Week 7: World of Pies: A Novel – Karen Stolz (176 pages)

This book project is nothing if not fluid, Lara and I decided there really are no rules – we would decide what we would read and we decided just because we started a book on Sunday, it might not be the book that we complete by Saturday. This week (Week 7) proved to be that kind of week for me. For various reasons, the book I started last Sunday is not the book I completed today. I won’t reveal the title of the book I was working on, as it is my hope that it will appear in this blog before year’s end.

“World of Pies” is a sweet novel set in the small town of Annette, TX. Each chapter of the book explores a different time in the life of the main character, Roxanne. The book opens in 1962 when Roxanne is 12-years-old and is crazy about baseball. It is the eve of the big Pie Fair and we are off and running. The book makes a seamless transition from age to age (often with 5-6 years passing) via each chapter. I guess this is what is called a “coming of age” tale. We meet Roxanne’s first love, share her embarrassment of having a dad that runs the local lingerie shop, and watch her deal with having a cousin be sent to Vietnam. We meet her husband and eventually her own child. It is a full circle that comes back to pies in the end. She has a lot of growing up to do and this novel delves into those situations and delivers a fun read.

This was author Karen Stolz’s first novel. I found it to be charming in a way that Southern Lit has perfected. A little sweet, a little sour but overall just right; I recommend anyone pick up this engaging read. I don’t think you will regret it.