Friday, October 21, 2022

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of An Open Door by Anne Leigh Parrish, Served with Three Favorite Recipes for Deviled Eggs

Happy Aloha Friday! I am happy to be today's stop on a new novel by Anne Leigh Parrish, An Open Door. Accompanying my review are links to three favorite deviled eggs recipes, inspired by my reading.

Publisher's Blurb:

It’s 1948 and the freedom granted women by the Second World War is gone. Edith Sloan, earning her doctorate, is told by her law student husband to cancel her academic plans. His bright future requires a certain kind of wife: one in the kitchen making dinner for important guests. Frustrated and defiant, Edith leaves him but returns when his begging letters become too much. Trapped by marriage and her husband’s ambition, Edith struggles to find her footing and the means to her own survival.

Paperback: 270 Pages

Publisher: Unsolicited Press (October 4, 2022)

My Review:

I have reviewed several books by Anne Leigh Parrish over the last few years; poetry, short stories, novellas and enjoy her character-driven stories. I don't always like or even relate always to her characters, but they are always interesting. An Open Door is set in 1948, about three years after WWII, and Edith Sloan is on a "break" from her marriage to husband Walter. Edith has been staying with her aunt in New York City while Walter is getting his law degree at Cambridge. Edith was getting her doctorate when Walter returned from the war and wanted her instead to be a housewife and support him and be the kind of wife a rising young lawyer needs to get ahead. Edith  likes the freedom of living with her aunt, working and reading as she pleases but eventually, after a brief affair, she returns to Walter full of guilt. When that life isn't enough for her, she gets involved in owning a bookstore, mostly financed by the husband of a couple in their social orbit. 

An Open Door is about being a woman in the time after the war when the men returned and woman were expected to give up jobs and independence and be cast back into the home. Edith fights against this and wants the ability to find her own place in life and it is interesting to watch her grow and find her place. It's a quiet little book but it kept me engaged. Although nothing is really buttoned up at the end, I have hope that Edith is able to carve out a fulfilling life. 

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Author Notes: Anne Leigh Parrish lives in a forest in the South Sound Region of Washington State. She is the author of the moon won't be dared; a winter night; what nell dreams; maggie's ruse; the amendment; women within; by the wayside; what is found, what is lost; our love could light the world; and all the roads that lead from home. 

Find her online at anneleighparrish.com.

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There is food to be found in An Open Door, but unfortunately I didn't write any of it down! It was a crazy week. I remember spaghetti, and tea sandwiches, nuts, and I believe a roast. For my bookish dish, I decided to make deviled eggs which is something that Edith orders from a local restaurant for her drinks and visit with her aunt, her aunts friend and her son. I always love good deviled eggs so here are three recipes that are perfect for drinks and appetizers any time. 

 Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs inspired by Good Housekeeping   


Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs with Capers and Dill Adapted from D'Lish Deviled Eggs by Kathy Casey 


 

 Curried Deviled Eggs By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen  


Note: A review copy of "An Open Door" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.  

You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and learn what other reviewers thought about the book below.

 
Review Tour Schedule

Monday, October 3rd: @whatlizziereads
Monday, October 3rd: @spaceonthebookcase
Wednesday, October 5th: BookNAround
Thursday, October 6th: @thebphiles
Friday, October 7th: @abduliacoffeebookaddict23
Monday, October 10th: Girl Who Reads
Tuesday, October 11th: @mom_loves_reading
Wednesday, October 12th: @suzylew_bookreview
Thursday, October 13th: @fashionablyfifty
Friday, October 14th: Kahakai Kitchen
Monday, October 17th: @lindahamiltonwriter on TikTok
Tuesday, October 18th: Bookchickdi
Wednesday, October 19th: @nurse_bookie
Wednesday, October 19th: Books, Cooks, Looks
Thursday, October 20th: @pickagoodbook
Thursday, October 20th: @tammyreads62
Monday, October 24th: Bibliotica
Tuesday, October 25th: @cmtloveswineandbooks
Wednesday, October 26th: @wovenfromwords
Thursday, October 27th: Run Wright

 

1 comment:

  1. Deb, I enjoyed reading your review and think that I would enjoy reading this book. The deviled eggs with the salmon and capers look good to me!

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