The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

 The Divine Proverb of Streusel

Book Summary

Shaken by her parents' divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle's farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She'll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.

Among her late grandmother's belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town's history, her ancestors--and her estranged father.

What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured--with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.

My Thoughts

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold has Nikki Werner looking for a connection to her family’s past.  I like the premise of the story.  It would be intriguing to find an old notebook belonging to my grandmother filled with recipes and proverbs.  I was not, though, a fan of Nikki.  I found her immature.  She is a woman in her twenties who is a schoolteacher, but she acted like a teenager.  Her boyfriend acted juvenile as well.  I loved Aunt Emma.  She is a lively, spunky woman.  Wes was also a good character.  I liked seeing his growth and enjoyed his interactions with Aunt Emma.  The story moves at a slow pace with it being particularly sluggish in the middle.  I like how faith is woven throughout the story (it is never preachy). 

The development of the characters was good.  The plot is predictable (it was easy to envisage how the story would end).  The romance between two of the middle-aged characters was sweet (preferred it to the younger characters romance).  There are descriptions of various German dishes (brought back memories of my childhood growing up in German Village).  I like the fact that Nikki invited people to the farmhouse for them to try out the dishes and it enabled her to learn more about her family’s history.  There are aspects of the story I enjoyed and others that I did not.  So, The Divine Proverb of Streusel is a mixed bag for me.  

The Divine Proverb of Streusel is available from Amazon*.  To see if The Divine Proverb of Streusel is your type of story, I suggest you download a sample. Sara Brunsvold's other novel is The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip.  Thank you for stopping by today.  I will return on Tuesday, January 23 with Their Inseparable Bond by Jill Weatherholt.  I hope that you have a relaxing weekend.  Take care and Happy Reading

Kris

The Avid Reader

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