A Delightfully Funny Tale of Family, Pie and Beer
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SUMMARY
Edith Magnuson‘s pies are deliciously famous. Still she lays awake wondering how her life might’ve been different if her father had not solely left their family farm to her sister Helen, a decision that split their family in two.
With the proceeds from the sell of their family’s farm Helen Blotz, built her husband Orval‘s families soda business into the top-selling brewery in Minnesota. She single-handedly created the light beer revolution, but Helen dismisses IPAs as a fad and the Blotz fortune takes a turn.
In her late teens, Diane Winters, Edith’s grand-daughter is given a shot at learning the beer business from the ground up, just as IPA revolution begins. The stakes could not be higher. Just as she’s launching her own brewpub she’s due to deliver a baby girl. Then the unthinkable happens and it’s up to Grandma Edith and her cadre of friends to secure the next generations chances for a better future. Can Grandma Edith’s Rhubarb Pie in a Bottle save Diana‘s fledgling brewery?
“When you see a man falling off a ladder above you, Edith believed, you don't envision your arms breaking. You just hold them out.”
REVIEW
Pour yourself a cold one and sit back and enjoy this delightful book about three women in the beer business. THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA is warm and funny, and a totally enjoyable read. It’s about the love and support of family, just when you need it the most. Just like good beer, You will know it’s a good book when you begin telling all your friends about it before you are even finished.
The writing is easy to read and humorous. The Minnesota setting for the book is unique and perfect. The three main characters are all nicely developed. You’ll fall in love with Edith because of her moxie. Despite the roadblocks put in her way, she just keeps on forging her own way in the world without complaint. I can’t wait to taste her Rhubarb Pie in a Bottle. You’ll worry about Diane, but she has a little bit of her grandma’s moxie too. After a rough childhood she gets a little “tough love” help and it’s just just what she needs. And then there’s Helen...who simply does what’s best for Helen. There’s one in every family, but we love them anyway!
Author J. Ryan Stradal lives in Los Angeles County California. He grew up in the Midwest, in the southern Minnesota town of Hastings his first novel was Kitchens of the Great Midwest (2015) which won numerous awards. Now I know why. I think I’m going to be reading that one next.
“She was as calm as a small town on Christmas morning.”
Publisher Pamela Dorman Books
Published July 23, 2019
Narrated Judith Ivey
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
