The Townsend family recipe for disaster
Description
From the acclaimed author of The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks and Must Love Books comes a heartfelt bookclub read following one woman's journey to reconnect with her estranged Black family in the south, just as it's on the brink of falling apart, perfect for fans of The Chicken Sisters and The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel.
One estranged family. One lost recipe. One last barbecue on the line. Mae is about to learn what happens when things go south…
Mae Townsend has always dreamed of connecting with her estranged Black family in the South. She grew up picturing relatives who looked like her, crowded dinner tables, bustling kitchens. And, of course, the Townsend family barbecue, the tradition that kept her late father flying to North Carolina year after year, despite the mysterious rift that always required her to stay behind.
But as Mae's wedding draws closer, promising a future of always standing out among her white in-laws, suddenly not knowing the Townsends hits her like a blow. So when news arrives that her paternal grandmother has passed, she decides it's time to head South.
What she finds is a family in turmoil, a long-standing grudge intact, a lost mac & cheese recipe causing grief, and a family barbecue on the brink of disaster. Not willing to let her dreams of family slip away, Mae steps up to throw a barbecue everyone will remember.
For better or for worse.
More Details
9781728268705
9781728268682
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Published Reviews
Booklist Review
Mae Townsend barely knows her father's side of the family, so she travels to North Carolina when she receives news that her paternal grandmother has died. Every year, Mae's father returned to his hometown for the annual July 4th barbecue, and, in an attempt to bond with the Townsends, Mae offers to host the barbecue and figure out Althea's secret macaroni-and-cheese recipe. But Mae is unaware of the significance of the event thanks to a family secret, and she soon finds herself reevaluating everything she thought she knew about the Townsends. In this thoughtful story about family connections, Robinson (The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, 2022) shares Mae's experiences as a biracial woman separated from her Black family for reasons beyond her control. Mae learns how to stand up for herself and what she needs and to speak out against the microaggressions she has quietly tolerated throughout her life, finding herself in the process. Readers who savor novels about food and family, such as Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake (2022), will feel right at home at the Townsend family's table.
Booklist Reviews
Mae Townsend barely knows her father's side of the family, so she travels to North Carolina when she receives news that her paternal grandmother has died. Every year, Mae's father returned to his hometown for the annual July 4th barbecue, and, in an attempt to bond with the Townsends, Mae offers to host the barbecue and figure out Althea's secret macaroni-and-cheese recipe. But Mae is unaware of the significance of the event thanks to a family secret, and she soon finds herself reevaluating everything she thought she knew about the Townsends. In this thoughtful story about family connections, Robinson (The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, 2022) shares Mae's experiences as a biracial woman separated from her Black family for reasons beyond her control. Mae learns how to stand up for herself and what she needs and to speak out against the microaggressions she has quietly tolerated throughout her life, finding herself in the process. Readers who savor novels about food and family, such as Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake (2022), will feel right at home at the Townsend family's table. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.