GENEVA: A MEMOIR BY HER DAUGHTER
Ellen Thompson Shook
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ellen Thompson Shook is a writer, retired interior decorator, and lifelong student of the culinary arts. She and her husband Ray live in Birmingham, Alabama surrounded by copper pots, cast iron pans, and endless shelves of cookbooks.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Ellen Thompson Shook’s Geneva is both the moving story of a fearless, groundbreaking woman, Geneva Jones Thompson - Shook’s mother - and a collection of her most revered recipes.
Geneva was a gifted country cook, and the secrets to unlock her humble but delicious dishes - the recipes for which were once traded and treasured among friends and relatives far and wide - are now unveiled here for all.
From transcending a hardscrabble Depression-era upbringing in rural Alabama to reflecting on the lessons of later life with grace, Geneva is a relatable and delicious tale waiting to be enjoyed.
Praise for Geneva:
“Geneva is a fabulously entertaining read! Ellen Thompson Shook takes us into the last century, telling family stories with charming detail. From the introduction to the last recipe, I was engrossed. Full of her mother’s delectable, one-of-a-kind recipes, Geneva is a southern memoir containing equal parts sweet and spicy, with a generous pinch of humor!”
- Lisa Thomson, author of The Great Escape; A Girl’s Guide to Leaving a Marriage and I Don’t Drink Alone and Other Lies
“Using a galvanized tub to hold the large quantity of fruitcake batter is only one of the food related stories you’ll find in Geneva. A traditional Southern mother who loved to cook big, talk big and love her family with a big heart, you’ll find someone you recognize from your own family within the pages of Ellen Shook’s debut book that is wrapped in a cookbook. These tales of family will have you laughing, wincing and pulling out your measuring cups to recreate her mouthwatering Southern dishes. Weaving tales of humor, tragedy and truth, Shook presents an honest account of growing up in an old-fashioned Alabama home while pursuing her modern goals as an independent woman. Geneva reminds us that no matter how far we roam, our mother’s voice is always in our minds, her recipes are always near, and her ways will never be forgotten.”
- Leslie Anne Tarabella, columnist and author of Exploding Hushpuppies: More Stories from Home
“From the very first page of Ellen Shook’s book Geneva, I became enchanted with the story of her mother and her love for food and family. Ellen’s fluid prose is genuine, honest, and raw and captivated my heart instantly. She made Geneva come alive again and I found myself wishing that I had known her. A soulful book as it reveals a family and its legacy of life lived one day at a time, Geneva will leave you inspired to embrace and remember your own family with the same love and devotion.”
- Kimberly McCole, artist and writer; featured in Where Women Create, Artful Blogging, Prairie Style, Romantic Country, Country Sampler