The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold Book Review

About the Book:

Shaken by her parents' divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle's farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She'll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.

Among her late grandmother's belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town's history, her ancestors--and her estranged father.

What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured--with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.

My Review:

I enjoyed this novel following a young woman finding her way in relationships within the context of exploring her ancestry. I liked all of the recipes and wise sayings Nikki finds in her grandmother's notebook. These recipes are in the text of the novel rather than listed at the end. They look delicious and remind me of my own Dutch heritage. I like how Nikki's experiences during the summer knits together relationships that had unraveled.

Brunsvold is an entertaining writer. The characters are developed well and there are several family and romance issues that must be faced and grown through. While the plot was predictable and was nicely tied up at the end with a kind of fairy tale ending, It was an entertaining read.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Sara Brunsvold is the author of The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. She creates stories that speak hope, truth, and life. Influenced by humble women of God who find his fingerprints in the everyday, she does the same in her life and her storytelling. Sara's recognitions include the 2020 ACFW Genesis Award for Contemporary Fiction. She lives with her family in Kansas City, Missouri, where she can often be spotted writing at a park or library. Learn more at www.SaraBrunsvold.com.

Revell, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)