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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A satisfying serving by Cyndy Salzmann, October 24, 2006
Dying to Decorate by author Cyndy Salzmann, is the first in the Friday Afternoon Club Series. The narrator of the story is a woman named Liz, a stay-at-home mom who writes a newspaper column (think Martha Stewart meets Flylady). The friends in the Friday Afternoon Club, or FAC, get together weekly to get a little R&R from their all-too busy lives. They support each other with fierce devotion, and when one of the members goes AWOL from the club for a few weeks, they go on a rescue mission. The group learns that their friend Lucy, recovering from the deaths in the past year of both her husband and her mother, has slid into a depression. She has also recently inherited an old Civil War style home from an elderly aunt, and the FAC thinks it will be the perfect diversion to nudge Lucy away from her slump. The group determines to have a decorating party/get-away weekend to help restore the lovely old house. Startling discoveries and a secret diary found hidden in the house from Civil War times raise serious questions about the history of Lucy's past relatives. With help from the diary and Lucy's Aunt Bette, the group learns about true strength of character and sacrificial heroism that begins at home.
While the novel isn't a `mystery' in the classic sense, it has great sense of suspense as the story unfolds. Add to that a wonderfully refreshing humor intertwined in a very satisfying story. If that isn't enough, the book includes many wonderful recipes that tie into each chapter. To a book-loving foodie, it's the ultimate in reading. With recipes like Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pot Roast, I'm So Sorry Snickerdoodles, and Liz's Triple Chocolate Pecan Brownies, it's a struggle to decide whether to finish reading or to hit the kitchen to whip up some of the goodies laced throughout the book.
It's a fantastic read all around, and I can't wait for the next installment in the series. Her next book, Crime and Clutter (A Friday Afternoon Club Mystery) is scheduled to be released in April 2007.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dying to read the next in her series. Hilareous, March 14, 2006
In Dying to Decorate, book one in Cyndy Salzmann's Friday Afternoon Club series, one of the group, Liz, unexpectedly inherits a house. The ladies of the club are worried about depressed Liz, mourning the death of her husband and mother. To help her get through the tough time, they volunteer to spend a weekend repainting and wallpapering the house to get it ready to sell. Then they hear rumors about a ghost.
Salzmann turns her humorous eye on cleaning and painting, celebrates the gifts of womanhood as Liz and her friends encourage Lucy, and tackles a mystery. Soon the Friday Afternoon Club ladies realize solving the mystery may reveal things in Lucy's family tree that may make her feel even worse.
The hilarity of the book comes mainly from Liz, the narrator. Liz writes a Martha Stewart-ish newspaper column about gracious living, while her own home is in chaos.
The friends are great characters, Liz, the out of whack advice columnist, Lucy, depressed and lonely, Marina, the take charge policewoman, the quietly perfect Mary Alice, and others. They all bring their strengths to the group, taking turns supporting each other through the trials and joys of motherhood.
Cyndy Salzmann's book is part of a new style of Christian literature called Mom Lit. Mom Lit had been described as Chick Lit with Children. It's a lighthearted style of writing about children and the struggle to handle the joys and problems that go with raising them. The series, The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson may be the best known Mom Lit series. Lori Copeland, long a successful writer of funny historical romances, is calling Stranded in Paradise, her next release, Mom Lit.
Dying to Decorate, is a great example of this sub-genre of Christian fiction. Salzmann is an author and a speaker. She travels all over the country sharing home management tips in her hilarious style.
Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal, Sioux City, Iowa
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BONDING OVER FAITH, MOTHERHOOD, AND CHOCOLATE, September 17, 2006
Though author Cyndy Salzmann claims to be domestically challenged, my mouth was watering from the very first chapter of her debut novel. When I read her recipes for "I'm-So-Sorry Snickerdoodles" and "Double Mocha Frappuccino," I knew I was in good company with the "Friday Afternoon Club!"
This group of six ladies gets together every week to share their ups and downs and bond over faith, motherhood, and chocolate.
One group member, Lucy, has been in a slump of depression, while grieving the recent losses of both her husband and mother. She discovers that she's inherited an old family homeplace, Locust Hill, which was built before the Civil War. Yet the empty mansion is rumored to be haunted and echoes with mystery.
To cheer Lucy's spirits, the FAC girls plan a field trip to spruce the place up. While there, they unlock secrets from Lucy's ancestry, taking readers on a fascinating journey through American history.
Packed with recipes, this book will remind you of the joys of friendship and laughter. I'm ready for the sequel!
-- Christian Women Online Book Buzz
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