Karen Stolz

As the book opens, our narrator, Roxanne, is 12 years old. But the story is told as an adult looking back on her life, not in the voice of a child. "World of Pies" is more a collection of interrelated short stories than a novel per se. With each new chapter, Roxanne is several years older than she was in the previous chapter. In an interesting choice, Stolz looks with each story more at the smaller events that make up the bulk of our lives, rather than focusing on the major events (births, deaths, marriages, etc.) that have such huge impact, but occupy collectively, only a short span of our existence.
Each story is poignant, honest, and faithful to the time period in which it is set. (The first story is set in the early 1960s. The last in the 1980s I think.)
If you want an action-filled, plot-heavy book, then this is not the one for you. If you want intimately drawn characters and beautifully written details of their lives, then dig in for a treat.… (más)

Funny that a book can be so different than expected beforehand. World of Pies was a supplementary mooch from Bookmooch. A book a expected to be chicklit and picked up to quickly read it and put on Bookmooch again. The book was a quick read and relaxing, but totally different than I expected.

I expected a book where baking pies was the most important topic. When I browsed through the book I already had seen some recipes. But they're not only cakes. Only the first of the ten chapters has pies as the main topic.

In ten chapters describe the life of Roxanne from the moment she is twelve until the moment her daughter is twelve. The life of a teenager growing up in Annette, a town in Texas in the 1960s. The time between the different stories/chapters is at least a year, often much more. But the important things in a young womans life are described. And the ambiance fits my feelings about America in that period (think Mad men, although I only saw a few episodes). The murder of Kennedy is mentioned and the Vietnam war plays a major role. The background of the stories is real.

The book fascinated me and I can't tell you exactly why. Probably the harmony in the family, the important things that happen to Roxanne and the wish it goes her well. Definitely a recommended read!

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2011/08/world-of-pies.html… (más)

The delightful World of Pies opens in 1962 in the small Texan town of Annette. When we first meet the heroine, Roxanne is struggling between her love of baseball and her mother’s desire to teach her to bake pies. Roxanne is twelve but, as each chapter unveils a different time in her life we see her go through a whole gambit of emotions and events. From the sweet new feeling of developing a crush, to the more serious events, Roxanne’s life unfolds before us chapter to chapter. In the background, we see the events that shaped America through the sixties, from Kennedy’s assassination to Viet Nam.

What I liked best about this book was the strong, stable family that the author has given Roxanne. No matter what life dealt them, and there was some sadness, they were there for each other regardless. Social and political events are mentioned in passing but the bulk of the story is of Roxanne and her family. I felt a personal attachment to this character as we are about the same age, so her coming-of-age years were mine as well. At the end of some chapters the author supplies recipes for the sweet treats that are always brought to family gatherings, I actually recognized some of the recipes as ones that I too grew up with. As her life comes full circle and we are once again back to pies, I sighed with contentment at this big-hearted story.

I have never read a book by Karen Stolz before, and I actually just stumbled on this one while browsing the library shelves but I can guarantee that I will be on the lookout for any other titles by this author. My trip to Annette, Texas was a rich and rewarding reading experience.… (más)