So we return to the world of Lillian and her restaurant; although not as filled with food and culinary experiences as her first book The School of Essential Ingredients, this second book still delights the senses and delves more into the love relationship in Lillian's life as well as those who are a part of her life.

Although this could probably be a stand-alone novel, I enjoyed reading it right after I finished TheSchool of Essential Ingredients, which gave me insight into some of the characters. This has some of the same feel as the first book, yet it's different, more raw. Bauermeister's prose is still wonderful and full of meaning and metaphors. She begins her book with the quote from Aesop that “Every truth has two sides”. And this, in essence, is what the book is about—exploring both sides to a relationship and rediscovering the lost art of mixing, which is important in how a recipe will turn out, but how much more so in a relationship. Some relationships need to be sifted before they can mix well, hence the allusion to cooking and life experiences in this novel.

I liked the characters because they were so diverse and fleshed out. I felt I could relate to each one in some way even if my life is so different. Isabelle's Alzheimer's is more apparent in this book, and Bauermeister does a good job of looking at how grown children view and deal with this change in a parent. I work with seniors with Alzheimer's and I see firsthand the pain and anger families go through, including the person with the illness that knows he is changing and cannot do anything about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, although I do wish there hadn't been any profanity. I highly suggest you read The School of Essential Ingredients first before this one. It will enhance your reading experience and introduce you to the wonderful world of Lillian and her restaurant.

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