Jumble Pie by Melanie Lynne Hauser

JUMBLE PIE is the story of the elusive nature of friendship, sometimes clinging, other times liberating; a story for any woman who has ever lied to her best friend just to make her feel better - and who has been brave enough to tell the truth, even when it hurts. And of course, it's a story about the remarkable healing power of pie.

"IN THE BEGINNING, there was the pie. The pie was without form and texture (and any manner of identifiable filling), and darkness was upon the face of the Home Ec Teacher…"

So begins the story of two women, a friendship, and a pie. JUMBLE PIE, to be exact. A Home Ec project gone very wrong, except for the fact that it brings together two very different young girls and helps them form a friendship that lasts through bad haircuts, unrequited love, endless incarnations of Madonna, and their own evolving dreams... Until New Year's Eve, 1999, when another pie comes along, resulting in a pre-party blow-up that sets Juliet and Emily, women now, to remembering how it all got started.



More about Melanie Lynne Hauser

Review:

Get ready to laugh, cry and find yourself totally involved in the lives of Emily and Juliet as they share a friendship that begins, ends and begins anew with pie.

"Girlfriend lit" isn't usually my thing, but I get drawn into the quirky yet very real characters right off. Hauser has a knack for creating unique characters that are nonetheless very familiar. Emily reminded me a little of myself (brainy and thinking that guaranteed success) and my best friend, who can be clueless and impulsive. I thought her passion for big words was a little overdone in the chapters of their childhood, but not enough to make me put down the book--and believe me, I have low tolerance. Juliet really captured my heart. Not incredibly gifted, coming from a broken family, she blossoms in college and learns how to capitalize on her strengths.

I really enjoyed that aspect of the book--that you make the most of what God gives you. Emily, while brilliant, didn't understand that smarts are not enough--you need to work on your skills. Life does not guarantee you success. This is a theme I am constantly hammering home to my own children; I'll be giving Amber a copy of this book when she's older.

I definitely recommend this book!