Celebrating friendships this time of year is one of the
best things about Christmas. In her new book, THE
CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB, author Ann Perlman takes a look at
a group of women friends and how their lives interconnect,
especially during the holidays.
Every year, Marnie and her twelve closest friends get
together to have a Christmas Cookie Exchange. An annual
event for over 15 years, everyone brings their cookies in
beautifully wrapped boxes or bags, a covered dish, some
wine and shares what has happened in their lives over the
past year!
This year, the stories are especially poignant. Marnie's
oldest daughter is experiencing a risky pregnancy, and her
other daughter is unmarried and also pregnant. Jeannie's
father is having an affair with her best friend, Rosie's
husband doesn't want children, Laurie is moving away, and
Taylor's life is in shambles after her husband left her.
Each woman has a story to tell, and they are all
interwoven, just as each of their lives are connected in so
many ways. Through it all, however, the women band
together, providing support and love for each other through
thick and thin.
Ann Pearlman has delivered a passionate, heartfelt story of
women's friendships and their importance with The
Christmas Cookie Club. Her characters are personable, and
their situations are those that most women have dealt with
at some point in their lives.
Each chapter begins with a delicious recipe for the cookie
that chapter's main character has brought to the party, and
each chapter ends with an essay on a key ingredient found
in each cookie. So not only is this a fascinating story, it
is also a unique cookbook of sorts.
THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB would be a perfect gift for
girlfriends of all ages this holiday season.
Ann Pearlman’s irresistible debut novel provides the perfect
ingredients for a fun and touching read about a group of
women who gather each year to share a journey of friendship,
hope, heartbreak—and recipes.
Every year at Christmastime, Marnie and her closest
girlfriends mark their calendars for the cookie exchange.
Everyone has to bring a batch of homemade cookies and a
bottle of wine, but this year, it’s their stories that are
especially important—the passion and hopefulness of new
romance, the betrayal and disillusionment some relationships
bring, the joys and fears of motherhood, the stress of
financial troubles.
On this evening, at least, the sisterly love they have for
one another rises above it all. Celebrating courage and joy
in spite of hard times and honoring the importance of
women’s friendships as well as the embracing bonds of
community, Ann Pearlman’s delightful novel speaks to us all.