Source: Review copy from author
Rating: ★★★★☆
But the horizon of forty was an entirely different perspective. Nearly half her life was already lived. … But perhaps it was inevitable, marking forty with some level of sadness, wistfulness, regret, or anxiety. And surely it was natural, healthy, to examine one’s life now and then.
(from Savoring the Seasons)
Savoring the Seasons is the fourth book in Traci Borum’s Chilton Crosse series. I’ve loved each of the previous installments (see below for links to my reviews of the other books in the series), and this latest was no exception. The novel follows Julia Bentley, who spends nearly every waking moment running Rose’s Bakery — a popular spot in the village of Chilton Crosse — and caring for her 90-year-old father. She doesn’t have time for herself, and she tries not think about whatever dreams she had before she got divorced years ago and returned home to take over the family bakery. But all the things she’s put to the back of her mind come rushing forward when Tristan, the nephew of Chilton Crosse’s biggest gossip, Mrs. Pickering, shows up at the back door of her bakery with the egg delivery.
Julia is immediately attracted to Tristan, and it’s not long before she realizes he feels the same way — which wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that Julia is 40 and Tristan is 29, and she can’t help but be plagued by concerns about the age difference. After all, her strenuous job has her feeling every one of her 40 years. These worries continue to nag at her as their friendship develops and Tristan shares with her the traumatic experience that forced him to reassess his life. Amid preparations for the bakery’s 40th anniversary celebration, Julia begins to come alive, to truly feel happiness, but the fear of finally revealing her own secret to Tristan prevents her from fully embracing that happiness.
I loved Savoring the Seasons, not just because I got to revisit the delightful village of Chilton Crosse and its inhabitants (especially the characters from the previous novels) but also because Julia felt so real to me. Borum does a great job letting readers into the heads of her main characters, and I really felt like I understood Julia, her love for her father and her desire to keep the bakery thriving, and her misgivings about falling in love with a younger man. Even though the book isn’t told from Tristan’s point of view, I felt like I got to know him as well, and it made their story even more endearing.
Savoring the Seasons is a heartfelt novel, and I couldn’t put it down as I watched Julia and Tristan’s relationship grow and Julia find herself in the midst of so much stress and confusion. How do you decide what you truly want to do with your life if you let your fears and obligations take over? How do you take a chance on happiness when there’s always the possibility of being hurt? How do you bring something so fragile out into the open when your neighbors are watching your every move?
Borum makes Chilton Crosse come alive in each of her novels. These people and places seem so real that it’s almost like I’ve met them and been there. There are still villagers whose stories haven’t been told, and I truly hope that Borum plans to write more about them.
Previous reviews:
Disclosure: I received Savoring the Seasons from the author for review.
Diary of an Eccentric 