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The Lager Queen of Minnesota
A novel of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate and the secrets of making a world-class beer.
Two sisters, one farm. A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living. So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself.
With the proceeds from the farm, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country, and makes their company motto ubiquitous: "Drink lots. It's Blotz." Where Edith has a heart as big as Minnesota, Helen's is as rigid as a steel keg. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, and she could find a potential savior close to home. . . if it's not too late.
Meanwhile, Edith's granddaughter, Diana, grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses. She earns a shot at learning the IPA business from the ground up--will that change their fortunes forever, and perhaps reunite her splintered family?
Here we meet a cast of lovable, funny, quintessentially American characters eager to make their mark in a world that's often stacked against them. In this deeply affecting family saga, resolution can take generations, but when it finally comes, we're surprised, moved, and delighted.
Two sisters, one farm. A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living. So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself.
With the proceeds from the farm, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country, and makes their company motto ubiquitous: "Drink lots. It's Blotz." Where Edith has a heart as big as Minnesota, Helen's is as rigid as a steel keg. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, and she could find a potential savior close to home. . . if it's not too late.
Meanwhile, Edith's granddaughter, Diana, grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses. She earns a shot at learning the IPA business from the ground up--will that change their fortunes forever, and perhaps reunite her splintered family?
Here we meet a cast of lovable, funny, quintessentially American characters eager to make their mark in a world that's often stacked against them. In this deeply affecting family saga, resolution can take generations, but when it finally comes, we're surprised, moved, and delighted.
349 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2019
About the author
J. Ryan Stradal
6 books2,074 followersJ. Ryan Stradal's NYT bestselling debut, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, won the 2016 American Booksellers Association Indie's Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year, the 2016 SCIBA award for the year's best fiction title, and the 2016 Midwest Booksellers Choice Award for debut fiction. His second novel, The Lager Queen of Minnesota, was an instant national bestseller.
Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles. He likes books, craft beer, wine, root beer, sports, and peas.
Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles. He likes books, craft beer, wine, root beer, sports, and peas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,324 reviews
September 28, 2019
“People can change what they do, but not what they love.”
With any beer—whether a pale ale with bright citrus notes, a dank IPA, a chocolatey stout, or my personal favorite, a tart sour—palatability comes down to taste, personal preference and often exposure. What excites the palate of one patron, might not seem as bold to the next. The same can be said about readers and books.
Equating The Lager Queen of Minnesota to a pint, I would say it closely embodies a light beer. Smooth in delivery but lacking a substantive punch to the taste buds. The storyline itself pleasant enough, but the lack of emotionality in the delivery, diluting the entire experience. For me, J. Ryan Stradal's sophomore offering presents itself as a one-note journey. Beginning with Edith.
For Edith, a woman in her mid-sixties, working at a nursing home, pie-making has become her undeclared passion. Her contribution to the residents who will likely eat their final dessert within the walls of the old folks home. Her pie so noteworthy, it's declared the third-best in the entire state of Minnesota. A ranking that opens up an unimagined change for Edith and her husband. Although, the relevancy of this piece of Edith's history, to the remainder of the novel, questionable.
Next up, Edith’s younger and more daring sister, Helen. From a young age—15 to be exact—she has some inherent draw to beer. Surprising, as most of us know, beer is typically an acquired taste. Her steadfast dream of becoming a brewmaster in a male-dominated industry taking shape after her first stolen taste. Dictating not only her choice of husband but leaving her and Edith estranged for the better part of their lives.
Fast forward the narrative, quite a few years, and readers are viewing the world through Edith’s teenage granddaughter, Diana. A girl with a spunky spirit, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure she and her grandmother survive, following the tragic loss of her parents. Her misdeeds land her in a brewery and unearth a passion for craft beer making. Ultimately, becoming a family affair when her grandmother joins the ranks. Something that comes about a bit too easily, I might add.
If Stradal’s goal with The Lager Queen of Minnesota was to present resilient women on the page, he succeeded. He created a family of women that exuded strength, keeping their heads down and grinding it out in the name of family, passion, and survival. But that’s sort of where it stopped for me.
There's an off-kilter feel to the storyline arc. Perpetuated by the wonky timeline, the irrelevant aspects of each backstory, the minutia of beer making that bogs down the back-half, the underdeveloped passions, and the lackluster last minute (literally) "aha" moment shared between the sisters. As a reader and a woman, I struggled to pinpoint the underlying message this novel was ultimately trying to deliver.
Compounding my issues with the trajectory of the storyline itself was Stradal��s matter-of-fact style. There is a blatant lack of emotion to his writing, which carries over to the characters. People die, spark up new relationships, have children, or chase their dreams, and still, it’s just a flat and almost detached retrospection of life.
From beer to books, and everything in-between, subjectivity colors the world. Point being, this lager didn't excite me enough to order a second round or make a recommendation, but many others might choose to. Cheers.
*Thank you to the FCPL for the borrowed copy.
August 21, 2019
4.5 stars
Women Who Endure
A heartfelt and inspiring family drama about three exceptionally strong midwestern women who are brought together by creating beer.
Edith, married to Stanley for 40 years, has worked non-stop in a nursing home and never complains about life’s hardships. When Stanley is forced to retire, Edith’s pie baking skills bring her local fame and a new job. She experiences great tragedy and loss, but Edith keeps going and never stops working. When she finds herself raising her teenage granddaughter, she works two jobs and does what it takes to make ends meet.
Diana, Edith’s granddaughter, is headed down a murky path. When she is caught stealing, her life changes in an unexpected way and begins to learn the art of creating and brewing beer.
Helen, Edith’s younger sister, wants more from life than marrying a local boy in their small town. She goes to college and is determined to become one of the first female brewmasters and beer tycoons. She will not let emotions get in the way of her plan, even if it means stealing her only sister’s inheritance.
Beer, what is so often considered to be a masculine drink, is what brings these three women together. I was fascinated by this element of the plot. I love beer and I learned so much from reading this about the art of crafting, brewing, bottling, etc.
This is an emotional, unique and beautiful read filled with strong empowering female characters. J. Ryan Stradal’s characterization is strong. I was invested in these characters--I found myself cheering for them, yelling at them, and crying for them. I felt like I knew them. While there are dark times, I found the way they handled their grief and life’s challenges inspiring. This was an empowering read that I highly recommend.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Women Who Endure
A heartfelt and inspiring family drama about three exceptionally strong midwestern women who are brought together by creating beer.
Edith, married to Stanley for 40 years, has worked non-stop in a nursing home and never complains about life’s hardships. When Stanley is forced to retire, Edith’s pie baking skills bring her local fame and a new job. She experiences great tragedy and loss, but Edith keeps going and never stops working. When she finds herself raising her teenage granddaughter, she works two jobs and does what it takes to make ends meet.
Diana, Edith’s granddaughter, is headed down a murky path. When she is caught stealing, her life changes in an unexpected way and begins to learn the art of creating and brewing beer.
Helen, Edith’s younger sister, wants more from life than marrying a local boy in their small town. She goes to college and is determined to become one of the first female brewmasters and beer tycoons. She will not let emotions get in the way of her plan, even if it means stealing her only sister’s inheritance.
Beer, what is so often considered to be a masculine drink, is what brings these three women together. I was fascinated by this element of the plot. I love beer and I learned so much from reading this about the art of crafting, brewing, bottling, etc.
This is an emotional, unique and beautiful read filled with strong empowering female characters. J. Ryan Stradal’s characterization is strong. I was invested in these characters--I found myself cheering for them, yelling at them, and crying for them. I felt like I knew them. While there are dark times, I found the way they handled their grief and life’s challenges inspiring. This was an empowering read that I highly recommend.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2020
I love it when I can care about characters, even side characters. When all the characters make up the story world, when you can feel like they are still living even when they aren't on the page. The Lager Queen of Minnesota did this for me. The pages are filled with living, whether it's hard, backbreaking, dull, doing whatever it takes to survive, or being so caught up in an obsessive dream, that one loses sleep and ignores all else.
Edith is five years older than her sister, Helen, who knew by the time she was fifteen years old that she was obsessed with beer and wanted to make beer. Edith is kind hearted and believes in helping people and she is willing to give, no matter what is required from her. Helen focuses only on what she wants and if she does something for someone, it's because it leads her to her goals. When Helen's dad is near the end, Helen convinces him to leave everything to her because she'll use the money to make something while Edith won't use it to make it into more. Helen has big plans to become a successful beer maker and she needs that money to do so. The day Helen tells Edith that their dad left everything to her, is the day that Helen and Edith stopped talking to each other.
But while Helen has her company and a husband that is as emotionally invested in it as she is, Edith has so much more. Edith works in the service industry, often two jobs, but she is invested in the people in her life, whether it's her coworkers or the people at the nursing home where she works or the nursing home where she volunteers. Edith and her husband have two children and eventually Edith is raising her teenage granddaughter Diana. Her share of the inheritance would have allowed her to pay her bills, keep her car running, do more than just get by. But Edith is happy because of the people in her life. Helen eventually has a company worth millions but it's clear that something is missing, what she has won't always be there, and the risks she takes for her passion don't always work out.
Diana falls into the brewery business when she is caught doing something she shouldn't have done. So, as a teen, Diana learns to brew also, loving the work, loving the company she works for, and making the company even more than it was when she joined it. But she needs help to do this and that's where family and friends make the difference in succeeding or not even getting off the ground.
We learn a lot about the brewery business in this book and I enjoyed reading about it. I don't drink at all so a lot of the terms were lost on me but I enjoyed reading the discussions about the recipes and the business. Even though this story is about beer, it's really about family and how it can be torn apart. How the one with the most, might be the one with the least. How hard, hard work but also kindness and caring, can enrich one's life more than money ever can. And I loved that this book is about people living and doing and creating, at an age when people are often put out to pasture.
Published July 23rd 2019
Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Edith is five years older than her sister, Helen, who knew by the time she was fifteen years old that she was obsessed with beer and wanted to make beer. Edith is kind hearted and believes in helping people and she is willing to give, no matter what is required from her. Helen focuses only on what she wants and if she does something for someone, it's because it leads her to her goals. When Helen's dad is near the end, Helen convinces him to leave everything to her because she'll use the money to make something while Edith won't use it to make it into more. Helen has big plans to become a successful beer maker and she needs that money to do so. The day Helen tells Edith that their dad left everything to her, is the day that Helen and Edith stopped talking to each other.
But while Helen has her company and a husband that is as emotionally invested in it as she is, Edith has so much more. Edith works in the service industry, often two jobs, but she is invested in the people in her life, whether it's her coworkers or the people at the nursing home where she works or the nursing home where she volunteers. Edith and her husband have two children and eventually Edith is raising her teenage granddaughter Diana. Her share of the inheritance would have allowed her to pay her bills, keep her car running, do more than just get by. But Edith is happy because of the people in her life. Helen eventually has a company worth millions but it's clear that something is missing, what she has won't always be there, and the risks she takes for her passion don't always work out.
Diana falls into the brewery business when she is caught doing something she shouldn't have done. So, as a teen, Diana learns to brew also, loving the work, loving the company she works for, and making the company even more than it was when she joined it. But she needs help to do this and that's where family and friends make the difference in succeeding or not even getting off the ground.
We learn a lot about the brewery business in this book and I enjoyed reading about it. I don't drink at all so a lot of the terms were lost on me but I enjoyed reading the discussions about the recipes and the business. Even though this story is about beer, it's really about family and how it can be torn apart. How the one with the most, might be the one with the least. How hard, hard work but also kindness and caring, can enrich one's life more than money ever can. And I loved that this book is about people living and doing and creating, at an age when people are often put out to pasture.
Published July 23rd 2019
Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
September 15, 2020
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stadal is a 2019 Pamela Dorman Books publication.
An inspiring feel good story!
Sisters, Edith and Helen, stop speaking when Helen inherits the family farm Edith thought she'd always be a part of. Helen, manipulated her father into making this decision, rationalizing her actions,and then arrogantly basking in the glow of her successful brewery. She always thought Edith would get over it, but as the years pass, neither sister attempts to initiate contact.
Edith, on the other hand, married, became a widow, lost a child, leaving her responsible for her granddaughter, Diana, while working at a nursing home and Kohl's, and baking amazing pies on the side. Her tragedies and hardships leave her barely scraping by, but Edith shows little resentment. She just faces each challenge and forges ahead.
Diana gets mixed up with some bad influences, but pulls herself together, gets a job.... wait for it.... at a brewery. Determined to create her own beer, Diana puts in the work, but her journey is one filled with ups and downs, and wild turns that eventually catches Helen’s attention.
This situation presents Helen with a long overdue opportunity to right some wrongs. Will she seize the moment, or sever all hopes of ever reconnecting with her sister?
I really had no idea what to expect when I started reading this book. Mainly, I was looking for something to pick up my spirits and I thought this book might fit the bill.
It did that- and more! The story is one that highlights the unpredictability of life, and the way adversity can be met, and turned into something good. The tenacity, hard work, and an unbreakable spirit coupled with the moral ethics the characters bestow, and the way they helped each other, supported one another, and stuck by each other through triumphs and disappointment gives one hope that there are still good, honest, hardworking people out there-who do not have a hidden agenda that benefits them.
The cold blooded, heartless business sharks, and selfish vultures will always lurk and stalk, looking to take advantage of people. But sometimes good really does win out in the end, which is something we all need to believe in, especially during challenging times.
While the story may sound syrupy- it' not. It doesn’t sugarcoat life’s pain, or the need to put in the long hours and to weather the inevitable setbacks on the road to success. The characters are flawed and make human mistakes, which of course makes them even more likeable.
In fact, the characters are so well drawn I felt like they real people. The mature characters and their refusal to stop working and living life to its fullest is also a huge inspiration. I love when books feature older characters, proving they are still very capable of being productive citizens, holding jobs and trying new things regardless of age.
Basically, this is just a good old-fashioned heartwarming tale, sure to inspire you, make you cry, laugh, while giving your faith in humanity a little shot of adrenaline.
4 stars
An inspiring feel good story!
Sisters, Edith and Helen, stop speaking when Helen inherits the family farm Edith thought she'd always be a part of. Helen, manipulated her father into making this decision, rationalizing her actions,and then arrogantly basking in the glow of her successful brewery. She always thought Edith would get over it, but as the years pass, neither sister attempts to initiate contact.
Edith, on the other hand, married, became a widow, lost a child, leaving her responsible for her granddaughter, Diana, while working at a nursing home and Kohl's, and baking amazing pies on the side. Her tragedies and hardships leave her barely scraping by, but Edith shows little resentment. She just faces each challenge and forges ahead.
Diana gets mixed up with some bad influences, but pulls herself together, gets a job.... wait for it.... at a brewery. Determined to create her own beer, Diana puts in the work, but her journey is one filled with ups and downs, and wild turns that eventually catches Helen’s attention.
This situation presents Helen with a long overdue opportunity to right some wrongs. Will she seize the moment, or sever all hopes of ever reconnecting with her sister?
I really had no idea what to expect when I started reading this book. Mainly, I was looking for something to pick up my spirits and I thought this book might fit the bill.
It did that- and more! The story is one that highlights the unpredictability of life, and the way adversity can be met, and turned into something good. The tenacity, hard work, and an unbreakable spirit coupled with the moral ethics the characters bestow, and the way they helped each other, supported one another, and stuck by each other through triumphs and disappointment gives one hope that there are still good, honest, hardworking people out there-who do not have a hidden agenda that benefits them.
The cold blooded, heartless business sharks, and selfish vultures will always lurk and stalk, looking to take advantage of people. But sometimes good really does win out in the end, which is something we all need to believe in, especially during challenging times.
While the story may sound syrupy- it' not. It doesn’t sugarcoat life’s pain, or the need to put in the long hours and to weather the inevitable setbacks on the road to success. The characters are flawed and make human mistakes, which of course makes them even more likeable.
In fact, the characters are so well drawn I felt like they real people. The mature characters and their refusal to stop working and living life to its fullest is also a huge inspiration. I love when books feature older characters, proving they are still very capable of being productive citizens, holding jobs and trying new things regardless of age.
Basically, this is just a good old-fashioned heartwarming tale, sure to inspire you, make you cry, laugh, while giving your faith in humanity a little shot of adrenaline.
4 stars
September 11, 2019
This is a lovely book told in alternating chapters about two sisters who have not spoken to each other for many decades. The issue at hand was the fact that the younger sister Helen convinced their father to leave all his inheritance to her alone. You see, Helen was bound and determined with a fiery passion to produce beer at a brewery of her very own, and had a business plan.
As the book begins we find the older sister Edith working in a local nursing home making pies. In fact, she has become sort of famous because a noted reviewer of such things rated her pie the third best in the state. There were already more visitors coming to the nursing home and staying for dessert, resulting in Edith having to cut the pies into thinner slices. She only used the best ingredients and mustered up the courage to ask her boss for both a higher salary and the means to buy the extra needed ingredients to make more pie. Edith's beloved husband Stanley had just gotten into an accident with his truck hastening his retirement, and Edith needed more income. Fate stepped in when a lady visited the nursing home looking to recruit Edith to make pies in a coffee/bakery shop in another town. This necessitated Edith and Stanley moving out of their apartment of forty years, but they took the plunge. Stanley was suffering from dementia, and although the new apartment was much smaller and more expensive, the town of Nicolette Falls was quaint and more upscale. I love how gentle and understanding Edith was in dealing with her husband in the "long goodbye" of Alzheimers.
The younger sister Helen went to college and fate brought her together with Orval Blotz, heir to the locally famous Blotz beer company. However, Blotz hadn't brewed beer in years, converting instead to producing cream soda...and a mediocre third-rate seller at that. Helen and Orval conspire together with their laser focus shared vision for the Blotz plant to convert to making beer again.
Edith was robbed of her inheritance of half her father's farm (which Helen used to finance the Blotz beer brewery), and with no pension to speak of must work for the rest of her life, and does so into her eighties. She bakes pies at the nursing home, then the bakery, does shifts at Arby's and even volunteers at another nursing home. Edith takes in her teenage granddaughter after a family tragedy, and they struggle together to live and eat each day. I loved the strength, work ethic and personal responsibility expressed in these characters. There was a moment in the book where Edith's granddaughter Diana had gone astray due to their dire financial circumstances, and I wasn't enjoying this part of the book as much. But, this is a story of second chances given and dreams that don't come easy...but with guts, passion and risk you just may make it! Yes, there is tragedy and struggle in this book, but what an uplifting story of success and redemption this was! This story touched my heart, and I will long remember the strength, survival instinct and resiliency of one Edith Magnusson.
Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books / Penguin Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.
As the book begins we find the older sister Edith working in a local nursing home making pies. In fact, she has become sort of famous because a noted reviewer of such things rated her pie the third best in the state. There were already more visitors coming to the nursing home and staying for dessert, resulting in Edith having to cut the pies into thinner slices. She only used the best ingredients and mustered up the courage to ask her boss for both a higher salary and the means to buy the extra needed ingredients to make more pie. Edith's beloved husband Stanley had just gotten into an accident with his truck hastening his retirement, and Edith needed more income. Fate stepped in when a lady visited the nursing home looking to recruit Edith to make pies in a coffee/bakery shop in another town. This necessitated Edith and Stanley moving out of their apartment of forty years, but they took the plunge. Stanley was suffering from dementia, and although the new apartment was much smaller and more expensive, the town of Nicolette Falls was quaint and more upscale. I love how gentle and understanding Edith was in dealing with her husband in the "long goodbye" of Alzheimers.
The younger sister Helen went to college and fate brought her together with Orval Blotz, heir to the locally famous Blotz beer company. However, Blotz hadn't brewed beer in years, converting instead to producing cream soda...and a mediocre third-rate seller at that. Helen and Orval conspire together with their laser focus shared vision for the Blotz plant to convert to making beer again.
Edith was robbed of her inheritance of half her father's farm (which Helen used to finance the Blotz beer brewery), and with no pension to speak of must work for the rest of her life, and does so into her eighties. She bakes pies at the nursing home, then the bakery, does shifts at Arby's and even volunteers at another nursing home. Edith takes in her teenage granddaughter after a family tragedy, and they struggle together to live and eat each day. I loved the strength, work ethic and personal responsibility expressed in these characters. There was a moment in the book where Edith's granddaughter Diana had gone astray due to their dire financial circumstances, and I wasn't enjoying this part of the book as much. But, this is a story of second chances given and dreams that don't come easy...but with guts, passion and risk you just may make it! Yes, there is tragedy and struggle in this book, but what an uplifting story of success and redemption this was! This story touched my heart, and I will long remember the strength, survival instinct and resiliency of one Edith Magnusson.
Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books / Penguin Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.
October 27, 2022
4 1/2 rounded up to a 5 for originality and great characters.
Living in Wisconsin, I just had to read this novel which is set in our neighboring state of Minnesota. I have never lived in a small town but have driven through and spent time in many in northern Wisconsin.
I really liked the way Mr. Stradal conveyed small town life without devaluing it or the people living there. Strong resilient women are featured in this story, three generations, represented by sisters Helen and Edith and Edith’s granddaughter Diana. Edith and Helen have been estranged ever since Helen inherited the dairy farm from their father with nothing left to Edith. Rather than sharing her inheritance, Helen and her husband turned it into a brewery which became a household name in the golden years and she was a wealthy woman for many years.
Edith has always had to work to help pay the bills even while her husband Stanley was alive. She worked at a nursing home where she enjoyed the residents and baked them delicious pies for desserts. Her pies were so good that they were featured in newspapers and local magazines until there were lines of people coming to visit their long lost relatives just to get a piece of the pie. Edith also worked at Arby’s to further support the family, always doing hard work, cleaning other people’s messes, floors, tables, etc. She worked for a short while in a pastry shop but the work was not much fun and required her to make 25+ pies a day!
After a tragedy occurs Edith becomes the sole caregiver for her granddaughter Diana. Now she is working at Arby’s and Kohl’s to try and make ends meet. Diana is a good student and great teenager all around. She works part time jobs after school to help with the money but then turns to stealing expensive garden equipment from wealthy family’s garages. One day she is caught “red handed” but instead of calling the police, Frank offers Diana a job at his brewery to work off her debt. It isn’t long before she learns that this is something she loves to do. Though offered a scholarship to college based on her amazing perfect ASAT scores she decides to stay at the brewery. We will watch as she meets and marries her soulmate and they open a brewery of their own, brewing small batch craft beers which was a new thing at that time.
We follow this trio for several decades through good times and bad. There is much more emphasis on Edith’s life than Helen’s but towards the end we find out more about her.
There is lots of humor to keep things on the lighter side but this book does shine a light on how difficult it is to live working a minimum wage job. It’s even more difficult to find a better paying job in a small town, particularly if you are a woman.
I will leave you with a great quote from Edith “Edith reminded herself that there was no way in hell even six months ago she’d have predicted that one day she’d be at a beer festival, pouring beer that she’d brewed. She was almost eighty and look at all this. Her name was on a giant canvas banner behind her”.
Pick this one up, it is the perfect summer read with characters that you will care about and a great story about the history of brewing in the Midwest.
I reeived an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Living in Wisconsin, I just had to read this novel which is set in our neighboring state of Minnesota. I have never lived in a small town but have driven through and spent time in many in northern Wisconsin.
I really liked the way Mr. Stradal conveyed small town life without devaluing it or the people living there. Strong resilient women are featured in this story, three generations, represented by sisters Helen and Edith and Edith’s granddaughter Diana. Edith and Helen have been estranged ever since Helen inherited the dairy farm from their father with nothing left to Edith. Rather than sharing her inheritance, Helen and her husband turned it into a brewery which became a household name in the golden years and she was a wealthy woman for many years.
Edith has always had to work to help pay the bills even while her husband Stanley was alive. She worked at a nursing home where she enjoyed the residents and baked them delicious pies for desserts. Her pies were so good that they were featured in newspapers and local magazines until there were lines of people coming to visit their long lost relatives just to get a piece of the pie. Edith also worked at Arby’s to further support the family, always doing hard work, cleaning other people’s messes, floors, tables, etc. She worked for a short while in a pastry shop but the work was not much fun and required her to make 25+ pies a day!
After a tragedy occurs Edith becomes the sole caregiver for her granddaughter Diana. Now she is working at Arby’s and Kohl’s to try and make ends meet. Diana is a good student and great teenager all around. She works part time jobs after school to help with the money but then turns to stealing expensive garden equipment from wealthy family’s garages. One day she is caught “red handed” but instead of calling the police, Frank offers Diana a job at his brewery to work off her debt. It isn’t long before she learns that this is something she loves to do. Though offered a scholarship to college based on her amazing perfect ASAT scores she decides to stay at the brewery. We will watch as she meets and marries her soulmate and they open a brewery of their own, brewing small batch craft beers which was a new thing at that time.
We follow this trio for several decades through good times and bad. There is much more emphasis on Edith’s life than Helen’s but towards the end we find out more about her.
There is lots of humor to keep things on the lighter side but this book does shine a light on how difficult it is to live working a minimum wage job. It’s even more difficult to find a better paying job in a small town, particularly if you are a woman.
I will leave you with a great quote from Edith “Edith reminded herself that there was no way in hell even six months ago she’d have predicted that one day she’d be at a beer festival, pouring beer that she’d brewed. She was almost eighty and look at all this. Her name was on a giant canvas banner behind her”.
Pick this one up, it is the perfect summer read with characters that you will care about and a great story about the history of brewing in the Midwest.
I reeived an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
September 18, 2019
A heartwarming, curl up in a blanket kind of read. Three strong woman, 2 Estranged sisters and a granddaughter, who successfully beat the odds and become successful in their own beer brewing ways. This was actually such a comfy, cozy read and I’ve never learned so much about beer before. Fascinating stuff. Cheers 🍻
An easy 4.5⭐️
An easy 4.5⭐️
January 20, 2020
Rounded up from 4.5 stars.
This new title from the author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest follows several generations of a Minnesota family as they establish themselves in the brewing industry—and fall to pieces in the process. Despite the family feud and plenty of tense moments, the tone is relentlessly hopeful, and the story hugely listenable. I LOVED this on audio; it was absolutely one of my favorite audiobooks of 2019.
This new title from the author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest follows several generations of a Minnesota family as they establish themselves in the brewing industry—and fall to pieces in the process. Despite the family feud and plenty of tense moments, the tone is relentlessly hopeful, and the story hugely listenable. I LOVED this on audio; it was absolutely one of my favorite audiobooks of 2019.
June 16, 2021
The Lager Queen of Minnesota
is a family drama concerning two sisters, Edith and Helen, estranged since their father died and left the family farm to Helen in 1967. We first meet Edith first, in 2003, at age 64, who is convinced that her younger sister Helen has manipulated their father into changing his will. Edith strives to earn a living at a nursing home, where she has been baking pies, for 37 years.
Rolling the narrative back to 1959 and shifting to Helen’s point of view, Stradal draws a sharp contrast. Helen has just had her first taste of beer at 15, and all she wants is to get out of her small Minnesota hometown and brew beer. While Edith struggles to make a living, despite baking award-winning pies, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, from someone she has known all her life. . . But is it too late?
The story is narrated using flashbacks and multiple points of view. Stradal expertly develops his story in a nonlinear fashion, moving back and forth from 2003, in chapters seen through the eyes of Edith and her granddaughter Diana, with intermingling episodes from Helen’s spectacular rise in the light beer business in the 1970s.
Though revolving around the beer business, At the heart of it, it’s a story of three resilient women – Helen, Edith, and Diana. There is lots of humor to keep things on the lighter side but the book slips in many emotional moments when you are least expecting them. The small-town setting and the historical background of brewing from the 1950s show the commendable amount of research the author has undertaken. The first half was a bit slow but enjoyable. The second half is where the story catches steam. Full marks for the warm satisfying conclusion which made it a strong finish for me. .
Stradal creates some strong and memorable characters. It was easy to get invested in these characters right from the start—From the all sacrificing Edith who always put other’s needs above her own to Helen, a ruthless, somewhat manipulative business tycoon to Diana, a teenager who kept getting into trouble until she was caught and had to work her way out of trouble, all of them expertly crafted. Apart from the characters, the book has many bright moments which will keep you invested in the storyline.
While the story has many resilient women, their storylines never combined together except towards the end. So it felt like reading different parallel stories in isolation, rather than the story of 3 generations. All the information about brewing beers and all the different kinds of beers was just so overwhelming, especially for someone who doesn’t drink at all. So a lot of it I didn’t understand but I found the process interesting nonetheless.
Overall, The Lager Queen of Minnesota is an emotional family drama with some strong and empowering female characters. With a cast of lovable characters, sharp writing, a touch of humor, and a heartwarming finish, this is a delightful read. If you love reading family dramas with strong female characters, this is a must-read book for you.
Many thanks to the publishers' Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Rolling the narrative back to 1959 and shifting to Helen’s point of view, Stradal draws a sharp contrast. Helen has just had her first taste of beer at 15, and all she wants is to get out of her small Minnesota hometown and brew beer. While Edith struggles to make a living, despite baking award-winning pies, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, from someone she has known all her life. . . But is it too late?
The story is narrated using flashbacks and multiple points of view. Stradal expertly develops his story in a nonlinear fashion, moving back and forth from 2003, in chapters seen through the eyes of Edith and her granddaughter Diana, with intermingling episodes from Helen’s spectacular rise in the light beer business in the 1970s.
Though revolving around the beer business, At the heart of it, it’s a story of three resilient women – Helen, Edith, and Diana. There is lots of humor to keep things on the lighter side but the book slips in many emotional moments when you are least expecting them. The small-town setting and the historical background of brewing from the 1950s show the commendable amount of research the author has undertaken. The first half was a bit slow but enjoyable. The second half is where the story catches steam. Full marks for the warm satisfying conclusion which made it a strong finish for me. .
Stradal creates some strong and memorable characters. It was easy to get invested in these characters right from the start—From the all sacrificing Edith who always put other’s needs above her own to Helen, a ruthless, somewhat manipulative business tycoon to Diana, a teenager who kept getting into trouble until she was caught and had to work her way out of trouble, all of them expertly crafted. Apart from the characters, the book has many bright moments which will keep you invested in the storyline.
While the story has many resilient women, their storylines never combined together except towards the end. So it felt like reading different parallel stories in isolation, rather than the story of 3 generations. All the information about brewing beers and all the different kinds of beers was just so overwhelming, especially for someone who doesn’t drink at all. So a lot of it I didn’t understand but I found the process interesting nonetheless.
Overall, The Lager Queen of Minnesota is an emotional family drama with some strong and empowering female characters. With a cast of lovable characters, sharp writing, a touch of humor, and a heartwarming finish, this is a delightful read. If you love reading family dramas with strong female characters, this is a must-read book for you.
Many thanks to the publishers' Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
August 13, 2019
I'm not sure if this was just a case of the right book at the right time, but I absolutely loved this tale that followed two sisters over the decades. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me want to brew my own fruit-infused IPA. It is with some trepidation that I add the book to my husband's wobbly to-read stack. I know he's going to love it, but I hope it doesn't make him want to try his hand at making beer again. I'm fine with some sediment at the bottom of the glass, but the stuff he brewed was dreadful.
January 4, 2019
I wish this was a better review, because I adored Stradal's first book, Kitchens of the Great Midwest. (I still recommend it to readers at the library. I REALLY loved it.)
This book is just...a mess. There is a real kernel of greatness here, and I know that because I absolutely HAD to know how this story worked itself out. But the getting there was...messy. Really messy. I don't know how you fix this, but here were some of my issues with it:
-the timeline is wonky and weird and confusing
-the early Edith sections are as uninteresting as the early Helen section is interesting, which is to say, why the hell is the story SO GODDAMN focused on Edith for SOOOOO long? We could lose all the pie stuff and the book would better. 100% better.
-the beer stuff is....a lot, for a non-beer person (I am a non-beer person). I honestly skimmed through some of the heavy brewing stuff
-why why why why why skip over Colleen entirely?
-did I mention the timeline? This books goes from the 50's to now in an entirely unsatisfying way
-Errr, Stradal has a problem with the inner life of women. I'm not kidding. He does not convincingly write the women in this book, emotionally or intellectually. And this book is all women. Dammit. Now I'm angry, thinking about this.
-I mean, though, how could he spend any time at all on any one of these womens' feelings, what with the great chunks of time he had to get through?
-Ugh, I've almost convinced myself to give this a lower star rating. It's at 3 now. What will it be by the time I finish this review?
-I feel like maybe Stradal was like, you know what would be sooo funny? Grandmas making beer! That's a book idea right there.
-And it probably is, because I did enjoy those chapters best. Maybe it was just the getting there that was terrible, and the getting there was at least 3/4 of the book.
-Yep, now it's down to 2 stars.
-So ultimately, the major problem here is that none of these women ring true for me. None of them feel real. And that's okay in some books, but it's not okay in this book.
-Also the timeline. The timeline doesn't work.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.
This book is just...a mess. There is a real kernel of greatness here, and I know that because I absolutely HAD to know how this story worked itself out. But the getting there was...messy. Really messy. I don't know how you fix this, but here were some of my issues with it:
-the timeline is wonky and weird and confusing
-the early Edith sections are as uninteresting as the early Helen section is interesting, which is to say, why the hell is the story SO GODDAMN focused on Edith for SOOOOO long? We could lose all the pie stuff and the book would better. 100% better.
-the beer stuff is....a lot, for a non-beer person (I am a non-beer person). I honestly skimmed through some of the heavy brewing stuff
-why why why why why skip over Colleen entirely?
-did I mention the timeline? This books goes from the 50's to now in an entirely unsatisfying way
-Errr, Stradal has a problem with the inner life of women. I'm not kidding. He does not convincingly write the women in this book, emotionally or intellectually. And this book is all women. Dammit. Now I'm angry, thinking about this.
-I mean, though, how could he spend any time at all on any one of these womens' feelings, what with the great chunks of time he had to get through?
-Ugh, I've almost convinced myself to give this a lower star rating. It's at 3 now. What will it be by the time I finish this review?
-I feel like maybe Stradal was like, you know what would be sooo funny? Grandmas making beer! That's a book idea right there.
-And it probably is, because I did enjoy those chapters best. Maybe it was just the getting there that was terrible, and the getting there was at least 3/4 of the book.
-Yep, now it's down to 2 stars.
-So ultimately, the major problem here is that none of these women ring true for me. None of them feel real. And that's okay in some books, but it's not okay in this book.
-Also the timeline. The timeline doesn't work.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.
January 1, 2020
I’m a Midwesterner, and I know these women intimately. They are my grandmothers, my mother, and my aunts. Women who had their share of heartache and troubles but rose above their setbacks and carried on without complaint. They have all since passed away, but they were the embodiment of stoicism and grit. They didn’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves or bemoaning their fate. And neither did the women in this book.
Adversity can break you or it can make you strong. The author follows three of these strong women, Helen, her sister Edith, and Diana, Edith’s granddaughter, through decades of adversity, joys, and triumphs. And he does it with a lot of heart, warmth, and humor.
I’m a wine gal, and the author took me into a world I knew little about, the world of craft beer. He didn’t bog it down with too much detail I didn’t want to know, and I now appreciate the skill and knowledge that goes into beer-making. Making it even more palatable, underlying the beer-making talk were themes that made the reader care about what happened. I loved that these women broke into what was exclusively a man’s club and through hard work and determination succeeded. They are the embodiment of feminism, showing they can compete in a male-dominated field and do it well.
The author’s talent is not just in telling a compelling story, but making the reader fall in love with the characters. I fell hard for these women and I closed the last page with a warm heart and a tear in my eye.
This was a buddy read with Marialyce and we both agree that next up is Kitchens of the Great Midwest. We hope the author is hard at work on his next book because we can’t wait to see what he writes next.
*I received a copy of the book via Edelweiss for review. All opinions are my own.
Adversity can break you or it can make you strong. The author follows three of these strong women, Helen, her sister Edith, and Diana, Edith’s granddaughter, through decades of adversity, joys, and triumphs. And he does it with a lot of heart, warmth, and humor.
I’m a wine gal, and the author took me into a world I knew little about, the world of craft beer. He didn’t bog it down with too much detail I didn’t want to know, and I now appreciate the skill and knowledge that goes into beer-making. Making it even more palatable, underlying the beer-making talk were themes that made the reader care about what happened. I loved that these women broke into what was exclusively a man’s club and through hard work and determination succeeded. They are the embodiment of feminism, showing they can compete in a male-dominated field and do it well.
The author’s talent is not just in telling a compelling story, but making the reader fall in love with the characters. I fell hard for these women and I closed the last page with a warm heart and a tear in my eye.
This was a buddy read with Marialyce and we both agree that next up is Kitchens of the Great Midwest. We hope the author is hard at work on his next book because we can’t wait to see what he writes next.
*I received a copy of the book via Edelweiss for review. All opinions are my own.
August 13, 2019
“When you see a man falling off a ladder above you, Edith believed, you don't envision your arms breaking. You just hold them out.”
Traveling to the Midwest in the book The Lager Queen of Minnesota, we are introduced to three women, Edith and Helen, who are sisters and have not spoken in years, and Edith's granddaughter Diana. Pictured so well here is small town life with plenty of nods to the making of beer and the love one has for the state of Minnesota. It's an education reading this non linear book with the concepts of craft beer being made and produced. It's the story of three women all of them determined in their own way to succeed and be happy with what fate has delivered to them.
We see the toughness and courage of these women although Helen initially seems to be an outlier, taking all the money left to her and bolstering her husband's failing beer business. It is through Edith we see the power of forgiveness and that "I can do attitude" which she imbues in her granddaughter, Diana. In Diana, we see that strong spirit of resiliency and the power of knowing that hard work and determination often rule the day.
When I think of feminists, these characters are the ones I think of. They don't moan or whine about their fate, but tackle everything that is thrown at them with resiliency and strength.
The story comes into its own slowly and as we see Edith, a lady who never even tasted beer, become, along with her grandmother type friends, a brewer of beer. We applaud and cheer with pleasure the authentic voice this author gives to his admirable characters.
I highly recommend this book as one that is both rich in detail and characters and satisfying in all its details. Now, I am quite anxious to pick up the author's Kitchens of the Great Midwest. ...and by the way you don't have to love beer to love this story.
Thank you to J. Ryan Stradel, Pamela Dorman Books, and Edelweiss for a copy of this uplifting story.
Reading about strong women and their ability to face adversity and succeed is a dear topic to Jan and I. We found exactly what we were looking for in the book, The Lager Queen of Minnesota with its women being true feminists, standing on their own, and facing the future with courage and bravery and a will to succeed.
Our duo reviews plus an interview with the author can be found here:
http://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpress...
Traveling to the Midwest in the book The Lager Queen of Minnesota, we are introduced to three women, Edith and Helen, who are sisters and have not spoken in years, and Edith's granddaughter Diana. Pictured so well here is small town life with plenty of nods to the making of beer and the love one has for the state of Minnesota. It's an education reading this non linear book with the concepts of craft beer being made and produced. It's the story of three women all of them determined in their own way to succeed and be happy with what fate has delivered to them.
We see the toughness and courage of these women although Helen initially seems to be an outlier, taking all the money left to her and bolstering her husband's failing beer business. It is through Edith we see the power of forgiveness and that "I can do attitude" which she imbues in her granddaughter, Diana. In Diana, we see that strong spirit of resiliency and the power of knowing that hard work and determination often rule the day.
When I think of feminists, these characters are the ones I think of. They don't moan or whine about their fate, but tackle everything that is thrown at them with resiliency and strength.
The story comes into its own slowly and as we see Edith, a lady who never even tasted beer, become, along with her grandmother type friends, a brewer of beer. We applaud and cheer with pleasure the authentic voice this author gives to his admirable characters.
I highly recommend this book as one that is both rich in detail and characters and satisfying in all its details. Now, I am quite anxious to pick up the author's Kitchens of the Great Midwest. ...and by the way you don't have to love beer to love this story.
Thank you to J. Ryan Stradel, Pamela Dorman Books, and Edelweiss for a copy of this uplifting story.
Reading about strong women and their ability to face adversity and succeed is a dear topic to Jan and I. We found exactly what we were looking for in the book, The Lager Queen of Minnesota with its women being true feminists, standing on their own, and facing the future with courage and bravery and a will to succeed.
Our duo reviews plus an interview with the author can be found here:
http://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpress...
April 2, 2019
I could read a hundred J. Ryan Stradal books about Midwestern women. I really enjoyed Stradal's debut, KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST. In his second novel he tells a tighter story, focusing on three women in one family whose paths take them to work in breweries. Helen and Edith are estranged sisters who haven't spoken since one of them managed to get the entire proceeds from the sale of the family farm while the other got nothing. The story jumps around in time but we spend most of it with Edith when she's a grandmother, doing her best to scrape by with menial jobs.
You don't get to see people working for minimum wage in an Arby's much in modern fiction (which tells you a lot about modern fiction) and it's to the book's credit that it finds the story of Edith and the granddaughter she ends up supporting much more interesting and worth telling than that of Helen, the one who gets the money. In a normal book this would be Helen's story. Helen has the kind of story we like to tell, it says something about a moment in time, about a driven and talented person, about what success looks like. But I, like Stradal, find Edith the better tale. Hiding within this story of women making their way is a pretty serious indictment of capitalism, over and over again we see the people at the bottom struggling while the people at the top get to decide everyone's fates, but prioritizing their own fates, of course. Even the chapters focus on money and what it means to these characters, with each one being named for an amount that will be pivotal to the part of the story you're about to read, whether it's a handful of dollars or hundreds of thousands.
I find this book so warm and cozy and comforting, though it isn't always a happy story. A lot of people die in this book, a lot of them run into real hardship. There's a lot of just-getting-by and struggling to get through. And it isn't like Edith is a warm and cozy type. Yes, she is a grandma who will make you a dozen pies if she thinks you need them. But she's a hardworking Midwestern woman who doesn't complain and who doesn't want the embarrassment that goes with a compliment. It's Stradal that brings the heart here, you immediately share his love for his characters. Your faith in him will be rewarded, you will get an ending where it seems like something is once again in balance, and the world maybe isn't quite so bad.
You don't get to see people working for minimum wage in an Arby's much in modern fiction (which tells you a lot about modern fiction) and it's to the book's credit that it finds the story of Edith and the granddaughter she ends up supporting much more interesting and worth telling than that of Helen, the one who gets the money. In a normal book this would be Helen's story. Helen has the kind of story we like to tell, it says something about a moment in time, about a driven and talented person, about what success looks like. But I, like Stradal, find Edith the better tale. Hiding within this story of women making their way is a pretty serious indictment of capitalism, over and over again we see the people at the bottom struggling while the people at the top get to decide everyone's fates, but prioritizing their own fates, of course. Even the chapters focus on money and what it means to these characters, with each one being named for an amount that will be pivotal to the part of the story you're about to read, whether it's a handful of dollars or hundreds of thousands.
I find this book so warm and cozy and comforting, though it isn't always a happy story. A lot of people die in this book, a lot of them run into real hardship. There's a lot of just-getting-by and struggling to get through. And it isn't like Edith is a warm and cozy type. Yes, she is a grandma who will make you a dozen pies if she thinks you need them. But she's a hardworking Midwestern woman who doesn't complain and who doesn't want the embarrassment that goes with a compliment. It's Stradal that brings the heart here, you immediately share his love for his characters. Your faith in him will be rewarded, you will get an ending where it seems like something is once again in balance, and the world maybe isn't quite so bad.
December 16, 2022
Fabulous book that spans generations and dramatically shows how choices in life affect our trajectory/outcome.
Terrific details on the craft beer business.
Loved it and highly recommend it!
Terrific details on the craft beer business.
Loved it and highly recommend it!
July 23, 2019
Everything a girl could ask for
What’s that you say, beer?
And pie?
Well, J. Ryan Stradal, you certainly got my attention.
When the individual stories of sisters Edith and Helen, along with Edith’s granddaughter Diana, are woven together, all of the women are just so darn likable. Edith is an insanely cute grandma, Helen is a sensible but thoughtful businesswoman, and Diana could be plucked right out of a Horatio Alger book...well, if he didn’t just write about dudes, but you get the idea.
They might not be the most complex characters ever written, and usually I do care about that sort of thing. Here, I was too busy pulling for a happily ever after, Disney cartoon-type ending.
The lack of depth just didn’t bother me--I was rooting for these women anyways!
I should mention that their story wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. (Some bad things happen to these women, just like bad things happen even to Bambi and Simba.)
Beer should be paired with the right food, and this book should be paired with the right mood.
Make sure you’re hankering for a light, feel-good story when you sit down to read it. (For me, it was just the right fit after a bleak dystopian novel!)
I wouldn’t usually rate something this straightforward a 4 out of 5, but you simply can’t do anything but love adorable grandmas with pies and beer :)
Thanks to Edelweiss and Pamela Dorman Books for giving me a DRC of this novel.
What’s that you say, beer?
And pie?
Well, J. Ryan Stradal, you certainly got my attention.
When the individual stories of sisters Edith and Helen, along with Edith’s granddaughter Diana, are woven together, all of the women are just so darn likable. Edith is an insanely cute grandma, Helen is a sensible but thoughtful businesswoman, and Diana could be plucked right out of a Horatio Alger book...well, if he didn’t just write about dudes, but you get the idea.
They might not be the most complex characters ever written, and usually I do care about that sort of thing. Here, I was too busy pulling for a happily ever after, Disney cartoon-type ending.
The lack of depth just didn’t bother me--I was rooting for these women anyways!
I should mention that their story wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. (Some bad things happen to these women, just like bad things happen even to Bambi and Simba.)
Beer should be paired with the right food, and this book should be paired with the right mood.
Make sure you’re hankering for a light, feel-good story when you sit down to read it. (For me, it was just the right fit after a bleak dystopian novel!)
I wouldn’t usually rate something this straightforward a 4 out of 5, but you simply can’t do anything but love adorable grandmas with pies and beer :)
Thanks to Edelweiss and Pamela Dorman Books for giving me a DRC of this novel.
November 29, 2022
Love, love, love this midwestern tale that pays tribute to family values and to beer! I am going to be recommending this one all around. I learned so much about the craft of brewing beer and now I want to go and try some new ones with different eyes. There are so many women learning the art of brewing in this book and they kick butt at it. Delightful. This was even better than Kitchens in my opinion. Highly recommended!
I am reposting as I just finished a book featuring the apple cider business in the UK and France that reminded me of this one: The Golden Oldies' Book Club.
I am reposting as I just finished a book featuring the apple cider business in the UK and France that reminded me of this one: The Golden Oldies' Book Club.
October 14, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
4.5 Stars
“I want to die doing this.”
“Me too. I want to be found in a pool of my own beer.”
I would have not even heard of this book if it weren’t for the glowing reviews by JanB and Marialyce, so I’m going to channel my inner Golden Girl and tell them “thank you for being a friend.” I’m not going to say a whole lot here, but encourage you all to go to their pages because they are way better at words than I am.
What I will say is if some random bookseller had tried to push a story told by two sisters and one granddaughter that timehopped sporadically from the 1950s to the present the odds of me actually leaving the store with said book would have been slim to nill. And if that bookseller added on the fact that the focus was going to be about brewing craft beers??? Well . . . .
There’s definitely a lot of beer talk in this too. From the various types hops to measurements to brew times and temps. But I’m telling you it didn’t bog me down at all. And if a girl who cut her teeth on $.75 ‘Stones (in a jelly jar rather than a can for the classy set) didn’t give a rip about all this hipster nonsense regarding stouts and IPAs, well then I highly doubt the rest of you will either . . . .
I can’t really pinpoint exactly why this one worked so well for me. Maybe because I was raised by salt of the earth types of women like these (one who ran a local fruit and vegetable market – one who rose before dawn to run the local donut shop). Maybe because I can relate to family members who can go years without speaking. Maybe because I’ve always had to provide an honest day’s work to earn an honest day’s dollar. Maybe because in a world where feminists are often labeled as “feminazis” it was refreshing to see a group of gals who simply fought the good fight and truly did break the glass ceiling without that even being their main intention. Maybe even more so that a man wrote these characters so there’s hope that everyone will eventually just “get it.” Maybe because it made me have feelings without making me feel like I was being manipulated into having them. Maybe because it made me grateful for finding folks like the ones mentioned above who bring books like this into my life. Whatever the case, I loved it . . . . .
I still don’t like IPAs though.
4.5 Stars
“I want to die doing this.”
“Me too. I want to be found in a pool of my own beer.”
I would have not even heard of this book if it weren’t for the glowing reviews by JanB and Marialyce, so I’m going to channel my inner Golden Girl and tell them “thank you for being a friend.” I’m not going to say a whole lot here, but encourage you all to go to their pages because they are way better at words than I am.
What I will say is if some random bookseller had tried to push a story told by two sisters and one granddaughter that timehopped sporadically from the 1950s to the present the odds of me actually leaving the store with said book would have been slim to nill. And if that bookseller added on the fact that the focus was going to be about brewing craft beers??? Well . . . .
There’s definitely a lot of beer talk in this too. From the various types hops to measurements to brew times and temps. But I’m telling you it didn’t bog me down at all. And if a girl who cut her teeth on $.75 ‘Stones (in a jelly jar rather than a can for the classy set) didn’t give a rip about all this hipster nonsense regarding stouts and IPAs, well then I highly doubt the rest of you will either . . . .
I can’t really pinpoint exactly why this one worked so well for me. Maybe because I was raised by salt of the earth types of women like these (one who ran a local fruit and vegetable market – one who rose before dawn to run the local donut shop). Maybe because I can relate to family members who can go years without speaking. Maybe because I’ve always had to provide an honest day’s work to earn an honest day’s dollar. Maybe because in a world where feminists are often labeled as “feminazis” it was refreshing to see a group of gals who simply fought the good fight and truly did break the glass ceiling without that even being their main intention. Maybe even more so that a man wrote these characters so there’s hope that everyone will eventually just “get it.” Maybe because it made me have feelings without making me feel like I was being manipulated into having them. Maybe because it made me grateful for finding folks like the ones mentioned above who bring books like this into my life. Whatever the case, I loved it . . . . .
I still don’t like IPAs though.
October 16, 2019
I did this one on Audio and really enjoyed it in this format. I've been wanting to read this one forever -- the cover and title are so appealing!!
Even though there is lots about beer and pies in this one, the heart of the story is about two sisters who have been estranged for 51 years! I also loved the Midwestern setting in this one. Edith and Helen grew up on a farm and their father leaves everything to Helen. I didn't particularly like Helen in much of this story. She was selfish and did anything to make her dreams come true of starting a top of the line brewery, even if that meant alienating the only family she had left. Edith was wonderful -- just a sweet old lady that reminded me of the perfect Grandmother. She is an amazing baker, and spends much of the story struggling to make ends meet. She also raises her Granddaughter, Diana, alone after her parents are killed in an accident. You jump around from the POV of Helen, Edith, and Diana.
I don't know a thing about beer, but that didn't matter. I still thought the story was great and the character development was outstanding. The ending was very muted, but it was still beautiful and very moving. A wonderful family saga!
Even though there is lots about beer and pies in this one, the heart of the story is about two sisters who have been estranged for 51 years! I also loved the Midwestern setting in this one. Edith and Helen grew up on a farm and their father leaves everything to Helen. I didn't particularly like Helen in much of this story. She was selfish and did anything to make her dreams come true of starting a top of the line brewery, even if that meant alienating the only family she had left. Edith was wonderful -- just a sweet old lady that reminded me of the perfect Grandmother. She is an amazing baker, and spends much of the story struggling to make ends meet. She also raises her Granddaughter, Diana, alone after her parents are killed in an accident. You jump around from the POV of Helen, Edith, and Diana.
I don't know a thing about beer, but that didn't matter. I still thought the story was great and the character development was outstanding. The ending was very muted, but it was still beautiful and very moving. A wonderful family saga!
December 7, 2019
[4+] Yes, please, pass me another J. Ryan Stradal novel! My beverage of choice is wine but I enjoyed every ounce of beer making in this novel. Stradal's women are complex and strong and I loved following their development over the decades. This was a book that I couldn't wait to come home to after a busy, stressful week and wished it would continue for a few more hundred pages!
August 10, 2019
After reading the NPR interview with author J. Ryan Stradal, I’m even more touched by his current novel “The Lager Queen of Minnesota”. Stradal revealed that the character of Edith is a complex combination of his mom and grandmothers. Edith’s character is one of the most hardworking, thoughtful, kind, and forgiving characters written in modern literature. She does reflect the women of the Midwest (I’m a South Dakota girl myself). Stradal also did some research on breweries, going to more than three dozen breweries seeking out women brewers. One learns a lot about brewing beer after reading this.
But that’s not the only reason to read this fun novel. The other is that is a darn good contemporary domestic fiction story. It begins with two sisters, Edith and Helen who are from a farm family in the 1950’s. Edith is the older, more serious sister. Helen is adventurous and finds that she loves beer at the age of fifteen. Edith plugs away in her life, marrying a truck driver. Helen goes to University, majors in chemistry with the intent to brew beer. In fact, she’s so focused she marries the son of a local major brewer. The sisters become estranged due to those pesky family misunderstandings.
Diana is Edith’s granddaughter and she comes to live with Edith after an unfortunate event. Diana and Edith barely scrape by. Edith has two jobs and Diana gets jobs while in school to help with the bills.
Through a random happenstance, Diana starts a job at a brewery and falls in love with brewing beer. The story is told from those three women’s POV, Edith, Helen, and Diana. I’m a fan of that device as it adds layers to the story. I believe, as a reader, it opens our minds into interpreting other’s points of view in our own lives.
At any rate, I did learn that I have made a major faux pas when I’ve gone into a craft brewer and asked for “something that’s like Blue Moon”. I’ve learned the error of my ways LOL I also learned the difficulty craft brewers have getting their product into bars.
I highly recommend it for the brewing info along with a great domestic drama. It’s amazing that a man wrote this fine novel. His female characters ring true, especially midwestern women. And the ending….Edith is an amazing character.
But that’s not the only reason to read this fun novel. The other is that is a darn good contemporary domestic fiction story. It begins with two sisters, Edith and Helen who are from a farm family in the 1950’s. Edith is the older, more serious sister. Helen is adventurous and finds that she loves beer at the age of fifteen. Edith plugs away in her life, marrying a truck driver. Helen goes to University, majors in chemistry with the intent to brew beer. In fact, she’s so focused she marries the son of a local major brewer. The sisters become estranged due to those pesky family misunderstandings.
Diana is Edith’s granddaughter and she comes to live with Edith after an unfortunate event. Diana and Edith barely scrape by. Edith has two jobs and Diana gets jobs while in school to help with the bills.
Through a random happenstance, Diana starts a job at a brewery and falls in love with brewing beer. The story is told from those three women’s POV, Edith, Helen, and Diana. I’m a fan of that device as it adds layers to the story. I believe, as a reader, it opens our minds into interpreting other’s points of view in our own lives.
At any rate, I did learn that I have made a major faux pas when I’ve gone into a craft brewer and asked for “something that’s like Blue Moon”. I’ve learned the error of my ways LOL I also learned the difficulty craft brewers have getting their product into bars.
I highly recommend it for the brewing info along with a great domestic drama. It’s amazing that a man wrote this fine novel. His female characters ring true, especially midwestern women. And the ending….Edith is an amazing character.
September 2, 2019
Did I enjoy this novel of family, Midwestern values, and the secrets of making world-class beer?
You Betcha! 🍻
And, no-you don't have to be a beer drinker to enjoy this book.
This is really a story about two sisters, Helen and Edith, who become estranged over a family inheritance, and Edith's granddaughter, Diana.
Helen has always been obsessed with wanting to make beer. She will put this desire ahead of everyone and everything-no matter what the cost.
Her sister, Edith is the opposite-she is as sweet as the award winning pies that she bakes, and works hard to make a difference in the lives of everyone she meets, often at her own expense.
Edith's granddaughter, Diana, "grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses". Her life's circumstances have made her resilient and determined to not have to struggle as Edith had, and she hopes she can one day repay her grandmother for the unwavering love and support, she always received.
The story unfolds slowly at first, as the two sisters grow up, and settle into their lives, and it took till about the halfway point, for me to become fully invested. The turning point was when the book’s focus shifts to Diana.
Diana runs into some trouble and it ends up being a "blessing in disguise" as she must work at a brewery to rectify her mistake.
Now the fun begins, as she (and we) get to learn about making IPAs...
As the R.M. Drake quote says-"Fate has a funny way of mending things together..."
I dare you to read this without wanting a beer (and a slice of homemade pie!)
Just like when the last of your beer mug is drained, and the last page of a good book is turned, you will finish feeling warm and satisfied!
🍻 Cheers to J. Ryan Stradal, Pamela Dorman books and Edelweiss for allowing me to read a digital ARC in exchange for a candid review! This title is available now, so pick up a copy and enjoy!
You Betcha! 🍻
And, no-you don't have to be a beer drinker to enjoy this book.
This is really a story about two sisters, Helen and Edith, who become estranged over a family inheritance, and Edith's granddaughter, Diana.
Helen has always been obsessed with wanting to make beer. She will put this desire ahead of everyone and everything-no matter what the cost.
Her sister, Edith is the opposite-she is as sweet as the award winning pies that she bakes, and works hard to make a difference in the lives of everyone she meets, often at her own expense.
Edith's granddaughter, Diana, "grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses". Her life's circumstances have made her resilient and determined to not have to struggle as Edith had, and she hopes she can one day repay her grandmother for the unwavering love and support, she always received.
The story unfolds slowly at first, as the two sisters grow up, and settle into their lives, and it took till about the halfway point, for me to become fully invested. The turning point was when the book’s focus shifts to Diana.
Diana runs into some trouble and it ends up being a "blessing in disguise" as she must work at a brewery to rectify her mistake.
Now the fun begins, as she (and we) get to learn about making IPAs...
As the R.M. Drake quote says-"Fate has a funny way of mending things together..."
I dare you to read this without wanting a beer (and a slice of homemade pie!)
Just like when the last of your beer mug is drained, and the last page of a good book is turned, you will finish feeling warm and satisfied!
🍻 Cheers to J. Ryan Stradal, Pamela Dorman books and Edelweiss for allowing me to read a digital ARC in exchange for a candid review! This title is available now, so pick up a copy and enjoy!
December 20, 2020
4 🍺 🍺 🍺 🍺
"She leaned her sweaty head against the wall of the shed and felt the beer hit her tongue. Whoa, she thought. . .
She felt it in her mouth, behind her eyes, in her blood, in places no one had touched."
Did I enjoy this story? You betcha. Every bit as much as the Barrel House double IPA I’m so fond of. But after this I need to try out a triple, and soon. My overall impression is that the body, carbonation, warmth, and creaminess came through in every chapter. But it’s not just about lager as it’s paired with family struggles and reconciliation. Years ago I saw a wonderful film, The Straight Story starring Richard Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek. This brought that back to mind and both movie and book stirred up my tear ducts. Then again, maybe it was the beer—so diuretical.
"She leaned her sweaty head against the wall of the shed and felt the beer hit her tongue. Whoa, she thought. . .
She felt it in her mouth, behind her eyes, in her blood, in places no one had touched."
Did I enjoy this story? You betcha. Every bit as much as the Barrel House double IPA I’m so fond of. But after this I need to try out a triple, and soon. My overall impression is that the body, carbonation, warmth, and creaminess came through in every chapter. But it’s not just about lager as it’s paired with family struggles and reconciliation. Years ago I saw a wonderful film, The Straight Story starring Richard Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek. This brought that back to mind and both movie and book stirred up my tear ducts. Then again, maybe it was the beer—so diuretical.
September 11, 2019
This entertaining novel follows the lives and fortunes of three strong, gutsy mid-western women over a period of five decades.
It all starts with two sisters, Edith and Helen and a misunderstanding that put a rift in their relationship and shaped their lives. Older sister Edith follows a traditional route for a woman of that time, marrying a good man and starting a family. Younger sister Helen who has been entranced by the taste of beer since her mid teens goes off to college to earn a degree in Chemistry, sets her sights on the son of a wealthy family not only persuading him to set up a brewery to make light beer but also convincing her father to leave the family farm to her alone to finance the enterprise. Helen goes on to become very wealthy while Edith struggles to support herself and later her granddaughter Diana. 4.5★
I found the first half of the book a little slow as it sets up the lives of Helen and Edith. It seemed to concentrate on Edith's battles and success at pie making and lost sight of Helen after her initial attempts at beer making. It would have been good to have a bit more time with Helen to find out how her company was going over the years that Edith was struggling. Edith's children Colleen and Eugene also barely appeared until Diana, her granddaughter came to live with her and I found it odd that there much mention of them prior to that.
Apart from those quibbles about the storyline, I enjoyed the small town settings and the historical aspects of brewing from what it was in the 1950s with a few major companies to what it is today with a myriad of craft breweries making all types of beer. Edith's story also highlighted the difficulties that can be experienced by women working in low wage jobs in trying to make ends meet with no chance of retirement. It does make for tough, resilient women and I especially loved the characters of all the grandmothers in the last section of the book and their ideas for making beer.
It all starts with two sisters, Edith and Helen and a misunderstanding that put a rift in their relationship and shaped their lives. Older sister Edith follows a traditional route for a woman of that time, marrying a good man and starting a family. Younger sister Helen who has been entranced by the taste of beer since her mid teens goes off to college to earn a degree in Chemistry, sets her sights on the son of a wealthy family not only persuading him to set up a brewery to make light beer but also convincing her father to leave the family farm to her alone to finance the enterprise. Helen goes on to become very wealthy while Edith struggles to support herself and later her granddaughter Diana. 4.5★
I found the first half of the book a little slow as it sets up the lives of Helen and Edith. It seemed to concentrate on Edith's battles and success at pie making and lost sight of Helen after her initial attempts at beer making. It would have been good to have a bit more time with Helen to find out how her company was going over the years that Edith was struggling. Edith's children Colleen and Eugene also barely appeared until Diana, her granddaughter came to live with her and I found it odd that there much mention of them prior to that.
Apart from those quibbles about the storyline, I enjoyed the small town settings and the historical aspects of brewing from what it was in the 1950s with a few major companies to what it is today with a myriad of craft breweries making all types of beer. Edith's story also highlighted the difficulties that can be experienced by women working in low wage jobs in trying to make ends meet with no chance of retirement. It does make for tough, resilient women and I especially loved the characters of all the grandmothers in the last section of the book and their ideas for making beer.
September 11, 2019
A Delightfully Funny Tale of Family, Pie and Beer.
SUMMARY
Edith Magnuson‘s pies are deliciously famous. Still she lays awake wondering how her life might’ve been different if her father had not solely left their family farm to her sister Helen, a decision that split their family in two.
With the proceeds from the sell of their family’s farm Helen Blotz, built her husband Orval‘s families soda business into the top-selling brewery in Minnesota. She single-handedly created the light beer revolution, but Helen dismisses IPAs as a fad and the Blotz fortune takes a turn.
In her late teens, Diane Winters, Edith’s grand-daughter is given a shot at learning the beer business from the ground up, just as IPA revolution begins. The stakes could not be higher. Just as she’s launching her own brewpub she’s due to deliver a baby girl. Then the unthinkable happens and it’s up to Grandma Edith and her cadre of friends to secure the next generations chances for a better future. Can Grandma Edith’s Rhubarb Pie in a Bottle save Diana‘s fledgling brewery?
“When you see a man falling off a ladder above you, Edith believed, you don't envision your arms breaking. You just hold them out.”
REVIEW
Pour yourself a cold one and sit back and enjoy this delightful book about three women in the beer business. THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA is warm and funny, and a totally enjoyable read. It’s about the love and support of family, just when you need it the most. Just like good beer, You will know it’s a good book when you begin telling all your friends about it before you are even finished.
The writing is easy to read and humorous. The Minnesota setting for the book is unique and perfect. The three main characters are all nicely developed. You’ll fall in love with Edith because of her moxie. Despite the roadblocks put in her way, she just keeps on forging her own way in the world without complaint. I can’t wait to taste her Rhurbarb Pie in a Bottle. You’ll worry about Diane, but she has a little bit of her grandma’s moxie too. After a rough childhood she gets a little “tough love” help and it’s just just what she needs. And then there’s Helen...who simply does what’s best for Helen. There’s one in every family, but we love them anyway!
Author J. Ryan Stradal lives in Los Angeles County California. He grew up in the Midwest, in the southern Minnesota town of Hastings his first novel was Kitchens of the Great Midwest (2015) which won numerous awards. Now I know why. I think I’m going to be reading that one next.
“She was as calm as a small town on Christmas morning.”
Publisher Pamela Doran Books
Published July 23, 2019
Narrated Judith Ivey
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
SUMMARY
Edith Magnuson‘s pies are deliciously famous. Still she lays awake wondering how her life might’ve been different if her father had not solely left their family farm to her sister Helen, a decision that split their family in two.
With the proceeds from the sell of their family’s farm Helen Blotz, built her husband Orval‘s families soda business into the top-selling brewery in Minnesota. She single-handedly created the light beer revolution, but Helen dismisses IPAs as a fad and the Blotz fortune takes a turn.
In her late teens, Diane Winters, Edith’s grand-daughter is given a shot at learning the beer business from the ground up, just as IPA revolution begins. The stakes could not be higher. Just as she’s launching her own brewpub she’s due to deliver a baby girl. Then the unthinkable happens and it’s up to Grandma Edith and her cadre of friends to secure the next generations chances for a better future. Can Grandma Edith’s Rhubarb Pie in a Bottle save Diana‘s fledgling brewery?
“When you see a man falling off a ladder above you, Edith believed, you don't envision your arms breaking. You just hold them out.”
REVIEW
Pour yourself a cold one and sit back and enjoy this delightful book about three women in the beer business. THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA is warm and funny, and a totally enjoyable read. It’s about the love and support of family, just when you need it the most. Just like good beer, You will know it’s a good book when you begin telling all your friends about it before you are even finished.
The writing is easy to read and humorous. The Minnesota setting for the book is unique and perfect. The three main characters are all nicely developed. You’ll fall in love with Edith because of her moxie. Despite the roadblocks put in her way, she just keeps on forging her own way in the world without complaint. I can’t wait to taste her Rhurbarb Pie in a Bottle. You’ll worry about Diane, but she has a little bit of her grandma’s moxie too. After a rough childhood she gets a little “tough love” help and it’s just just what she needs. And then there’s Helen...who simply does what’s best for Helen. There’s one in every family, but we love them anyway!
Author J. Ryan Stradal lives in Los Angeles County California. He grew up in the Midwest, in the southern Minnesota town of Hastings his first novel was Kitchens of the Great Midwest (2015) which won numerous awards. Now I know why. I think I’m going to be reading that one next.
“She was as calm as a small town on Christmas morning.”
Publisher Pamela Doran Books
Published July 23, 2019
Narrated Judith Ivey
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
March 1, 2020
I really enjoyed this family drama, based on the lives of three family members in the beer brewing industry in Minnesota.
From the blurb:[A] charmer of a tale. . . Warm, witty and--like any good craft beer--complex, the saga delivers a subtly feminist and wholly life-affirming message." --People Magazine
The novel started out with Edith's famous pies. After some positive reviews in magazines and newspapers, the St. Anthony-Waterside nursery home, where only family members of the residence were allowed to eat, had to deal with an influx of people who suddenly had family members in residence there.
The author introduced me to new concepts/words in English:
...put a kibosh on the whole thing;
... her life's petite circuit;
... Things were pretty decent where she was, and she didn't ever see the point of bellyaching about things she couldn't change, especially in a world that never once ran a want ad looking for a complainer.
There are plenty more where this is coming from.
For me it was a good tale of people who set up their own boutique industries and compete in big world out there with new ideas. It required excruciating hard work (and perhaps hard drinking by their customers) to make things work and work very well. A little bit of luck and a lot of experience. This is a trend all over the world.
It was great to feel the local ambiance of Minnesota through the characters' eyes. Always a delight. Always something good to look forward to in novels. What I take away is that these women chose to go the route of America: follow the dream by working hard and taking risks. Despite their difference, the two sisters, Helen and Edith, with Edith's granddaughter Diana came out winners in the end. The road to serendipity or conciliation was crooked, painful and tough, though, but good. So very good.
And that was good enough for me too. A relaxing, informative, great read.
From the blurb:[A] charmer of a tale. . . Warm, witty and--like any good craft beer--complex, the saga delivers a subtly feminist and wholly life-affirming message." --People Magazine
The novel started out with Edith's famous pies. After some positive reviews in magazines and newspapers, the St. Anthony-Waterside nursery home, where only family members of the residence were allowed to eat, had to deal with an influx of people who suddenly had family members in residence there.
Lulu Kochendorfer was first to profit from her gatekeeper status, and let it be known that she'd claim anyone as her relative for a mere two bucks a pop. By the end of October, she'd obliterated three once-unbreakable St. Anthony_Waterside records by having fifty-two nieces, forty-nine nephews, and over a hundred grandchildren.It's a sad saga with a happy ending. Betrayal and remorse. Greed and kindness. Pie and Beer.
The author introduced me to new concepts/words in English:
...put a kibosh on the whole thing;
... her life's petite circuit;
... Things were pretty decent where she was, and she didn't ever see the point of bellyaching about things she couldn't change, especially in a world that never once ran a want ad looking for a complainer.
There are plenty more where this is coming from.
For me it was a good tale of people who set up their own boutique industries and compete in big world out there with new ideas. It required excruciating hard work (and perhaps hard drinking by their customers) to make things work and work very well. A little bit of luck and a lot of experience. This is a trend all over the world.
It was great to feel the local ambiance of Minnesota through the characters' eyes. Always a delight. Always something good to look forward to in novels. What I take away is that these women chose to go the route of America: follow the dream by working hard and taking risks. Despite their difference, the two sisters, Helen and Edith, with Edith's granddaughter Diana came out winners in the end. The road to serendipity or conciliation was crooked, painful and tough, though, but good. So very good.
And that was good enough for me too. A relaxing, informative, great read.
September 23, 2019
(2.75) I had sky-high hopes for Stradal’s follow-up after Kitchens of the Great Midwest. Theoretically, a novel about three pie-baking, beer-making female members of a Minnesota family should have been terrific. Again, this is female-centered, on a foodie theme, set in the Midwest and structured as linked short stories. Here the chapters are all titled after amounts of money; they skip around in time between the 1950s and the present day and between the perspectives of Edith Magnusson, her estranged younger sister Helen Blotz, and Edith’s granddaughter, Diana Winter.
Edith and Helen have a rivalry as old as the Bible, based around an inheritance that Helen stole to reopen her husband’s family brewery, instead of sharing it with Edith. Ever since, Edith has had to work minimum-wage jobs at nursing homes and fast food restaurants to make ends meet. When Diana comes to live with her as a teenager, she, too, works hard to contribute to the family, but gets caught up in a dodgy money-making scheme. It’s in penance for this error that she starts working at a local brewery, but beer soon becomes as much of an obsession for Diana as it once was for her great-aunt Helen.
I had a few problems with the book’s setup: Helen is portrayed as a villain, and never fully sheds that stereotypical designation; meanwhile, Edith is passive and boring, just a bit “wet” (in British slang). Edith and Diana suffer more losses than seems likely or fair, and there are too many coincidences involved in Diana’s transformation into a master brewer. I also found it far-fetched that a brewery would hire her as a 19-year-old and let her practice making many, many batches of lager, wasting lots of ingredients, all while she’s still underage. None of the characters fully came alive for me, though Diana was the closest. The ending wasn’t as saccharine as I expected, but still left me indifferent. I did like reading about the process of beer-making and flavor development, though, even though I’m not a beer drinker.
Edith and Helen have a rivalry as old as the Bible, based around an inheritance that Helen stole to reopen her husband’s family brewery, instead of sharing it with Edith. Ever since, Edith has had to work minimum-wage jobs at nursing homes and fast food restaurants to make ends meet. When Diana comes to live with her as a teenager, she, too, works hard to contribute to the family, but gets caught up in a dodgy money-making scheme. It’s in penance for this error that she starts working at a local brewery, but beer soon becomes as much of an obsession for Diana as it once was for her great-aunt Helen.
I had a few problems with the book’s setup: Helen is portrayed as a villain, and never fully sheds that stereotypical designation; meanwhile, Edith is passive and boring, just a bit “wet” (in British slang). Edith and Diana suffer more losses than seems likely or fair, and there are too many coincidences involved in Diana’s transformation into a master brewer. I also found it far-fetched that a brewery would hire her as a 19-year-old and let her practice making many, many batches of lager, wasting lots of ingredients, all while she’s still underage. None of the characters fully came alive for me, though Diana was the closest. The ending wasn’t as saccharine as I expected, but still left me indifferent. I did like reading about the process of beer-making and flavor development, though, even though I’m not a beer drinker.
February 12, 2020
The Lager Queen of Minnesota is told from the perspective of three different women. First, we have sisters Helen and Edith have not spoken to each other in 40 years. They have both faced struggles in their lives and fought to overcome them. Then there is Diana, Edith's granddaughter, a head strong young woman who is fiercely loyal to her Grandmother. Over the decades the women face many struggles in their lives, but face them all with the kind of courage that made my heart soar and cheer for them.
I just adored this story! It is the perfect book to curl up with on a chilly day, snuggle under some blankets, and let yourself get lost in a heartwarming story. I laughed, I cried, I cheered them on....the ending just made me smile so much. I wasn't sure how much I would even like a book about beer, but this book is so much more than that. It's about women in a field dominated by men, it is about family, it is about perseverance and fighting for what you want in life. Stradal has crafted a group of characters that you will fall in love with. I really can't say enough good things about this heartwarming story. And I learned a lot about beer that I didn't know! This book was just beyond perfect.
I just adored this story! It is the perfect book to curl up with on a chilly day, snuggle under some blankets, and let yourself get lost in a heartwarming story. I laughed, I cried, I cheered them on....the ending just made me smile so much. I wasn't sure how much I would even like a book about beer, but this book is so much more than that. It's about women in a field dominated by men, it is about family, it is about perseverance and fighting for what you want in life. Stradal has crafted a group of characters that you will fall in love with. I really can't say enough good things about this heartwarming story. And I learned a lot about beer that I didn't know! This book was just beyond perfect.
July 11, 2019
Warning: sentimental hogwash ahead. I Loved this book. It completely wrapped up my love of Minnesota, my grandma and aunts and mama, my love of beer, my thirst for knowledge. It's everything I wanted it to be an then some. So so so great.
December 11, 2022
This book offers a touching tale of families, stubbornness, success, failure, love, and through and through -- perseverance.
And lots of beer and discussion of beer and absolute reverence for beer. That's an idea I can get behind.
And lots of beer and discussion of beer and absolute reverence for beer. That's an idea I can get behind.
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