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    Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times
    Unavailable
    Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times
    Unavailable
    Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times
    Audiobook3 hours

    Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times

    Written by Suzan Colon

    Narrated by Suzan Colon

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    What is the secret to finding hope in hard times?

    When Suzan Colón was laid off from her dream job at a magazine during the economic downturn of 2008, she needed to cut her budget way, way back, and that meant home cooking. Her mother suggested, "Why don't you look in Nana's recipe folder?" In the basement, Suzan found the tattered treasure, full of handwritten and meticulously typed recipes, peppered with her grandmother Matilda's commentary in the margins. Reading it, Suzan realized she had found something more than a collection of recipes-she had found the key to her family's survival through hard times.

    Suzan began re-creating Matilda's "sturdy food" recipes for baked pork chops and beef stew, and Aunt Nettie's clam chowder made with clams dug up by Suzan's grandfather Charlie in Long Island Sound. And she began uncovering the stories of her resilient family's past. Taking inspiration from stylish, indomitable Matilda, who was the sole support of her family as a teenager during the Great Depression (and who always answered "How are you?" with "Fabulous, never better!"), and from dashing, twice-widowed Charlie, Suzan starts to approach her own crisis with a sense of wonder and gratitude. It turns out that the gift to survive and thrive through hard times had been bred in her bones all along.

    Cherries in Winter is an irresistible gem of a book. It makes you want to cook, it makes you want to know your own family's stories, and, above all, it makes you feel rich no matter what.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 3, 2009
    ISBN9780307702883
    Unavailable
    Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times

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    Reviews for Cherries in Winter

    3.5/5

    97 ratings27 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A memoir that isn't all about the author and her navel-gazing: instead it's a charming conceit that wraps around three generations of women and some lovely recipes. A quick read, not so much because it's easy to read (it is! Suzan Colon is a wonderful writer!) but because you won't want to put it down.
    • 3/5
      Suzan Colon lost her job as a magazine writer. Although her husband is employed and has benefits, she must still watch her pennies. She turns to economizing, rediscovering her grandmother's recipes. She includes moments in her family's story from three generations. Unfortunately the narrative did not flow well and was full of poorly constructed sentences and incomplete sentences. What should have been an enjoyable read for me turned out to be a chore. The best part of the book were the copies of the handwritten or typed recipes.
    • 5/5
      You've heard the expression "Good things come in small packages." Well, CHERRIES IN WINTER by Suzan Colón is a delightfully good little book. At a diminutive 5 x 7.5 inches, it fits nicely in your hands and just feels good to hold. However, it's what's inside the package that really counts, and from the opening lines of the preface to the last few words of the acknowledgments, this little book is a feast of family fortitude. (I know, I've got to lay off the alliteration.) Colón's family members are by turn plucky, quirky, spunky, funny, hardy, and inspirational. I really wish I knew them. You'll wish so, too.In an effort to trim her budget after being laid off, Suzan Colón digs out her grandmother's recipe folder from storage. Inside, she doesn't just find instructions for creating hardy and inexpensive meals. She finds a time capsule that introduces her not only to her grandmother who died when Colón was young but also to her great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the brief glimpses into the daily lives of ordinary women over the course of the last hundred or so years.One of the main principals to which Colón aspires is to be able to live frugally without being miserly. To achieve that requires mindfulness of one's choices and an appreciation for the gifts of mere existence. She conveys this beautifully in the little vignette from which the book derives its title. Believe me when I say I will most likely never eat cherries again without thinking of Manhattan.I loved this book. When I give a book 5 out of 5 stars, it has to be more than really good. It has to have the "WOW! Factor." It's hard to define the WOW! Factor. It's a feeling of awe that comes over me as I'm reading a book. If that feeling is sustained throughout the entire book, it's a WOW! What made me say WOW! as I read this little book is that the author writes with a precision and economy that makes every word count. She manages to amuse and inspire as well as give us a little social history all while telling simple entertaining stories of her family. Just as CHERRIES IN WINTER is about how to economize while not feeling deprived, Suzan Colón's memoir provides us with a feast in just a few little bites.
    • 4/5
      This is a lovely book, like a warm steamy bath on a cold winter day. The author explores her family's history and how those before her survived hard times by living simply and economically. She faces the loss of her own executive level job and learns to live in a new way: cutting back on all the luxuries that she and her husband had grown to enjoy.
    • 4/5
      Suzan Colon has been laid off and there is not much money, but she finds inspiration in stories of hard times her mother and grandmother and other family members weathered. Charming and with recipes.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as an Early Reviewer giveaway, but I would have bought it anyway. This was such a sweet book -- and very timely. The author, Suzan Colon, revisits her grandmother's recipes because she's trying to deal with being laid off and save money by cooking more at home. In the process, she learns more about her grandmother, her family lore and her mother. It's an uplifting, positive book with some good recipes thrown in. This would make a great shower or wedding gift -- or even one for a recent college graduate.
    • 5/5
      This book caught my eye on the library shelf and I pulled it out and read a chapter. After marching over to check it out, I found this was a sweet, captivating book. Faced with a layoff and loss of income, the author went back to her family as role models on how to survive hard time. There are several really good lessons in this book. No, it is not a complicated book. It is simple and pure of heart, well-written and heartfelt. Rarely lately, am I driven to write to an author, but after reading this book, I felt that I needed to reply to her invitation to be a part of her world. If she was reading from this book (or any other future book), I would make an effort to see her in person and I will be watching for more books by her.
    • 3/5
      I couldn't help but think of the poor little rich girl as I read this book. Yes, I did feel bad for the author who found herself suddenly out of work, but I just found myself thinking, "Yeah, but you don't have it as bad as some of the people." I know firsthand of the disorientation and uncertainty that can occur with a sudden loss of employment, so I do empathize with the author. But it seemed like in the effort to make an interesting book, she made her situation sound worse than it was. Unlike many enduring the current economic crisis she had a spouse who remained employed, she was not forced to move out of her comfortable dwelling, and she could even afford an occasional small luxury. While others who lose their jobs have to economize by cutting back on necessities, the author had to give up designer haircuts. It just seemed like a bit of mockery for those who are struggling to the point that they wonder how they are going to eat next week, or can they make the mortgage payment for just one more month.However, despite the flaws, I did like the voice and style of this book. And I did appreciate the central message that turning to our roots can give us strength to face the struggles life throws at us, even if those struggles do seem silly to over-judgmental readers who want you to suffer a little bit more.
    • 3/5
      I'm not sure I understand why this book is so revered. It's nicely written, but offers the same message we've all heard before: when times are tough you learn what's really important, appreciate what you have, you can make do with a lot less than you imagine, life is precious. That pretty much sums it up.
    • 3/5
      I'm not much into cooking but I love to read about food so I didn't mind that this was as much of a cookbook as it was collection of stories. I enjoyed the tales of family and the way the author mixed it all together made for a tasty little read.
    • 4/5
      I received this book in the dead of winter, during a period of time where everything seemed to have gone wrong; my world was upside down. I opened the package and gazed long at the subtitle, ‘My Family’s Recipe for Hope in Hard Times’. It was a simple, sweet little book; I’m so thankful that I got to read it. The author’s ‘recipe’ was just what I needed at the time. Sprinkled throughout this book of recollections of her mother and grandmother, are their very own recipes. The first one I tried was ‘Mom’s Version of Great-Great-Grandmother Matilde’s Baked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut’ (p.17). Hubby loved it!Cherries in Winter is a lovely concoction. With the bitterness of job loss during a poor economy, sweetened by memories of how her foremothers made do, the author put those recollections to work for her by pulling out Grandma’s cookbook. As a favorite author (Elisabeth Elliot) says, ‘do the next thing’. Though she doesn’t mention that particular phrase, Suzan’s entire book demonstrates that action. Your family still has to eat. OK, provide a hearty, inexpensive meal. Forgo dinners out, save money where you can, but … ah, life … do splurge for the occasional ‘cherries in winter’. Thank you, Ms. Colon, for sharing it all with your readers. And thank you to Doubleday publishing and to the Early Reviewers program for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.
    • 3/5
      I received this book from Library Thing Early Reviewers. I would give it 2 1/2 stars, if I could figure out how to do so.You can read descriptions of the plot in other reviews. My thoughts are that the book is intended to be uplifting, but I found it (especially the beginning) depressing. Yes, the author finds ways to economize and uses her experience to find ways to connect with her history, but all it did was remind me that we are still in the midst of the recession and show me how much worse things could get.
    • 5/5
      This was a really good book, touching on something I've thought about a lot during these economic times...how our grandparents and great-grandparents survived through previous hard times...and how we can learn from the wives of yesterday. I love to keep family heritage, so I loved that she tied real recipes, and examples from her own family, into the book. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      Ms. Colon's has written a memoir which mixes her family's history of overcoming difficulty along with struggles she is facing in her own life. I thought she did a nice job of rendering time and place during the Depression and after the end of World War 2. However, while the memoir was pleasant enough reading, I didn't find it particularly engaging or absorbing.
    • 4/5
      Found unemployed with the recent recession, Suzan Colon begins to tighten her budget by digging through her grandmother's old recipes. She embarks on the trail of her family history through the Depression and finds a lot more than some good food to subsist on during these lean times. While this book tended to read more like an extended magazine article (which isn't surprising, given Colon's employment history), the backdrop of Colon's grandmother and her life during the Depression was eloquent and definitely from the heart. The women's voices through the book, Colon's grandmother, mother and herself, allowed me to move through the different time periods rather easily. Tied together by the recipes and food during lean times, this story let me connect to both the nostalgia of the past but the necessity of learning to live within means in the present.
    • 4/5
      I truly enjoyed 'Cherries in Winter', though it read more like an extended magazine piece than a book. The mixture of family history, memoir, and food writing was enjoyable and satisfying. I think this book captured the changing values and changes in lives that many of us have experienced because of the Recession, and I found myself wondering how I would look at this book if I came back to it in 5 or 10 years.
    • 4/5
      I received Cherries in Winter from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. This book is exactly what it professes to be - a partial bit of family history gathered from newspaper clippings, favorite recipes, and memories past. After becoming unemployed, at her mother’s suggestion, Suzan goes through her grandmother’s folder of favorite recipes and learns more than just how to “put up soup,” her family’s expression of what to do when times get tough. Each chapter begins with an original recipe from her grandmother’s folder and the author uses the recipe to compare her current situation to the situations of family members which have proceeded her. It also allows her to remember and record the important aspects of her grandmother and other family members for future generations of the Colón family. I found this to be a well written glimpse into a person’s family history and think everyone should do something similar with his or her own history, before memories and loved ones are lost, and future generations have no past to reflect or build on. I’ve thought of doing this many times for my own family, but haven’t quite gotten past the thinking about it part. I may try some of the recipes, especially the magnetic one for butter cookies that comes with the book and who knows, maybe sometime I’ll look at this book again and become inspired enough to record personal memories for my own family’s future generations.
    • 4/5
      Punished by an economy in turmoil, the newly jobless Suzan Colón turns to a swath of family recipes, long buried in her basement, hoping to find some comfort in hard financial times. She quickly realizes how closely her current challenges parallel those of her predecessors.Childhood tales seam pleasingly into past, future and recipes, a family history powered by food. Already highly relatable in content, Cherries in Winter feels like a worn-in leather armchair, its comfortable manner ensures a steady friendship with any reader who happens along. Her gracefully wrought 'lessons' of economy and cookery, things she learns from her mother and the sheath of unearthed recipes, brim with honest disclosures, both moving and humorous by turn.And the recipes, country cooking polished by necessary economy, glow heartily as only family fare can, from Aunt Nettie's Clam Chowder to Nana's Lemon Meringue Pie, some reprinted in spidery, early-century handwriting and some typed in 50s secretarial style. What Colón uncovers as she endeavors to survive a layoff with grim prospects is that economizing has always been part of her family's heritage.Her message? With strengthened family ties and a few good recipes, anything's possible after you've put up soup. A warm tale of hope and family, Cherries in Winter satisfies.
    • 4/5
      Given what has happened with the economy this past year and the fact that winter is now upon us, I thought that it was a timely read. If anything, I felt that it gave an interesting perspective on the recession and our current economic woes. I have been fortunate to not have struggled personally through the recession because both my husband and I are fortunate enough to have steady jobs in a recession-proof industry. While I'm not taking our jobs for granted, I have to admit that I am not too worried either. Reading about the firsthand experiences of someone who has lost their job as a direct result of the economy was interesting and eye-opening.Unfortunately, I felt that the narrative was quite disjointed. As Ms. Colon flashes back and forth between stories, it took me half the book to figure out the relationships between the main characters and the sequence of events described. In addition, I did not understand the point behind the stories at first. While I eventually realized the reason behind them, I was left confused and detached from them until I did. The lessons behind each story is very subtle, which I found refreshing that Ms. Colon felt that her readers were intelligent enough to not be force-fed the meaning of each story.Speaking of messages, I felt that they were pragmatic and a much-need reminder that life will continue in spite of the economy and that it will even improve again. This is seen by the other generational stories in which they each faced their own crises and survived. Each story was important because it reinforced the idea that you do what you have to do to survive. Through her family's history, Ms. Colon also reminds the reader that no matter how bad things might seem today, our life is still better than what people faced in the Great Depression and even World War I and II. Interspersed throughout the book were a few family recipes. The focus was on comfort foods, which makes sense given that people in distress are in need of comfort. There are one or two that I would love to try, but I was most impressed with the personal aspect of the story that they add. Each recipe includes a picture of the original recipe in either her grandmother's handwriting or hand-typed. These pictures help emphasize the humanity of the story and are more powerful than mere words. At first, my overall impression of the book was that it was too depressing a topic. It was too current and too closely mirrored the nightly news stories we face each and every day. I did not feel as if there was enough distance between the events to allow for the proper perspective. However, upon reflection, I felt that the book itself was not depressing at all. The idea that there is good that comes out of everything bad and the emphasis on human resiliency is important enough to repeat over and over again. There are great lessons to be learned regarding the importance of appearance and how one answer to a simple question can impact your life. Even though Ms. Colon may not be the most sympathetic of main characters (it is hard to feel sympathy for someone who talks about paying $600 for a pair of shoes), I finished the book thankful for my own blessings. That's the best lesson of all.Thank you to the LibraryThing Early Reader program and Doubleday for this review copy!
    • 5/5
      "Cherries in Winter" is a beautiful book about the Suzan Colon's family history throughout different generations. It mixes recipes, with humor and sadness, history, and life lessons all through Colon's life experiences and those of her family. The recipes are simple, yet excellent as comfort food for the hard times. Hearty meatloaf, sweet cookies, savory soups all serve to keep Colon going through life with hope even after losing her dream job. The food leads to memories of her family and tales of strength through love and loss, how life is easier when filled with those that we love.
    • 5/5
      This is a lovely little book and I liked it very much.We, too, use old family recipes that were handed down through generations. Each recipe holds a memory of love, sharing and comfort. I especially liked the family stories that Susan's Nana and Grandpa told her.The "stash of five boxes of cereal which both made sure I never ran out of" ---the idea that five boxes of cereal were waiting in a cupboard in the Bronx-"for me was an incredible comfort." I enjoyed Cherries so much that I am passing it along to my sister-in- law, a great cook!
    • 4/5
      After losing her job due to recession-forced cutbacks, Colon unearths an old family recipe book. Along with economical, sustaining meals, she finds recipes for surviving hard times. No matter how bad times are, attitude is everything, and a little something can be found to nourish the soul with beauty.A quick, enjoyable read, this book includes recipes for both food and life.
    • 3/5
      Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon arrived just as the first snow flakes flew, awakening my appetite for warm comfort food and heartwarming stories. And that is what this book provides - nostalgic recipes and family anecdotes of hope in hard times. Although thin as a memoir (compare Tender at the Bone, a recipe-laden family memoir), this little book focuses on several generations of Colon's family, specifically when money was tight and how the members coped. Colon herself, a victim of the current recession, talks of cutting laundry dryer sheets in half to make the box last longer. But mostly she cooks and bakes. Her finding her grandma's recipe collection, yellowed but legible in the basement, was the imputus for this book written as she copes with the loss of her job. As she says "...sometimes what looked at first like rotten luck turned out to be fate's little crooked smile.". If you want a light read on a chilly, snowy day this book will be perfect for you.
    • 4/5
      This review will be just like the book, short and to the point. This book was simplistic and yet radiated so much warmth from the pages. The recipes and how they were tied into her family's story were so heartfelt. It made you want to cry in some spot and laugh out loud in others. When I finished this book I was left feeling uplifted and inspired. I may even try out a recipe or two on my family. If you're looking for a simple, sweet, heartfelt story this would be a great choice.
    • 4/5
      This slim book, a mere two hundred pages, is filled with tasty slice of life vignettes, interspersed with delectable recipes. The story recounts snippets of the history of five generations of the writer's family. Recipes for life are found while recalling the lessons learned through cooking and sharing love through the generations. Good times and some very lean times are measured by the recipes, from the Great Depression to the current economic recession. This would make a great holiday gift for any member of the family.
    • 3/5
      Suzan Colon lost her job due to the terrible economy in 2008. In her memoir, Cherries in Winter, she describes how she finds comfort and inspiration in her Grandmother’s old notebooks and recipes. Colon’s book is filled with anecdotes of hardships overcome and a positive attitude making all the difference. Each chapter in the book begins with one of her Nana’s recipes.The stories that make up Cherries in Winter are mildly interesting and quaint. It is a little difficult for me to take Colon’s own privation seriously since the job she lost had a six figure salary and her lifestyle was so much more extravagant than my own. Although she is unemployed, her husband is not. But yes, they have to cut back expenses. Her grandmother, who lived through the depression, evokes a little more of my compassion. Yet it is hard (actually, impossible) to believe that Nana remained optimistic and positive throughout all of her experiences. For the most part, the recipes in the book do not appeal to me, and even those that do, don’t seem worth the trouble. Still, it is clear that Suzan Colon admires both her grandmother and her mother, and the stories are told with simplicity and love.
    • 4/5
      This reads a little like sitting in the attic with your best friend going through a box of your great grandma's old recipes, filling her in on the stories that went along with the memories of those dishes. Puzzling over faded hand-writing and laughing at some of the ingredients that haven't seen a store shelf in years. That's the kind of chatty intimacy this slim book has--as well as fabulous recipes. Colon's family has always used the comfort of good, but practical, food to get them through hard times, and that wisdom is no less useful now than it was 50, 75 or 100 years ago. This book leaves you feeling like you just got a big hug from your Grandma right after she's dried your tears and slid a piece of warm cherry pie in front of you. Don't miss out on that!