten and meticulously typed recipes, peppered with her grandmother Matilda’s commentary in the margins. Reading it, Suzan realized she had found something more than a collection of recipes—she had found the key to her family’s survival through hard times.

Suzan began re-creating Matilda’s “sturdy food” recipes for baked pork chops and beef stew, and Aunt Nettie’s clam chowder made with clams dug up by Suzan’s grandfather Charlie in Long Island Sound. And she began uncovering the stories of her resilient family’s past. Taking inspiration from stylish, indomitable Matilda, who was the sole support of her family as a teenager during the Great Depression (and who always answered “How are you?” with “Fabulous, never better!”), and from dashing, twice-widowed Charlie, Suzan starts to approach her own crisis with a sense of wonder and gratitude. It turns out that the gift to survive and thrive through hard times had been bred in her bones all along.

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.

About The Author

Suzan Colón is a contributing writer and editor for O, The Oprah Magazine. Her articles have appeared in Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone, Details, and other magazines. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Nathan.www.suzancolon.net


Reviews

Goodreads review by JanB on January 10, 2010

A short little read about not just nourishing your body (recipes included) during uncertain economic times, but about nourishing your soul. It's a good reminder that there are many kinds of poverty and poverty of the spirit is the worst kind. The author's grandparents and mother knew how to make do......more

Goodreads review by Lynne on March 02, 2010

Among those hit hardest by the current recession are not the ones suffering the most economically. Sure, some have lost their jobs but their spouse remains employed and has health insurance. They are pursuing freelance opportunities. And even though some, such as magazine writer Suzan Colon, acknowl......more

Goodreads review by Jackie on October 18, 2009

This reads a little like sitting in the attic with your best friend going through a box of your great grandma's old recipes, filling her in on the stories that went along with the memories of those dishes. Puzzling over faded hand-writing and laughing at some of the ingredients that haven't seen a s......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on June 26, 2012

Cherries in Winter has as its subtitle, My family's recipe for hope in hard times. That should tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful book. As heartwarming a book as can be, reading this will make you feel like you can get through anything life throws at you. I began reading it go......more

Goodreads review by Sherri on December 07, 2009

I loved this book! Suzan Colon reaches deep into her heart--and her family's history--to find comfort after being laid off from her magazine job last year. It's touching, funny (laugh out loud in many places, truly), wise, upbeat and genuine without a hint of schmaltz. It's a great read before bed o......more


Quotes

Praise for Cherries in Winter:

"Cherries in Winter is a celebration of true wealth: love that sustains us through life's difficulties, and good food—especially in the form of recipes passed down through generations—that fortifies our bodies and souls."
     —Giulia Melucci, author of I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti
 
 
"This delightful book is as bracing, honest, and nourishing as the family recipes that serve as the trellis for Suzan Colon's wonderfully told story."
     —Alexander Lobrano, author of Hungry for Paris


"Delicious. Delectable. Truthful, funny, and poignant. Like a great recipe, Suzan Colón's Cherries in Winter is a keeper and a treat to share with those you love."
     —Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Big Stone Gap and Very Valentine


"Suzan Colón's wonderful book reminds me of M.F.K. Fisher's classic treatise on surviving in the kitchen during hard times, How to Cook a Wolf. Colón's warm, poignant, honest voice and down-home, mouth-watering recipes make me want to go over to her house for dinner immediately."
     —Kate Christensen, author of Trouble and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for The Great Man