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The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Armed with a Crock-Pot and a pile of recipes, a grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together in this uplifting novel for readers of The Chicken Sisters.

Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the "funeral ladies," she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed—it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can't fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days.

Iris, Esther's whip-smart Gen Z granddaughter, would do anything for her family and her community. As she watches her friends and family move out of their lakeside town onto bigger and better things, Iris wonders why she feels so left behind in the place she is desperate to make her home. But when Cooper Welsh shows up, she finally starts to feel like she's found the missing piece of her puzzle.

Cooper is dealing with becoming a legal guardian to his younger half-sister after his beloved stepmother dies. While their celebrity-chef father is focused on his booming career and top-ranked television show, Cooper is still hurting from a public tragedy he witnessed last year as a paramedic and finding it hard to cope. With Iris in the gorgeous Ellerie County, though, he hopes he might finally find the home he's been looking for.

It doesn't seem like a community cookbook could possibly solve their problems, especially one where casseroles have their own section and cream of chicken soup mix is the most frequently used ingredient. But when you mix the can-do spirit of Midwestern grandmothers with the stubborn hope of a boy raised by food plus a dash of long-awaited forgiveness—things might just turn out okay.

Includes Recipes


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    • Library Journal

      May 31, 2024

      From pie crusts to casseroles, the funeral ladies of Ellerie County, WI, take care of each other, particularly with the delicious culinary creations that ensure that those who have lost loved ones will always be fed. When Esther lets her generosity get the better of her, however, she finds that she's on the bad end of an online con that costs her $30,000. Friends and family rally to raise funds to make her whole and also reignite their sense of community by publishing a cookbook of the funeral ladies' favorite recipes. Swinarski (What Happened to Rachel Riley?) essentially presents two stories that don't seamlessly blend together. The story of Esther and the funeral ladies is a heartwarming, humorous tale, but it eventually takes a backseat to the relationship narrative between Iris, Esther's granddaughter, and Cooper, whose graphic, gritty battle with PTSD is intense and unnerving. Narrators Alexander Cendese, Alexandra Hunter, and Ann Richardson give expressive and engaging performances, blighted only by Cendese's briefly attempted Australian accent. VERDICT Will appeal to listeners seeking an endearing, affecting Christian-fiction-ish novel (it's BISACed as small-town/rural fiction) about food, family, and forgiveness. Recommended for fans of Maisey Yates, Carolyn Brown, and Viola Shipman.--Lauren Hackert

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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