Monday, November 12, 2012

Memoir of the Sunday Brunch


4 out of 5

Julia Pandl's wonderful account of growing up in the Pandl family restaurant, Memoir of the Sunday Brunch, is a touching tribute to her parents and particularly to her eccentric father, George, who was chief cook but not bottle washer. There has to be a lot of humor in large family and hers is no exception. Being the youngest of nine children, Julia was left with her parents in an empty nest just when she was getting into the family restaurant business.

This is a very personal memoir about all the quirks and foibles of a family that is self supporting and at the same time dysfunctional in many ways.  However, aren't we all.  It is a great picture of how families make the best of situations and come together the good of the whole when possible.

Julia's father taught all his children some valuable lessons, good and bad, and I enjoyed the funny as well the sad parts of their story.

I believe that Ms. Pandl has the ability to tell a funny and heart warming story whether, fact or fiction, I hope that is this is not her last attempt at story telling.