It's driving me crazy...

[catherintl]

I cannot remember the title or author of a book I read a quite a few years ago that i really loved. I thought it might be a Kingsolver but not that I can find. It was about a girl who was left at a convent (?) in the desert (New Mexico?) and subsequently taken in by an old mystical woman and they live very simply off of the land. The girl grows up and goes to Arizona? and comes in contact with a tapestry artist there that she believes is her mother. Sound familiar to anyone?

 

[Proofreader]

Is this "Isabel's Daughter" by Judith Hendricks?

 

[catherintl]

Yes! Thank you so much--I've been wanting to give/recommend it to some of the young readers I know. Were you familiar with this book or did you find it through a search?

 

[Proofreader]

I had read it ( about three months ago), but I read so much that titles tend to disappear, so it was a matter of searching till I found a match! eventually traced it on a search for orphan and New Mexico. It really bugged me as I could visualise the text but not the title.

 

[catherintl]

Can I ask where you searched? I tried isbn.db and Amazon without luck. I'm already trying to remember another book I just recently read but cannot remember the title. This one was about three sisters (either Iranian or Indian) who fled their country and opened a cafe in Ireland.

 

[Proofreader]

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran. I read this one too. Lovely book.

Another one to look out for is "The Saffron Kitchen", by Yasmin Crowther. Wonderful book.

I search on google using words or phrases that I think will lead to what I'm looking for. Can require lateral thinking and persistence, but easier than just trying book sites.

 

[catherintl]

Yes, it was Pomegranate Soup. I love books that have that earthy yet somewhat mystical quality surrounding foods and spices--Chocolat and Like Water for Chocolate are other good examples. Thanks for the recommend on The Saffron Kitchen. My library doesn't have it yet but I put it on my wish list!