Everything’s going mostly fine for Maggie in Jeannie Zusy’s debut novel, The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream. She’s a single mother who has managed to balance parenting, freelancing, her ex’s shortcomings, and toeing the waters of dating — no easy task, to be sure. Then, she gets a call: Her sister Ginny, who has intellectual disabilities, is no longer able to care for herself. As of immediately. Up Ginny comes to the Northeast, where Maggie sets her up in a nearby house. From here on out, we are granted firsthand access to the hilarity and heartbreak of caregiving. Ginny has no short supply of character, and as Maggie (no simple soul either) works madly to navigate this new type of life, their story of childhood and beyond is slowly revealed. The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream will have you hooked, chuckling, and riveted at once — and all at once.
The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream
by Jeannie Zusy
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| Santa Julia Plus Cabernet Sauvignon | Gonzalez Byass Nectar Pedro Ximinez Sherry |
| Throughout The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream, Maggie drinks her “cheap red wine” as happily from a glass as from a Little Mermaid mug. We recommend a better vessel – but we do believe that cheap wine can be fabulous. Ergo, peep this highly rated, under-ten-bucks Santa Julia Plus Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s medium bodied and perfectly balanced — not unlike the kind of life Maggie is trying to make for herself and her family. | We’re going with something a little sweeter for this pairing, to hold up to our recipe, and recommending the Gonzalez Byass Nectar Pedro Ximinez Sherry. This is a wine made for sipping slowly. Given its complexity, you’ll enjoy doing just that! |
Dark Chocolate Nut Butter Buckeyes
From Truly Simple by Kristin Cavallari
Ginny has a very troublesome and insatiable sweet tooth. With eyes all around keeping tabs on what she’s consuming, she gets crafty with where she stashes her sweets (many of which feature peanut butter at the center). Inspired by her penchant for sugary snackable treats, but not SO into anything too saccharine, we’re bringing you Kristin Cavallari’s Dark Chocolate Nut Butter Buckeyes. Share with your family, friends, book club — just be sure to first stash a few aside for yourself.
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Coating
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| Excerpted from TRULY SIMPLE copyright © 2023 by Kristin Cavallari. Used with permission from Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. |
Truly Simple: 140 Healthy Recipes for Weekday Cooking: A Cookbook
by Kristin Cavallari
As we read The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream, countless questions and considerations came to mind: How does Ginny feel throughout all of this? What would we do in Maggie’s shoes? What do we owe to our siblings, when it comes to their needs and care? We could go on. But instead we’ll point you to these fantastic questions, come to us courtesy of publisher Simon & Schuster.
Get the questions.
There are a number of absolutely perfect music mentions throughout The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream. These are songs that (mostly) speak to those of us who have seen more than a couple decades fly on by. We’ve pulled them together in a playlist that will perfectly complement your reading experience — as well as any book-toting get-together you opt to organize.
Get the music.
We were desperate to know more about Jeannie Zusy’s inspiration for the novel. Here’s the very personal insight she shared when asked that very question.
“My brother Davie. He was very special to me and the few of us who were lucky to know and love him. He inspired me in many ways, and I admired his strength, sweetness, and dignity. A few years ago, he was having health issues that he couldn’t manage on his own. My siblings and I decided to move him to live near me and my family. It was an intense and gratifying three-year adventure. While this was happening, I was struck by how many people I knew that were in similar situations (usually with a parent). I wanted to write a novel that addressed the rewards and challenges that come with caring for a loved one. I wanted to celebrate people who have special needs and shed some light on the preciousness of every life, even a very quiet one.
“I chose to fictionalize it because I wanted to give myself some flexibility and freedom. I made it about sisters because I wanted to explore that unique dynamic. Also, I wanted to write about women, specifically the overall amazingness of women in middle age, whom I feel are under-represented in today’s fiction. And finally, I wanted to celebrate caregivers, many of whom are immigrants and have their own awe-inspiring stories. I honestly don’t know where our country’s medical system would be without them. I dedicated this book to both my brother Davie and to those who care.”
Questions and author essay courtesy of Simon & Schuster