The Wakes
THE AUSTRALIAN BESTSELLER ABOUT LIFE, LOVE AND GOOD FOOD
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4.2 • 60 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
'An insightful, emotionally intelligent writer . . . her book is like a warm embrace' The Times
'Heartfelt, funny, uplifting' The Australian Women's Weekly
'Few people can write about food and heartbreak like Nora Ephron - that was until Dianne Yarwood . . . comfort food for your mind' Harper's Bazaar
'An uplifting novel about how the joy of living can be found in the most unexpected places' The Guardian
'A delectable fusion of comedy, hope, loss, and great food' Weekend Australian
'Funny, moving, tender and wise' LIANE MORIARTY
This is a story about Clare, Louisa and Chris. And sometimes Paul, and less often, Beth. It is most certainly not about frittatas (a concession), and more to do with lemon tart (a perfection).
It is about what to do when your husband tells you that he doesn't love you anymore, or your wife leaves you after too many rounds of IVF. It's about helping your new friend with her catering business, and discovering that, sometimes, the most unlikely of pairings are the very, very best.
'Heartfelt . . . blends humour with poignant reflections on life and death' Better Homes & Gardens
'Full of wry, astute observations of the human condition . . . We are left with a sense of hope and a fierce consciousness of the preciousness of life' Living Arts Canberra
'A celebration of what it means to be alive, and the joy of finding friendship' JOANNA NELL
'Warm and profound. I can't wait for everyone to read it' SALLY HEPWORTH
'Immensely human and warm and satisfying' SHELLEY BURR
'Rich with wisdom, love, humour and a sparkling joy' KELLY RIMMER
'So warm and poignant and sweetly funny. I loved it' JACQUELINE MALEY
Customer Reviews
Four funerals, two separations, no weddings
The author is Australian. A former accountant turned foodie, she decided to try fiction after a health scare at age 40. This is her first novel.
The setting is suburban Sydney, aka Moriartyville. Clare is a pharmacist who massages drug applications for big Pharma. Hubby is an English teacher at an all girls high school. After 20 years and two kids together, hubby leaves, not because he’s been up to no good with the high school chicks or anything, but because the spark has gone out. He remains close at hand and supportive, yada yada. Our gal gets p*ssed and falls over on a night out with the gals, takes long service leave, strikes up an acquaintance with a new neighbour who is also fortyish, female and single, and the two of them start up a catering business specialising in after funeral refreshments. Hence, the title. Elsewhere in Moriartyville, Chris, a forty-something ER doc, and his GP wife, who have been together for yonks and failed multiple rounds of IVF, split up too. (Wife’s idea this time.) Amid a series of interwoven side plots, Chris and Clare keep running into each other at funerals. Yada, yada. The end.
The writing is good, if a tad Ozzie suburban dramedy generic. Food porn is prevalent but never overwhelms the plotting, which is coherent and acceptably tight. The characters are largely familiar white middle class hetero tropes (with hints of gay and a random Hindu thrown in to no great effect), which was entirely in keeping with the setting IMO. Readers “woker” than me (i.e. almost everyone) might not agree. Good first effort that breaks no new ground.
A cuppa tea book.
I loved it. Perfect for a weekend or holiday read.
Sublime
Every once in a while, you read a book that hits you in the heart. Clara and Louisa, Chris, Tim, Amir. I loved them all. So many moments in this story landed so beautifully for me. Characters who love to cook, the mention of my favourite cafe in Yamba, literary allusions, even the quotes from When Harry met Sally! It was perfect. Will buy the hard copy of this one.