Heaping Spoonful [Paperback]

Shauna Glenn (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2008

Heaping Spoonful Will Make You Believe in the Power of Starting Over When Claire Hamilton lost her husband to cancer, her self-image shattered overnight. Once a happily married and financially secure mother of two, Claire suddenly finds herself a single parent trying to keep her small bakery running smoothly. While she manages to continue her daily duties as mom, boss, sister and daughter, Claire's anger and inability to move on have her emotionally crippled. Luckily for Claire, the people who love her refuse to stop pushing her to learn to really live-and love-again. Claire's family is impossible to ignore: Lucy, Claire's man-crazy younger sister and employee, prides herself on being blunt and brash, but amazingly loveable. Claire's father is an ex-high school principal who, though he is a great help with the business and his grandchildren, can still make her feel like a teenager. Claire's mother, a southern belle suffering from Alzheimer's, helps Claire most of all by providing her with a surprising gift from her own past. "Heaping Spoonful is a simple story overflowing with meaning. Claire is a brave, young woman-a lot braver than she gives herself credit for-who faces her fears and follows her heart, even when she is unsure where either will lead her. Shauna Glenn's ability to tell a story in a truly candid voice makes her characters as real as your next-door neighbor. Glenn is a lively, creative storyteller-and funny" -Jennifer Nice, San Francisco, California Publisher, Editor and Award-Winning Author "After reading the first three pages of Shauna Glenn's new book, Heaping Spoonful, I sent her a text message telling her I wanted to marry her writing. Glenn is a literary artist. She has an extraordinary way of taking you from the past to the present to develop her characters. From the opening scene, Glenn uses her magic to pull you into the complicated mind of the book's main character as she deals with the

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shauna Glenn is a writer, columnist, wife and mother to four children. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas where she juggles driving kids to soccer practice, returning emails, chasing a two year old boy around the house, and posting on her blog, Is it 5 o'clock yet? . You can visit shaunaglenn.com or email the author at [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (July 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434384535
• ISBN-13: 978-1434384539
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,717,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaping Spoonful will touch your heart and your funny bone, July 28, 2008

By 

M. Worsley "voracious reader and Mom" (Deep in the heart of Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heaping Spoonful (Paperback)

Heaping Spoonful, a first novel by magazine columnist and blog queen Shauna Glenn, is surprisingly funny despite its dark premise.

The story opens with the main character, Claire Hamilton, who has lost her husband to cancer, struggling emotionally in her role as a 30-something widow with two kids and a small business. Her rage erupts in the first scene as she flings a rock into the window of a car that came too close while she jogged. The humor catches up when the driver of the car turns out too be her little sister's new boyfriend and Claire's ex-high-school principal father makes her pay for the window.

Glenn does an amazing job of putting the reader into Claire's roller coaster emotions. The reader feels the boiling anger that keeps Claire from being able to move on in her life emotionally, but is also able to enjoy the often darkly humorous as well as the lovely moments along with Claire. When Claire is scolded by her well-meaning father, the reader suddenly feels like a truant teenager right along with Claire. When Claire's son sleeps in his father's closet on a pile of sweatshirts, the reader's heart aches with Claire.

Claire's mother, an only occasionally lucid woman with Alzheimer's, is touchingly depicted. Her old-fashioned Southern charm comes through during her lucid moments, and her role in helping Claire on her emotional recovery are seamless.

Glenn's characters are very strong, fairly flawed and therefore, incredibly lovable. In particular, Claire's sister, Lucy, is a gem. Glenn's portrayal of the irreverent and irresponsible man-crazy but loving Lucy is wonderful. The unshakable bond of sisters who support and yet still exasperate each other shines through their interactions. Even less central characters leave a big impact. Case in point, Mrs. Sugarman, the well-meaning elderly socialite who anonymously helps put Claire's bakery on the map and then plays cupid as well. Similarly, Claire's restaurant manager, Ben, manages to creep stealthily into the reader's heart as his quiet strength and business skill joins with Lucy's enthusiasm to take Claire's neighborhood bakery to the next level.

As a mother, Claire's interactions with her young children as they too attempt to cope with the reality of their altered existence and their Mother's unhappiness makes the story all the more appealing to parents. The reality of being left entirely alone in what one expected to be the partnership of parenting and having to start all over again is a hidden fear in many of us parents. Glenn manages to avoid the cliché of a moral and asexual widow and instead gives us a very real, desperately hurt and yet still sexual being who is trying to find her way.

Claire's attempts to break back into dating and sex are comically bungled, and leave her even more confused and emotionally troubled. From torrid ill-planned sex with a completely inappropriate man to the perfectly planned but badly executed relationship with a near perfect man, Claire can't seem to get it right. It is only when Claire finally gets what she thinks she really wants, that she realizes what she really needs. The surprising twist at the end was quirky and unexpected, but it will leave the reader feeling almost giddy, albeit in a "...and they lived happily ever after" sort of way.

Each of the characters lend their own form of support to the seemingly fraying fabric of Claire's life. As the story comes to a close, the underlying theme of the importance of friends and family is clear. Any reader who has survived a dark or difficult patch will recognize that regardless of our individual strength, it is essential to have loved ones to prop us up, hold us close, and ultimately kick us in the pants when we most need it.

All in all, Heaping Spoonful is a moving and engaging story, full of honest, funny, and tender moments. You will enjoy the ride.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fabulous!, July 28, 2008

By 

Jeaniece Mukherjee (Fort Worth, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heaping Spoonful (Paperback)

What a wonderful, uplifting story! I couldn't put it down. Shauna Glenn has a way with words that makes the reader feel personally involved with each character. I found myself wishing for more pages.

A truly GREAT story and fabulous read!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first of many greats by Shauna Glenn, July 30, 2008

By 

Patrick Allan Meyer "C.Meyer" (Ft. Worth, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heaping Spoonful (Paperback)

Main character, Claire, is such a strong and insightful person you can't help but be hopeful throughout the book that all will work out well! Even though your heart breaks sometimes for what she is experiencing, you get the feeling that she is and will be stronger than she thinks she is. It is a fantastic read and wonderfully funny too!