A Book Club Recommendation! - The Sweetness of Forgetting

Not at all what I expected. Very contrived and found myself skipping over huge sections just to get the end. It's actually insulting to read about the subject matter trivialized. There are so many other books to read that have substance and treat the subject with the dignity it deserves.

With a story based on the holocaust , a single mother struggling with a failing family business and a recalcitrant daughter , thus book had a lot of promise. But the writing is boring , too many characters make an appearance and the story just doesn't work. This was my first book of this author and I'm not trying again

With a story based on the holocaust , a single mother struggling with a failing family business and a recalcitrant daughter , thus book had a lot of promise. But the writing is boring , too many characters make an appearance and the story just doesn't work. This was my first book of this author and I'm not trying again

Reading books has always been a hobby of my wife. When she had breast cancer a few years ago, she began to read even more because her mind needed an escape. It's not easy, however. It seems that every single book she reads today has a character that dies from breast cancer. It infuriates her. This trend of using a cliche martyr character that dies from breast cancer in every single novel geared toward an adult female audience has to stop. Not only is it trite and unoriginal, it is a constant reminder of a dark time in the lives of many women who read drivel like this.

Books like this should come with a warning on the cover that says "WARNING. THE AUTHOR HAS NO CREATIVITY AND THEREFORE WILL KILL OFF A CHARACTER VIA BREAST CANCER." We will probably never get our money back on this one, but we'll try.

not a very interesting adult fairy tale. very limited stuff to work on and author has decided to expound on so many issues primarily to fill time or lengthen the book. thoroughly predictable. for the most part the characters are unsympathetic. minor characters are too stereotypical.

I read this right after finishing The Nightingale, not realizing that this story was tied to WW2. I love historical fiction, so I likely wouldn't have minded, but this was awful. Easy to read, yes, but I just kept feeling like I was watching a bad Lifetime movie. I got so tired of the main character thinking to herself about what a failure she was and how she always messed things up and how hard her daughter was to figure out and how disappointing she is to herself. It got old fast. The plot itself is sweet enough, but as a whole, I wouldn't recommend this to a friend.

I found the story was written poorly. The characters were made out of cardboard. The story was not possible. However, I believe the intent of the story line was good. It was just not put together in a realistic way.

I wanted to like this book but I really did not enjoy it at all. The plot is ridiculous, the characters are four generations of selfish, un-likeable women and it is predictable on every level. I have purchased more than 50 Kindle books this year and this was the most disappointing one of all.

The premise of this book was interesting but the unlikely coincidences and the poorly developed characters detracted from my enjoyment.

Jody Picoult's book The Storyteller is on a similar topic and so much more genuine. Interesting coincidence that the main characters in both these books work in bakeries

It's been a year and a half since I last gave a book a 4.0+. It was Rachael Herron's Splinters of Light. And before that it was July of 2015 when I gave my first 4.0+. That one was Goodnight June, by Sarah Jio. I've also got 12-4.5s and 13-4.25s (the link is on the bottom of this post, in case you want/care to see those). Well, I've got another 4.0+, which now makes a total of 28 all-time favorites. This one shouldn't be a big surprise because I've just read 2 other books by this author, and they were both 4/4! But it was a surprise to me because it was published in 2012, before the other 2 hit the bookshelves. In case you haven't figured it out yet, it's Kristin Harmel. And it's called The Sweetness of Forgetting. I just absolutely loved this book.

Are you ready for the blurb? Well, I'm not giving it to you. Why, you ask? Have I become (even more) curmudgeonly in my advancing age? Maybe. But that's not the reason I'm holding off this time. There are so many different elements to this book that I want you to experience them the way I did - cold turkey. It just so happens that I never read the synopsis of a book before I read it. I want to be surprised. But as you also know, I usually post the recap in my reviews. And I certainly can't prevent you from checking it out before you start reading. In this case, I hope you would consider trusting me that the less you know beforehand, the greater the impact will be.

So is that the end of the review? One in which I have told you nothing? Okay, I will throw you a bone or two. Here are a few hints as to what you will read about in Sweetness:

1. Family-owned bakery (with recipes)
2. Alzheimers
3. Germany-occupied France in WWII
4. Divorce
5. True Love
6. Romance (different from true love)
7. 4 generations
8. Emotional lock-down
9. Religious collaboration
10. Discovery - of all kinds

This doesn't take into account the enormous amount of tears (real ones, not baby ones), chills, head-shaking, shoulder-slumping, eye-opening, expletive-yelling, and even some laughing, that I exhibited throughout. It also doesn't factor in just how gosh-darn well the book is written. Some of the passages are flat-out amazing.

What I am hoping will happen is that this blog post will open up a discussion about the book. Maybe we can do an online something (I am not too tech-savvy). Or maybe we can exchange comments. But even if none of that happens, I do hope you will read The Sweetness of Forgetting. I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that I did.

So the only reason I could not give this book a 5 was because of the teenager in it. Annie. Whenever she spoke, she used the word like. It went like this, "So, like, I was outside and like, I saw this boy, and like, he was so awesome." Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Teenagers do NOT speak like this. I know, because I have one. Maybe some do, but the ones I've been around have a full brain when they speak, and that's if they bother looking up from their phones. I had to skip Annie's sentences, so I might have missed a large chunk of the book. I did catch when she behaved like a total brat though, and this is true. Girls can be brats. I have one. Not a teenager, but she behaves like one. So far, she doesn't say like after every other word, praise chocolate.

ANYWAY.

The book is about Hope. Hope is the mother of Annie. Hope really should be telling Annie to knock it off with all the likes, but she doesn't. Some old people in the book do, and I cheered, but Annie still did it. Ugh.

Hope has a grandmother named Rose, who has Alzheimers. She's not lucid much anymore but when she is, she says things that don't make sense to Hope. It turns out Rose wants Hope to find out what happened to her family. You see, Rose escaped France when the German soldiers came through trying to round up all the Jewish people. Rose had a family, and wants to know if they survived.

Rose also had a lover. Did he survive?

Despite Annie's annoying speech, this book kept me intrigued. I wanted to know who survived. I couldn't imagine living back then and having your family rounded up and taken to concentration camps.

I have a couple of books by Kristin Harmel on my bookshelves but I've never read anything by her before. If all of her books are as touching as this one was, then I can't wait to read them.

This was such an emotional book--both happy and sad. I have always been drawn to Holocaust stories. My grandfather was Jewish and while I was not raised in any religion, I have always found myself interested in this period in history. I've done reports on the tragedy when I was in school and I've read tons of books on the subject- both fact and fiction. So I knew right away that I wanted to read this book. I've also always loved a good love story and this one was heartbreakingly beautiful. So I pretty much devoured this book. I couldn't put it down.

The background that Hope finds out about Mamie was just fascinating and engrossing. I was just so drawn into her past life. But then the current life of the three women, Mamie, Hope, and Annie, was just so real, in a sad way. Yet the book was heartwarming at the same time.

It slightly reminded me of a Nicholas Sparks book but with a intriguing history to it. This book was just what I needed right then and I adored it.

Hope McKenna- Smith finds herself buried in stress; she has recently divorced and her daughter is blaming her for the breakup. She moved back home to Cape Cod to care for her mother who was dying of cancer and to care for her grandmother who has Alzheimer's disease. She has taken over the running of the family bakery and finds that she is about to lose the business if she doesn't find an investor or some ready cash soon.

With all of this on her shoulders a visit to her grandmother presents her with information that will rock the foundations of her life. She visits and finds her grandmother having a very lucid day and is asked to go to Paris to find out what happened to the people on a list. Who are these people? Her grandmother's family - taken by the Nazi's in WWII. Hope finds out that her grandmother is not a French Catholic immigrant but rather a Jewish girl smuggled out during the war. Her whole history changes in the course of a single conversation. What will she find in Paris? Should she even go?

What follows is a very moving story of one woman's search for who she really is and why the women in her family seem unable to love. As the horrors of the German occupation of Paris unfold for its Jewish citizens small miracles occur in the least likely places. And it's the bakery and the family recipes that help to lead Hope to answers she needs. The story was fascinating and I found myself racing to the end to find out how it would play out. I think these types of stories need to be told and told again so we, as a society don't forget the horror of Hitler's regime.

The characters were, for the most part believable. The only one that really irked me was Hope's daughter. This character seemed forced. Every other word out of her mouth was "like" and her attitude was too over the top rotten. Maybe teenagers are like this now, I don't know but every time she entered the story I cringed. The romance aspects were good and simple and just right. I enjoyed the tale and it had a great ending.

I first seen this book advertised on Goodreads. I was attracted to the cover on the book, which is what drew me to click on the advertisement. I thought the story sounded interesting and so I purchased it. I LOVE how there are recipes throughout the chapters, which are reflected within the story line. I've only made one of the recipes so far and it was delicious! I think the recipes add a special touch of character to the book and helps reflect the meaning of the bakery and the family line. I love that the Star Pie was saved for last.

The only thing I do not care for is the changing of fonts between Rose's point of view and Hope's point of view. I would prefer one set font throughout a book.

The Sweetness Of Forgetting is a sweet story about many generations of a family and what each person is going through and how everything impacts the others. Rose was raised in a completely different world and kept many secrets in order to get away from the horrible times of the Holocaust. Hope learns of everything, along with Annie, and it helps to bring a new perspective into their lives. It is a sad story that makes you think of all the things someone from that time had gone through and all these years later what they are still going through mentally and emotionally, and how that carries on through the generations of each family member. The story has history, romance, and all of the everyday drama of a divorced mom and a preteen daughter. The ending was just perfect. I would definitely recommend The Sweetness Of Forgetting!

The Sweetness of Forgetting' is an immensely sad yet also beautiful love story that spans decades and generations

'The Sweetness of Forgetting' is a powerful piece of both contemporary and historical storytelling that does not gloss over the hardships of losing family, love and everything you have ever known about yourself. Yet there is also a hopeful side to the story as the characters within discover it is never too late to turn things around and focus on what is truly important in life; your own happiness.

The novel tells the story of three generations of strong women: Rose who came to America from France during WWII and founded the North Star Bakery using the sweets and pastries from her youth in Paris as an inspiration, her granddaughter Hope who is currently running the bakery and is trying to cope with her recent divorce and the loss of her mother, and Hope's daughter Annie who at 12 years of age is wise beyond her years and plays a central role in the family and the running of the bakery.

Rose is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and is often confused when receiving visitors, but one clear moment she presents Hope and Annie with a list consisted of seven names. Rose explains that the people on the list are her family and she wants Hope to go to Paris to find out what has happened to them. As all the people on the list have the last name Picard and Rose's maiden name is Durand, Hope initially thinks the list was written during a moment of confusion and disregards it as not important. But as her daughter and a family friend insist it's worth looking into, she soon uncovers a family secret that has been hidden for decades and which may not only change what she knows about Rose but also what she has always known and thought about herself.

Because of the book's cute cover I expected the story to be along the lines of Jenny Colgan's recent novels; a sugar sweet chick-lit filled with delicious recipes. And while there's certainly plenty of mentions of delicious baked goods in Kristin Harmel's novel - with instructions on how to recreate them in your own kitchen - as well as a blossoming romance, the main story is much more reminiscent of Jojo Moyes' touching and intriguing storytelling.

'The Sweetness of Forgetting' is an immensely sad yet also beautiful love story that spans decades and generations, while uncovering the history of a little known form of resistance during WWII. Hope's discovery of Rose's time hiding in Paris was certainly not something I was familiar with but it is an extraordinary piece of history and reading about it gives me hope that there were, and are, genuinely good people out there who take care of others regardless of religion or status.

While the book had me on the verge of tears for most of the final chapters the beautiful story of courageous people selflessly helping strangers left me with a warm feeling in my heart as I turned the final page. Besa, indeed.

Hope McKenna-Smith has a lot on her plate and life just hasn't turned out the way she dreamed it would be. A single mom of a teenage daughter, she is struggling to keep her inherited bakery in Cape Code going. She also is busy taking care of her grandmother, Mamie, who is suffering from Alzheimer's.

Hope is at her limit both physically and mentally. The one thing she has going for her is the delicious recipes she uses at her bakery. Mamie brought these over from France during WWII and offer up more than she could imagine.

One day during a visit to her grandmother, she gives Hope a list of strangers names to look up in Paris. She decided that Mamie seemed lucid enough and she could use a meaningful adventure. After-all, what does she have to lose?

As Hope struggles to uncover Mamie's past, she is taken on an emotional journey filled with horrific events of the holocaust, grief, true love, family secrets, and eventually finds herself.

This is a Touching Read filled with life-lessons both past and present that we all can learn from.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book to help facilitate my review. The opinions expressed above are my own.

Can I just start by saying that it is because of books like this one that I am a book blogger? It is books like this one by Kristin Harmel, who I now love, that bring out my ultimate passion for submerging myself in a story. I opened this book and I might as well have found a buried treasure. I found so many intricate details and stories within the story that I did not expect from my first glance. The words are so fluid and it almost makes me feel like writing something extraordinary myself. Wow! I definitely cannot wait for more from this author!

The story starts us with Hope McKenna-Smith who is a divorced thirty-six year old who owns a quaint little bakery called North Star Bakery and also has a very bratty and somewhat hormonal daughter. Her life has "put her out in the street" so to say, and she has been having a rough time trying to make ends meet as far as paying her bills and maintain a somewhat stable relationship with her daughter, Annie. Little does Hope know that things are about to change for her. She is about to go on possibly the most thrilling adventure of her life. You have already gone to the store to buy a copy of this book right? I knew you would.

My heart constantly went out to Hope. She had recently lost her mother to breast cancer, suffered a rather hideous divorce, her relationship with her daughter is suffering, her grandmother is suffering from dementia, and she does not make enough money to make her loan payments on time. From the start I gathered that Hope was a survivor! And by this I mean that she had survived all this mess that I previously listed, as if that isn't enough, and still pushes through even on her worst day. I know that this character can sometimes be written with a little too much cliché, if you get my drift. But Hope's character was only the work of a mastermind. I could sense Hope's fear and her desire to throw the towel in on her life. She had reached a breaking point and I could almost feel her crashing down. But remember Hope is a survivor and she isn't done surviving yet!

A few chapters into the story we meet Rose who is Hope's grandmother. Rose is suffering from a severe case of dementia. Rose has served as a mother figure to Hope for most of her life because Hope remembers her mother as being cold and reserved most of the time. Rose presents a challenge for Hope and basically asks her to uproot her life in order to go to Paris and find some relatives who suffered during the Holocaust. Rose, on a good day, remembers her past and wants some answers as to what ever happened to her family. Hope is faced with a huge struggle. She is about to lose her bakery and her grandmother has just asked her to take off to Paris to find people that may not even have any existing records and no way to know what may of happened to them.

Hope's journey is the best part. Parts of the story are told from the perspective of Rose and they allow you to see more clearly into Rose's life before coming to America. Let me tell you to have your box of Kleenex ready. I was so touched by the testimonies of Rose and by the discoveries that Hope makes. This book takes two generations of women and allows one to help the other to find some closure and peace in her current state of life. I would recommend it to anyone! Such a compelling story that led me to deeper analyze my own life.

***A HUGE thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with my own copy of this book, in which I will cherish forever***

I have a young teen daughter. I am the primary caretaker for my grandmother, who has dementia. I recently lost my mother. These are three major themes in this novel which made it resonate so strongly with me. Reading a novel that contains hard and serious issues in your current circumstances is sometimes no picnic. But Kristin Harmel somehow made it seems as if a friend who is experiencing what I am is just conversing with me.

And if you don't have a teen daughter, you certainly were once a teen daughter (assuming you're a woman). If you've never quit law school to support your husband, as protagonist Hope McKenna-Smith did, to support her husband whom she's recently divorced, and then moves back to her hometown to run her family's bakery, you've likely had some sort of career or personal identity confusion, be it a major change in college or the transition from working woman to stay-at-home mom.

I haven't read any of Kristin Harmel's novels, so I don't know if she seeks to connect with her reader, but that's the way I read this novel.

BUT aside from all that, this novel is a wonderful suspenseful romance that spans a generation. As her grandmother's memory and health declines, she begins calling Hope's daughter Annie "Lenore." No one knows who Lenore is, and Mamie isn't saying. On a rare crystal-clear day, Mamie gives Hope a list of her family members, and tells her to go to France to find them. Hope doesn't know anything about her grandmother's life at this time, only that she met her husband in Europe during the war, and came to America with him at that time.

The second half of the novel is full of family secrets revealed and first love and lasting love, and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough to finish.

This book was amazing! I was immediately swept up into the story that spans 70 years and carried along until the conclusion where all Rose’s secrets are exposed. The emotions were heartfelt and the location descriptions made you feel like you were there. The recipes are very tempting as well.

This is the first time I’ve read this author. She is a very talented writer. I look forward to reading other books by her.

As I write this review, I find myself overwhelmed in how to describe "The Sweetness in Forgetting" by Kristin Harmel. It is such an amazing read and there are so many aspects of the story that I want to share, that I feel entirely incapable of doing it justice.

The book cover and the synopsis, give you the feeling that this is a just another story of a divorced single mother going through "stuff " and, would not have ever been a book I would be interested in if not recommended by author, Sarah Jio. In this case, please don't judge a book by it's cover, although it is beautiful, it is not a good representation of the novel.

This is a love story but one of great magnitude and on so many levels...For your fellow man, mother for a child, between man and a woman, for traditions, for family, for your hometown, for the legacies left to you by generations previous and for your faith.

It is a story of overcoming the odds and yet losing yourself in the past. It is a story of horrific tragedy and one of sweet saving grace.

Words cannot describe the impact this book had on me. I learned so much and it gave me a great many things to really reflect upon....all the makings for a great novel.

There are many books out there that combine hearty recipes with a quaint story of love and life, but The Sweetness of Forgetting is so much more than that. I have to tread carefully here to ensure I don't give anything away, but rest assured that this tale is well worth reading. Hope is your everyday woman; worried about what her life has become and whether she is a good mum, but beneath the surface there is more than just a secret, there is an entire world she doesn't know about that could slip away at any moment as her grandmother's memory fades.

You'll catch yourself smiling, crying and laughing as the story reveals itself, but you will also learn a great deal. In addition to all of this, as if we weren't already in love with the book, each chapter opens with a sumptuous recipe that makes your mouth water just thinking about it. Yet another beautiful story to add to my shelf of favourites!

Reviewed by Elizabeth Wright on behalf of BestChickLit.com.

I LOVED this book. I read it after seeing a blurb about it in People magazine, and boy am I happy that I did! I live in the northeast, and this book was mostly set here, with a detour to Paris and NYC. I really enjoy well-written books that take place in familiar places. Where to begin? MINOR SPOILER - this book reminded me of Sarah's Key, but less sad, more personal and much better developed. Hope was a well developed character, and it made the book more meaningful that the story of the book had a very personal impact on her life. The book is a mystery, and it unfolded perfectly. The author gave just enough at every step to make it a page turner, but without the common (and terrible) huge end reveal, which often feels forced and ruins an otherwise great book. I don't want to give much away, but this is a tearjerker, and tells a wonderful story of family, loss, and the Holocaust. It is an easy, engaging read, and I would highly recommend it.

The message of this book is one of hope found through love and family. It's beautifully written and teaches you how even in the darkest events, moments of happiness and hope can be found. A story of a generation of women who have been affected by the Holocaust. You don't just move on from a tragedy of that magnitude, but with the help of strangers, a happy ending can be found even after this event.

Hope is living a life she doesn't want to be. Divorced, running a bakery instead of practicing law, Hope has to find strength that she never knew she possessed. With the help of her daughter and a guy who she can't quite let in, Hope is led on a journey into her Mamie's past that ultimately helps a sad story come to a much better conclusion.

Kristin has done it again, only this time even better! This is a great summer read, or fall, winter or spring, for that matter. She weaves an interesting storyline in a pleasant manner and easy read. It's a journey that you want to take for the full ride, but be prepared to relive some of your own family memories as you journey along with her memorable characters. Her writing has an elegant flow and the characters capture you from the moment of introduction. I've read other Harmel books and am happy to report that her writing is only getting better and better. Will continue to follow her and expect more great reads ahead!

Loved this book. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. I stayed up almost all night reading. I just couldn't put it down. Also, I wish there was a real bakery where I could buy all the great-sounding goodies!

I'd give this 3.5 stars.
I thought this book was chicklit. I did not know it was about the Holocaust so reading it was a little like taking a big gulp of orange juice when you thought you were getting milk. What?!

This was a good, heart-wrenching story about the lengths some will go in the name of love. However, I thought at times it was a little corny, syrupy and redundant and that's why it got 3.5 stars, not 4 or 5. I also had a hard time connecting with some of the characters, I really wish I cared a little more.

The Sweetness of Forgetting is a bitter-sweet love story anchored by three strong women: Hope, a mother running a struggling bakery and caring for her family, Hope's grandmother Mamie, whose fall into Alzheimer's reveals mysteries of the past and her heart, and Hope's defiant teenage daughter Annie, who is determined to make her mom pay for protecting herself from emotional pain. The story weaves the stories together in a fluid stream of emotional vulnerability. It's one of those stories that ambushes you when you least expect it, since you, the reader, may be emulating Hope's survival schemes. When Grandma Mamie, in an unexpected moment of lucidity, asks Hope to go to Paris to find her family lost during the Holocaust, Hope must choose between her deep allegiance to Mamie and her obligation to her business and daughter. She bravely goes to Paris and learns that the Mamie she thought she knew all her life is really someone she cannot recognize. Hope learns that the real Mamie was a most courageous and loving woman doing what she must to survive the horrors of the Holocaust. Echoes of the theme -- the joy of love is worth suffering emotional pain -- run through all three women and bring love to them in the end. It's a beautiful story with a beautiful message.

I simply LOVED this book. If you want to read about a life journey with unexpected twists and turns that comes down to finding out who someone truly is...you found it here. My heart went out to Hope who goes through so much in this story and continues to hold her head up and keep treading water. The story grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let me go till I finished every last word of her journey. So very glad I ran across this book! Buy it, your soul will forever be touched!

SOME INTENSE READING FOR FICTION. just as I was almost bored with the main characters self pity the story took on an adventure and some mystery. Then some history lessons while creating a great love story that will make you cry. There is some blatant false beliefs about GOD and religion but that is typical of everyone who doesn't know Him. they make Him out to be the perfect human. BUT it adds to the gooey part of FICTION that all is good and ends well. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. My mother suffers from dementia, so I could relate to the feelings of the main character when dealing with her grandmother's "good" and "bad" days. I've also spent many years on the Cape, so I enjoyed the setting. I thought the premise was great. Imagine discovering a completely different family history than the one you grew up believing? What feelings of loss would you feel? What would you feel you'd gained? I've read other books by this author and I'm glad she's been able to branch out into another genre. I think you'll like this book (and the food)!

A very nice story about a granddaughter helping her aging grandmother with a last task before she falls into alzheimer's and can no longer remember her past. While doing so, she learns about her grandmother's true identity and therefore her own and she finds out that perhaps, true love does exist. Held my attention throughout, though it got a tad slow toward the end.

Quite honestly, I have read so many holocaust survivor stories that the genre has lost its appeal (that is not to say that I think we should ever forget such atrocities; evil prevails when good men/people do nothing). However, the narrative had different layers and substories, so the plot line was really engaging and worked. I recommend this book highly, enjoy.

This is the kind of story that stays with you long after you're done reading it. It is by far one of the most beautiful books I have ever read and I know I will read and reread it over and over again.

I'm so glad to have found this book!! I usually don't enjoy reading anything that has to do with the Holocaust, but this was done so tastefully that I did not upset me. The characters were wonderfully interwoven and developed.
The mystery and the plot kept me reading whenever I had a chance. Could not put it down. Looking forward to reading other books by this author.

The Sweetness of Forgetting is a great book about the way our choices can affect future generations. Rose's decisions trickled down to her granddaughter Hope. Hope's journey through her grandmother's heartwrenching past changes her and lets her know it's ok to follow the road less traveled. She is finally able to stand up to her ex husband and as she learns about the past each new piece of information adds appreciation for her heritage and the rich history of her family.

It's a beautiful story with excellent writing. I read it in two nights because I simply couldn't put it down. I might have stayed up even later to finish reading it the first night if my Kindle battery hadn't run out 70% of the way through the book.

I absolutely loved this book, devouring it in two sittings. Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed, but I honestly was blown away with this multi-layered, emotional, unique gem of a story.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect and was right along with Hope as she uncovered the clues of her grandmother's (and her own) past. Since I recently lost a grandfather to Alzheimer's, I also appreciated the realistic depiction of the disease as it affected Hope's grandmother. The nuances brought about by the various baked goods and French history added a savory richness to the story, as did the growth of its main character--a true heroine. I give this book five stars as it was a delightful page-turner and I think it will become a favorite book club selection for the many angles of discussion it invites.

I really liked the writing style and the fact that sex and the F word were not used over and over as in so many novels today. It shows that this author can write. The story is sad and sweet, but by the end I felt it was just way too un-realistic, I think I have read way to many stories of that time from real survivors.

Hope leaves an ailing bakery to go to Paris to find what happened to her Grandmother's family. Her business is ready to close because the bank is calling in the loan. Yet the heroine Hope goes to Paris anyway. Then she finds a family member who is thought to be dead. So much comes together way to neatly at the end and for that and the ease of how it all worked out just a little to perfect is why I give this 3 stars. I also felt it was a little drawn out and it could have been 50 pages shorter.

I will read more from this author because she is very talented I just wish the end of the story was more believable.

Let me start by saying that I read a lot of books and never write reviews for them, but after having read this wonderful book, I was compelled to do so. I want the world to know what a lovely story this is. The tale was spun so well and it truly touched my heart. While I wanted to get to the end of the book to find out what happens, it is the first time in a long time that I can remember being sad to have finished a book. I hope everyone enjoys it just as much as I did.

I absolutely love this author! I wasn't sure if I was going to love this book when I read the synopsis, but I took the chance because I have read her other books and loved them. This book did not disappoint. It was such a touching love story that spans years, and I loved learning some history along the way. This book is reminiscent of books like The Notebook. If you liked that one, you'll love this! :)

Parts are excellent, and I like (but eventually started skipping) the recipes. However, it all happens unbelievably fast and things resolve at a speed and with an ease that stretches credibility. A good read, though, overall.

This is a lovely book read, filled with surprises, as well as, recipes. It is the take of generations, hidden secrets, a past filled with obstacles and danger. Mostly, it is a hopeful story of family, love, forgiveness and healing.

I started reading this in the bookstore and bought it, because it started well and I liked the premise, and I was looking for a novel to get lost in. It has nice moments and does continue to be engaging throughout, but there are problems with it, that often took me out of the story.

The author tends to be very repetitive with certain descriptions - the lead character, Hope, always seems to be murmuring or looking down when she speaks - and she is such a negative person that I do wonder why so many people seem to want to be around her, and helping her, as she seems to always be pushing them away. Also, her teenage daughter is constantly sarcastic and rather rude a lot of the time. The two of them are going through a difficult period, so some of the negativity is definitely warranted, but it is tiresome to read it, page after page, with no change in dynamics. Almost everything is deeply dramatic. There is very little lightness in any of it. Also, it seemed like the daughter behaved that way because perhaps the author believed that is how all teenage girls behave (it isn't), rather than it really serving the narrative.

As I mentioned, the premise itself is interesting, and was worth getting through the book to see how it unfolded. Hope's grandmother is dying of Alzheimer's and knows it. She has a past she has never really talked about, because of the pain of it: she is a Holocaust survivor from Paris who fled the city, and for various reasons, had to leave her parents and siblings behind, and she doesn't know what became of most of them. So, she sends Hope to Paris to get information for her. All of this is news to Hope, as she didn't know she was even Jewish (she converted to Christianity upon her arrival in America), let alone a Holocaust survivor. The trip does prove fruitful, and the story moves at a good pace, but then it comes back to problems with the writing itself that are difficult to ignore.

She is introduced to a character in Paris who stays with her throughout the rest of the story. I don't want to say too much more about the details of the story, so as not to spoil it, but this character is introduced to us as being elderly and unable to walk too quickly, needing to use a cane. By the time they are headed back to the US, they are late for the plane and running like hell through the airport to get to the gate. No comment at all about the fact that a few pages earlier, he could hardly walk, much less sprint. Then, on the plane, at separate times during a conversation, they each turn and look dramatically out the window. But they are sitting next to each other, so it's not likely they both are at a window seat. I know these are small details, but they are oversights that could be easily fixed, and only serve to bring to mind the other glaring problems with the writing, instead of being able to overlook them and just stay in the story. It just makes it seem rushed and amateurish.

Also, at one point in Paris, she learns about the role Muslims played in helping to hide and protect Jews in Paris. This is a very interesting point, and adds a lot to the story. However, the way the author has Hope deal with it is a bit insulting. When she first has to go meet the family that was so helpful to her grandmother, she seems terrified to have to meet, oh my God, Muslims! Then, after she does, she is flabbergasted that they are actually wonderful people. The fact that her grandmother survived in large part due to them doesn't tip her off to the fact that maybe this family is nice? I couldn't tell if this was the author's experience in her research in Paris, or if she was setting Hope up to learn something, but I found it more off-putting than any of the logistical or style problems.

In her acknowledgments, she lists a number of writers she said were very helpful with the book. I know, as a writer, that you can write and rewrite something so many times, you can't even see the words anymore. But it's a bit disappointing that none of these great friends could point these problems out to her and help her find another way to craft some of these passages, and dodge the issues altogether.

As a writer and editor, I can't help but read this way, so this was my experience with the book. For those who would be less bothered by these kinds of issues, I do think it is a good story, and as I said, does definitely have some nice moments, and some parts are carefully crafted and poetically written, and they make it worth the read.

Kristin delivers a beautiful and insightful story that takes you on a journey through Holocaust history, family and love from the past and present. The story draws you in as Hope uncovers generations of her family's history and how their loss and struggle brought them to where they are today. The Sweetness of Forgetting is a book you won't forget!

I absolutely loved this book! It is a beautiful and heart-wrenching love story. It also taught me powerful things about World War II that I never knew and I feel blessed to know now--about the power of God--regardless of the road you take to find Him. This book is inspiring me to trace my ancestry and find out about my relatives. Thank you for this thought-provoking and utterly wonderful read!!!!

One of Kristin Harmel's best books yet, The Sweetness of Forgetting takes you on a reflective journey filled with hope, discovery, sadness, love and a strong sense of family and the role that a family's history has on a person's outlook on life. The book also touches on the effects that Alzheimer's has on an individual and their loved ones and sheds new light on a part of Holocaust history that many are unaware of.

It is clear that the author has spread her wings in the literary sense without losing the essence of what makes her books loved by her readers.

This is the story of a woman that escaped the holocaust and fled to America leaving her family and the love of her life, Jacob, behind. Her parents refused to believe the warning that the Jews were going to be rounded up that very night. After she left her home she asked Jacob to go back and try once again to convince her parents to flee. He never returned. Years later as her mind gives in to Alzheimers she asks her granddaughter, Hope, to find out what happened to her family.

While I enjoyed the overall search for Mamie's family I had a very hard time with the main character, Hope, who is the most negative person! Her constant negativity along with her daughter's attitude ruined the story for me. Her daughter, Annie, is a preteen with an attitude whose favorite word is "whatever" which is so overused it was unreal. I did like the ending though it was bittersweet. I give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free from Gallery Pocket Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I loved the setting, the characters and the wonderful recipes as I too am a baker.
It was such an interesting way to tell about the Holocaust and how it affected a family for several generations.