I suppose we all have parts of ourselves that we hide not only from others but from ourselves as well. But rarely do we craft a life to be what we want it to be that is such a facade that no one, not one’s spouse, not their child, not their colleagues, and not their book publisher nor their adoring fans really know us, not even after we die. But that is exactly what Elizabeth Stone did.

Reading the first paragraph of what I’ve written, I shake my head, because that is exactly what my oldest friend did. Those who knew them knew a different piece. I, who was present when the facade hardened, did not know the depths of the fantasies they were immersed in. So why should I be surprised when, after her death, Elizabeth Stone’s daughter learns the truth not only about her mother but about herself?

In this book, I wasn’t surprised at all, as the hackneyed literary devices that are the essence of this story hit the reader over the head so much that this reader's head hurts. The Essential Elizabeth Stone is replete with essentially boring characters, most of them intent on keeping the myth of Elizabeth Stone alive after she dies. Parts of it are simply not believable, especially the end, where the daughter, Jules, an apparent artist and photographer, just sits down and writes a bestseller about what she has discovered, posthumously, about her mother. And, of course, in the process, about herself.

I was bored by this story and bored by the characters, despite how interesting it looked like it could be.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

I was drawn to this book when I read the blurb and was not disappointed. In fact I enjoyed it even more than expected.
The internal struggles of both Jules and Elizabeth were very compelling and I could relate easily to both characters. I was so drawn into their story that when they were hurting I became upset, as if it were happening to me. I would have liked to get to know some of the other characters a little more, especially Noah..
In my opinion there was more description than what I usually like. I prefer to be given just enough to convey the general vibe and then I imagine the rest. I did end up skim reading through some paragraphs because of this. I also like to be hooked into a story straight away, it did take a couple of chapters to really get into this novel because the overwhelming description of Jules grief seemed to delay the progression of the plot. However, don’t let this prevent you from reading on because once you get past the first couple of chapters you won’t be able to put it down. Don’t start reading if you need an early night!
The author has weaved this story together so elegantly and I think that anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction will love this book as much as I have!
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the opportunity to reading this amazing novel.

Enjoyable read!
A daughter learns after her mother‘s death that the picture her mom built around and about herself wasn‘t real, was made up for advertizing a carreer. A carreer that made both rich: mom and daughter. And yet the truth set up things in motion for the daughter, and both POV‘s/timelines were an interesting read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy!!!

The Essential Elizabeth Stone by new to me author J. Banash, published by Lake Union Publishing is a full length, stand alone. An intriguing read, literally unputdownable, gives all the feels.
Blurb:
For more than thirty years, Elizabeth Stone has been an irreplaceable fixture in homes around the world, a food and lifestyle icon with a brand as warm and inviting as New England brown bread. Until, after her sudden passing, she leaves her legacy and her multimillion-dollar empire to her daughter, Juliet, who is expected to step seamlessly into her shoes.
Juliet finds herself at both a personal and professional crossroads in her life, fearing she won’t be good enough to maintain the image and brand of a woman she adored. With the company in financial trouble, Juliet is urged to write the definitive biography of her mother—self-made entrepreneur, perfect mom, and homespun everywoman whose own childhood in Maine was filled with comfort food and simple elegance. But other than what little Juliet has been told, she doesn’t know much about her mother’s past.
The truth is, no one does.
As she digs through her mother’s possessions, tracking down those who knew her, Juliet is stunned to uncover a lifetime of secrets and lies. As she uncovers the truth, she is forced to reckon with her grief over missing someone she isn’t sure she ever really knew. Faced with decisions about the fate of her mother’s empire, as well as Juliet’s own marriage and future, she will first have to answer the question on everyone’s mind—who was Elizabeth Stone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the opportunity to read The Essential Elizabeth Stone by Jennifer Banash, a beautifully written book about having the strength to achieve your dreams, and about mothers and daughters. I loved it.