Erica Bauermeister has again succeeded in producing a memorable novel, this one centering on a breast cancer survivor's challenges to her wonderful network of supportive friends to take the plunge and follow their individual dreams. After a successful 18-month battle with cancer, Kate is encouraged by her daughter to take a white water rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. After beating death, Kate isn't sure that risking death in the rapids is something that she really wants to do, so she can't quite make up her mind whether to face her terror and take the trip with her daughter or not. Does she really need to prove something to herself at this point in her life? With the encouragement of her seven good friends, most of whom helped her through the terrible months of chemo, Kate decides to accept her daughter's challenge, but with one condition. Each of her friends must also complete a personal challenge decided by Kate.
By now you may be dismissing this as just another "women friends help each other straighten out their lives" novel (not that there are anything wrong with those!), but Bauermeister has created something unique here. The challenges seem simple: for restless Daria, learn to bake bread; for Sara, wife and mother of three, take a trip by herself; for Marion, get a tattoo; for widow Hadley, build a garden; for Caroline, get rid of her husband's books; and for Ava, the only friend who was not there to help Kate during her illness, complete a 60 mile walk for breast cancer. Like School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners is built as a series of related stories with individual chapters devoted to each woman's process of completing her challenge, stepping out of her comfort zone. At the end I just wanted more and I think you will, too.
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