Today's post is on Where There's Smoke, There's Dinner by Regi Carpenter. It is 182 pages long and is published by Familius. The cover is red with a picture of a woman in 1950's dress. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this memoir. The intended reader is someone who likes memoirs and engaging writing. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From ebook blurb- Family: comfort food or a recipe for disaster? Award-winning storyteller and performer Regi Carpenter brings her humor and honesty to print in Where There’s Smoke, There’s Dinner.
Regi is the youngest daughter in a family that pulsates with contradictions: religious and raucous, tender but terrible, unfortunate yet irrepressible. These honest tales—some hilarious, some heartbreaking—celebrate the glorious and gut-wrenching lives of four generations of Carpenters raised on the Saint Lawrence River in Clayton, New York. From teenagers struggling to find their identity to disabled veterans grappling with the aftermath of war and change to the complications and sweetness of love between family members, this collection of linked short stories holds the universal message that life’s difficulties are softened by love and fortitude . . . and family.
Review- An interesting, moving, at times very funny memoir of growing up. Carpenter is an excellent narratist and is very easy to get drawn into her childhood adventures and family. She talks about her family with love and the stories she tells are interesting from becoming a real Carpenter with a scar on her chin to learning self defense for her life as a poor but famous artist living in New York City. The best thing about this book is how well written it is. Carpenter does a fantastic job of recreating her life at different points and taking the reader there with her. If you are a fan of memoirs then you should read this book.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this ebook from my library's Hoopla account.
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