An Enlightening Quiche by Eva Pasco – 5 Stars

Blurb:

Two headstrong women in their forties coming from different moral directions clash within the confines of a French-Canadian mill town in northern Rhode Island's Blackstone Valley. Their narratives relate how an heirloom quiche recipe and baking rivalry redress misconceptions, misdeeds, and maliciousness which wreak havoc on those caught in the crossfire of a tragedy precipitated by reckless conduct. Augusta Bergeron: Dysfunctional. Deceptive. Demure. More than meets the eye at face value and stuck in a holding pattern, the town siren engages in morally destructive behavior she attributes to maternal abandonment until she eggs-humes her mother's quiche recipe. Lindsay Metcalfe: Pedigreed. Privileged. Proper. Mourning the recent death of her mother, the historian-in-residence hailing from Boston sets out to preserve the legacy of an impoverished mill, but gets more than she bargains for all around.

ADR S&S Book Review:

I know what classic literature is. I can’t say I read a lot of it, but that’s not for lack of understanding. I simply get distracted by the Janet Evanovichs and J.R. Wards of the world. Not to say the authors I read don’t write incredible books – I LOVE them. But if I have a choice between “War & Peace” and the latest Black Dagger Brotherhood book...I think you get the picture.

When I picked up “An Enlightening Quiche,” I knew right away I was in for a challenge. There were no vampires. Not a single one. And there were big words that only a true wordsmith would dare to pen. Oh, but the story within! Once I accepted the fact that this was no ordinary book, I buckled down and prepared myself for a true literary experience.

Pasco has taken Contemporary Women’s Fiction into a whole new stratosphere, lifting it up to a standard that mere mortals dare not seek. Her characters are deep and troubled, and yet relatable in that they are just like the rest of us. Looking for answers. Looking for love. And when the worst happens, they rise above, just as we hope we would do in similar situations.

I can’t help but draw comparisons to J.K. Rowling’s “Casual Vacancy,” arguably, one of the best books I have ever read. (It didn’t have vampires in it either. Or wizards, for that matter. Just saying.) It’s a book that so many people dismissed, because they didn’t have the patience to read through the setup. Similarly, in “An Enlightening Quiche,” the setup is EVERYTHING, because once things start to happen – and believe me, Things Happen! – you will be thumbing through the beginning, looking for that reference, that hidden gem of a clue, that seemed unimportant at the time, but turns out to be oh, so vital!

Up past 1:00 am as the book neared its end, I have to say, I was awed. If you haven’t read “An Enlightening Quiche” yet, do yourself a favor. Pick up a copy. It is classic literature at its finest. Oh - and pass me “War & Peace,” why don’t ya?

You can find all things Eva Pasco at: http://www.authorsden.com/EvaPasco

Order "An Enlightening Quiche" here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LX9UXWV/