ISBN-13: 9780425239957
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Published: April 2011
368 pgs
Source: Publisher
I love reading books about relationship; be it a romance, friendship or the tie within a family. Thus when I received a pitch from the publisher to review Slow Dancing on Price's Pier, I didn't hesitate because this book seems to have all the elements I mentioned above.
Set in Newport, Rhode Island, Slow Dancing on Price's Pier tells a story of a young woman named Thea Celik and her relationship with the two Sorensen's brothers - Jonathan and Garret, and how a hasty decision she made years ago has led to complications within the Sorensen's household.
Thea knew the two brothers when they were in their teens; they were the best of friends and she would seek refuge at the Sorensens' house after she has learnt of her parents' plan about moving back to Turkey. Sue, the mother of the Sorensen's brothers, will always comfort and lend her support to her and this made Thea feels like she is part of the Sorensen's family. And though she likes the two brothers, it is always Garret she is thinking about. Needless to say, they began to fall in love but unlike Jonathan, who is quiet and sensible, Garret loves the attention from other girls and this has caused Thea to have doubts about him, as well as their relationship. Thereafter, everything seems to go downhill and Thea ended up with Jonathan.
Fifteen years later, Thea became a coffee shop owner and she has a ten-year-old girl named Irina. Thea is navigating through a divorce as she struggles to keep her life at peace while she tries to find the balance between her business and her daughter. Unfortunately, her wish to finding peace is ruined when Garret returns home to Newport to restore his relationship with his brother and his family after learning about Thea's and his brother's divorce. And most of all, it brings back all the memories of the past but yet the more they try to keep a distance away from each other, the more they are drawn together. Is history repeating itself? Thea doesn't want to let go of the Sorensens but if she and Garret are back together, it would tear the whole family apart and this time around there would be no turning back.
First off, I have to say Slow Dancing on Price's Pier is a wonderful story of self discovery, second chances and forgiveness. Though the plot may sound common and a cliché to readers, it is the characterisations that what makes this story stands out. Lisa Dale has a way of writing that makes you feel for the characters as they go through their emotions. But that is not all, I also loved it that Lisa included bits of the coffee bean history and culture before every chapter (through a paper column written by Thea) which I find it interesting and informative. Here is an example (Pg 23):
From "The Coffee Diaries"
by Thea Celik
Coffee is the official and unofficial drink of friendship in many cultures.
In Ethiopia, the coffee ceremony is a fundamental rite of friendship. To be invited to a coffee ceremony is a sign of honor and respect. Guests drink three cups with their hosts and by the third cup, it's said they are friends.
Coffee plays such a big part in that country that it has infiltrated the language. "I don't have someone to have coffee with" means "I don't have close friends." Mothers warn their children, "Don't let your name be mentioned at coffee time."
Sometimes the age of coffee corporations and flavour crystals can make it feel like coffee has lost its connotations of friendship. But the connection between coffee and friendship persists.
Look around and you'll see old men drinking coffee and talking shop at the countertops of sleepy diners. Women smiling and pausing for coffee between errands, chatting with a friend in the line.
Coffee has been bringing people together for centuries. And as the coffee business grows, so too do our conversations over coffee, whether they are meaningless and silly or the most important moments in our lives.
Well I am not a heavy coffee drinker (I am more of a tea drinker, genmai tea to be specific), but reading these excerpts about coffee has definitely made me want to be one. Are you enjoying your cup of coffee now?
To save money, Ma made many of my clothes herself, even though she couldn't do it very well, so I had on a home-sewn shirt while the other kids were wearing cool T-shirts with English sayings like "Remember to Vote."
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