This was a coming of age story; however, the main character doesn't come of age until she's 35. Rachel Goldman doesn't know what she wants. She's divorced her husband, left her job and has decided to learn how to cook. But this novel isn't really about any of those things--it's really about Rachel learning to be Rachel. Outside of the expectations of her uber-successful parents, Rachel has to figure out who she is and what she truly wants out of life.
Melissa Ford handles this brilliantly. She tells Rachel's story in a way that any woman can relate to her. She speaks to an entire generation of women who were raised to be 'successful' without really understanding that being successful needs to be defined by the individual and not by society at large. She also includes supporting characters that are each struggling to find their happiness within their own boundaries. Rachel's friends and family may appear to be happy to outsiders, but Ford provides each of them with their own struggles. Perhaps, in the promised sequel, we'll see a little more of the depths of the supporting characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed Life From Scratch and look forward to reading the sequel.
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