Love & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love

By Kim Fay

Book Overview

The Instant National Bestseller and #1 Indie Next Pick

For fans of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and 84, Charing Cross Road, this witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine.

Two strangers. One recipe. A friendship for the ages.

Creamy risotto alla Milanese. Mussels in a hot, buttery broth. Chicken spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Joan Bergstrom and Imogen Fortier understand the key to a savored life--delicious food. Young Joan is just discovering herself as a foodwriter in bustling Los Angeles, while experienced columnist Imogen is settled in her decades-long marriage on Camano Island outside Seattle. When Joan sends a fan letter to Imogen with an enclosed packet of saffron and a recipe, their journey of culinary exploration and soul-deep friendship begins. A long-lost flavor surfaces buried memories, and a quest to make carne asada opens the doors of a sheltered life. Into this beautiful, intimate world comes the ultimate test of their friendship, and of their belief that food and love can sustain us during our darkest hours.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593419359
• ISBN13: 9780593419359
• Release Date: February 2023
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Rich Story

I loved this story, gentle novel. The recipes included are genuine and delicious. The writing makes me long for the days gone by of letter writing and penpals. I smiles, giggled and cried as the two women shared their lives with each other via letters.

A beautiful book

It’s a short but very interesting and enriching. Recommed

4.5 stars

LOVE & SAFFRON by Kim Fay What a delicious treat this was! I adore epistolary novels and this was right up my alley. In 1962 Joan Bergstrom pens a fan letter to columnist Imogen “Immy” Fortier. Included in her letter is a sample of saffron which triggers a memory in Immy’s husband Francis. Thus begins a regular correspondence that develops into a friendship between the women. As Joan and Immy exchange letters, they share their hopes, fears, loves as well as their culinary experiments. I personally loved all the references to the food, history and culture in Los Angeles and Camano Island/PNW. It made the letters all the more realistic and relatable. Not to mention the dishes described and recipes included made me hungry! Imogen and Joan’s friendship is inspiring and heartwarming. I didn’t want their letters to end. Highly recommend if you enjoy epistolary writing, food and need something short and sweet to escape into. Side note: Excellent narration by Cassandra Campbell and Kimberley Farr. Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️