Dinner with Edward immediately caught my attention cause I like reading about interesting people. Edward is one of those people you’d like as your neighbour that eventually becomes a dear friend. And yes, he is old, but that is what makes him charming.
This is a memoir covering delicious food, a great friendship, a divorce, a one of a kind love story and very much New York. To be honest, I’m a little tired of reading about America but thank God this wasn’t much of a love letter to New York.
When I finished the book, I thought about my elderly neighbours in my apartment. Some of them are very friendly, some of them are not. They all live alone with their cats or stuffed animals (I know, interesting). I wondered if they ever feel lonely, and I felt a bit sad. And I promised myself to invite one of them for tea.
Then I thought that is what Isabel did when she was dating. She was looking for a version of Edward in those men. I mean, who wouldn’t? Read this book if you like reading about good food and exciting friendships. It may warm your heart. But do not read it if you are looking for a book where the writing shines. Unfortunately, it is not one of its forte. Enjoy!
Dinner with Edward
With its delicious food, warm jazz, and stunning views of Manhattan, Edward’s home was a much-needed refuge for reporter Isabel Vincent. Her recently widowed ninety-something neighbour would prepare weekly meals for Isabel, dinners she would never prepare for herself – fresh oysters, juicy steak, sugar-dusted apple galette. But over long, dark evenings where they both grieved for their very different lost marriages, Isabel realised she was being offered a gift greater than good wine and so perfect lamb chops.
As they progressed from meals à deux to full dinner parties with an eclectic New York crowd, she saw that Edward was showing her how to rediscover the joy of life and turn hers around: how even a shared bowl of chowder could transform loneliness and anxiety into friendship, freedom, and a pure, simple pleasure Isabel had not known she could find again.
Both moving and uplifting, Dinner with Edward raises a glass to the power of simple pleasures and the surprising connections formed in times of hardship.
Isabel Vincent
Isabel Vincent is a Canadian investigative journalist who writes for the New York Post, an alumna of the University of Toronto Varsity newspaper, and the author of several books.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
