Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots (Thorndike Press Large Print Reviewers' Choice) - Hardcover

Soffer, Jessica

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410462056 ISBN 13: 9781410462053

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2013

Synopsis

"Elegant, sensual, surprising, and rich, Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots delivers a world to us, populated with indelible characters whose fates, as they become entwined, spur us to read fast, faster, except to do so would be to miss the beauty of Soffer's language, which is to be savored." -- Dani Shapiro, author of "Family History"
This is a story about accepting the people we love--the people we have to love and the people we choose to love, the families we're given and the families we make. It's the story of two women adrift in New York, a widow and an almost-orphan, each searching for someone she's lost. It's the story of how, even in moments of grief and darkness, there are joys waiting nearby.
Lorca spends her life poring over cookbooks, making croissants and "chocolat chaud," seeking out rare ingredients, all to earn the love of her distracted chef of a mother, who is now packing her off to boarding school. In one last effort to prove herself indispensable, Lorca resolves to track down the recipe for her mother's ideal meal, an obscure Middle Eastern dish called masgouf.
Victoria, grappling with her husband's death, has been dreaming of the daughter they gave up forty years ago. An Iraqi Jewish immigrant who used to run a restaurant, she starts teaching cooking lessons; Lorca signs up.
Together, they make cardamom pistachio cookies, baklava, "kubba "with squash. They also begin to suspect they are connected by more than their love of food. Soon, though, they must reckon with the past, the future, and the truth--whatever it might be. "Bukra fil mish mish," the Arabic saying goes. "Tomorrow, apricots may bloom."

About this title

Review:

"A profound and necessary new voice. Soffer's prose is as controlled as it is fresh, as incisive as it is musical. Soffer has arrived early, with an orchestra of talent at her disposal." --Colum McCann

""Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots" is elegant, sensual, surprising and rich. Jessica Soffer delivers a world to us, populated with indelible characters whose fates, as they become entwined, spur us to read fast, faster, except to do so would be to miss the beauty of Soffer's language, which is to be savored. This is a superb debut."--Dani Shapiro "A profound and necessary new voice. Soffer's prose is as controlled as it is fresh, as incisive as it is musical. Soffer has arrived early, with an orchestra of talent at her disposal." --Colum McCann

"Jessica Soffer's gorgeous and word-wise novel shows us how a single sentence can contain wonders, and a kitchen can contain epics; this is a fantastic debut."
--Rivka Galchen, author of "Atmospheric Disturbances"

""Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots" is elegant, sensual, surprising and rich. Jessica Soffer delivers a world to us, populated with indelible characters whose fates, as they become entwined, spur us to read fast, faster, except to do so would be to miss the beauty of Soffer's language, which is to be savored. This is a superb debut."
--Dani Shapiro

"A profound and necessary new voice. Soffer's prose is as controlled as it is fresh, as incisive as it is musical. Soffer has arrived early, with an orchestra of talent at her disposal."
--Colum McCann

"Lit by prose of startling beauty and originality, Jessica Soffer's novel of loss, love, food, and finding family is insightful and, as the story unfolds, increasingly moving. This is that rare debut with the capacity to genuinely satisfy the broadest swath of readers--from foodies to poets, mothers to daughters, solitary souls to friends debating subjects close to their hearts. She is a writer to watch; this is a story that matures and expands with each page."
--Nicole Mones, author of "The Last Chinese Chef"
"This lovely book is the story of lost souls hanging on to each other for dear life, then finding hope and healing. An emotional page-turner with characters who touched my heart and soon felt like old friends, it commandeered my time until the sweet and satisfying ending. Hard to believe such a wise book is a first novel. Here's hoping there's much more to come from this wonderful writer."
--Bo Caldwell, author of "The Distant Land of My Father "and "City of Tranquil Light"
"This beautiful, beautiful book calls to mind "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," for its artistry and heart, and for its two unlikely soul mates--one old, one young, both harboring private grief, shaping their lives around what is missing, looking for families fate has denied them. A gifted storyteller, Soffer writes with a rare combination of fearlessness and compassion; she has a sage's ability to find absurdity and humor in sorrow. Her characters, as familiar as our own imperfect faces in the mirror, remind us to forgive ourselves our foibles: after all, hope--and the need for human connection--makes fools of us all. I dare "anyone" to barricade their heart against this enchanting novel."
--Stephanie Kallos, author of "Broken for You "and "Sing Them Home"
"I devoured this mouth-watering story of self-discovery, one as deep-rooted as an ancient fruit tree perpetually blossoming anew. With prose sharp as a paring knife, Soffer shows us that love transcends cul

"Well-written and atmospheric."
--"Kirkus"
"Told in Victoria and Lorca's alternating first-person voices, the character driven novel... offers fully realized, multidimensional characters who invite empathy and compassion."
--"Booklist"
"Lit by prose of startling beauty and originality, Jessica Soffer's novel of loss, love, food, and finding family is insightful and, as the story unfolds, increasingly moving. This is that rare debut with the capacity to genuinely satisfy the broadest swath of readers--from foodies to poets, mothers to daughters, solitary souls to friends debating subjects close to their hearts. She is a writer to watch; this is a story that matures and expands with each page."
--Nicole Mones, author of "The Last Chinese Chef"
"This lovely book is the story of lost souls hanging on to each other for dear life, then finding hope and healing. An emotional page-turner with characters who touched my heart and soon felt like old friends, it commandeered my time until the sweet and satisfying ending. Hard to believe such a wise book is a first novel. Here's hoping there's much more to come from this wonderful writer."
--Bo Caldwell, author of "The Distant Land of My Father "and "City of Tranquil Light"
"This beautiful, beautiful book calls to mind "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," for its artistry and heart, and for its two unlikely soul mates--one old, one young, both harboring private grief, shaping their lives around what is missing, looking for families fate has denied them. A gifted storyteller, Soffer writes with a rare combination of fearlessness and compassion; she has a sage's ability to find absurdity and humor in sorrow. Her characters, as familiar as our own imperfect faces in the mirror, remind us to forgive ourselves our foibles: after all, hope--and the need for human connection--makes fools of us all. I dare "anyone" to barricade their heart against this enchanting novel."
--Stephanie Kallos, autho

"An unhappy teen and a shellshocked widow make a vital connection, though not the one they initially think, in Soffer's somber debut....Well-written and atmospheric."
--"Kirkus"
"Told in Victoria and Lorca's alternating first-person voices, the character driven novel... offers fully realized, multidimensional characters who invite empathy and compassion."
--"Booklist"
"Lit by prose of startling beauty and originality, Jessica Soffer's novel of loss, love, food, and finding family is insightful and, as the story unfolds, increasingly moving. This is that rare debut with the capacity to genuinely satisfy the broadest swath of readers--from foodies to poets, mothers to daughters, solitary souls to friends debating subjects close to their hearts. She is a writer to watch; this is a story that matures and expands with each page."
--Nicole Mones, author of "The Last Chinese Chef"
"This lovely book is the story of lost souls hanging on to each other for dear life, then finding hope and healing. An emotional page-turner with characters who touched my heart and soon felt like old friends, it commandeered my time until the sweet and satisfying ending. Hard to believe such a wise book is a first novel. Here's hoping there's much more to come from this wonderful writer."
--Bo Caldwell, author of "The Distant Land of My Father "and "City of Tranquil Light"
"This beautiful, beautiful book calls to mind "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," for its artistry and heart, and for its two unlikely soul mates--one old, one young, both harboring private grief, shaping their lives around what is missing, looking for families fate has denied them. A gifted storyteller, Soffer writes with a rare combination of fearlessness and compassion; she has a sage's ability to find absurdity and humor in sorrow. Her characters, as familiar as our own imperfect faces in the mirror, remind us to forgive ourselves our foibles: after all, hope--and the need for human c

"Soffer's breathtaking prose interweaves delectable descriptions of food with a profoundly redemptive story about loss, self-discovery, and acceptance."
--"O: The Oprah Magazine"

"Teenage Lorca, who has been cutting herself since she was six, still can't win the attention she craves from her beautiful and inaccessible mother, and so she concocts an impossible scheme to save herself from being sent to boarding school: She'll re-create the best dinner her mother ever ate, featuring an Iraqi dish called masgouf that here is as fraught with significance as Babette's feast. Lorca is a diligent dreamer, enlisting the help of a bookstore clerk named Blot and cooking lessons from a grieving Iraqi widow. But in this novel of shifting point of views, you want to linger longest with Lorca; both her shortcomings and her desires are so identifiable you can't help but root for her."
--Vogue.com

"TOMORROW THERE WILL BE APRICOTS is an astounding accomplisment for a young, new voice. Undoubtedly this is the beginining of a spectacular career."
--"Woodbury Magazine "

"Told in Victoria and Lorca's alternating first-person voices, the character driven novel... offers fully realized, multidimensional characters who invite empathy and compassion."
--"Booklist"

"An unhappy teen and a shellshocked widow make a vital connection, though not the one they initially think, in Soffer's somber debut....Well-written and atmospheric."
--"Kirkus"

"This powerful debut sheds light on the meaning and power of family, whether its members are blood-related or "created" by nonrelatives. Food is what strengthens relationships here, particularly the search for specific recipes. Young, troubled Lorca lives in New York City; her distracted mother, a chef, is rather uninterested in Lorca's psychological troubles; her estranged father lives in New Hampshire. Researching how to prepare an unusual meal, Lorca feels she can win her mother's interest and love if she can prepare this deli

Book Description:

A profound and necessary new voice. Soffer's prose is as controlled as it is fresh, as incisive as it is musical. Soffer has arrived early, with an orchestra of talent at her disposal. Colum McCann

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1410462056
• ISBN 13: 9781410462053
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 503