Praise for The Forager Chefs Club
"Walston’s epically delicious second novel summons readers to a table piled with purpose, twists and, of course, a passion for food. Precise and sumptuous dish descriptions prove just as enticing and involving as the character portraits, making this feast for the senses one readers will fall in love with and revisit to have their souls and hearts nourished."
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY (EDITOR'S PICK). See full review here.​
"Michigan native Walston, an avid gardener/forager now living on a small homestead in rural northern Virginia, showcases the bounty of her home state and develops an array of interesting contestants within this novel’s effective competition construct, which has the excitement and feel of high-stakes reality TV . . . Readers will relish the abundant descriptions of food and drink . . . A flavorful mélange of intriguing characters and Top Chef-style reality TV."
KIRKUS REVIEWS
"The Forager’s Chefs Club has everything I love in a novel: complex characters, beautifully described settings, a ton of heart and empathy, and incredible food. Curl up with this one by the fire and enjoy."
J. RYAN STRADAL, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELING AUTHOR OF KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST AND NATIONAL BESELLERS SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE LATE-NIGHT SUPPER CLUB AND THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA
"What a treat--it's not often that foragers get to see our pastime realistically depicted in a work of fiction. I had to stay up late in my hammock reading by moonlight just to find out how the threads of all five forager chefs were tied together in the end."
SAMUEL THAYER, FORAGING EXPERT AND AUTHOR OF SAM THAYER'S FIELD GUIDE TO EDIBLE WILD PLANTS, WINNER OF THE 2023 NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD, INCREDIBLE WILD EDIBLES: 36 PLANTS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, AND NATURE'S GARDEN: A GUIDE TO IDENTIFYING, HARVESTING, AND PREPARING EDIBLE WILD PLANTS
"Author Rita Mace Walston’s immediate standout feature as an author is her ability to craft complex, multidimensional characters whose personal struggles and ambitions are deeply engaging to watch as different attitudes and approaches clash . The unique concept of environmentally balanced cooking and foraging brings the culinary world to life in a competitive and exciting way, making the novel a literal feast for the imagination. Walston’s skillful weaving of plot twists and character interactions keeps the story dynamic and unpredictable as the contest and the interpersonal drama heat up, keeping readers hanging on for the next unexpected change of pace . The Forager Chefs Club is a superb work of drama and suspense that’s sure to please both the imagination and appetite.
READER'S FAVORITE REVIEW
"Rita Mace Walston’s The Forager Chefs Club is a love letter to foraging and cooking, full of mouth-watering descriptions, cooking tips, and even a few recipes . . . Walston highlights the world of competitive cooking with a deft eye, chronicling the ups and downs of the competitors . . . This heartfelt story will keep you reading."
ELLEN BIRKETT MORRIS, AUTHOR OF BEWARE THE TALL GRASS: A NOVEL AND LOST GIRLS: SHORT STORIES
"This novel has it all: suspense, wisdom, humor, intelligence, and so much great food! The competitors are all wonderfully distinct and memorable, and the sparkling prose delivers surprise after surprise. This is a book you won’t be able to put down, creating complex tones of anticipation and dread, awe and recognition. A wonderful read."
FRED LEEBRON, AUTHOR OF THE NEWS SAID IT WAS, OUT WEST, SIX FIGURES, and IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS; CO-EDITOR OF POSTMODERN AMERICAN FICTION: A NORTON ANTHOLOGY; AND CO-AUTHOR OF CREATING FICTION: A WRITER'S COMPANION
"The crisp prose and well-drawn characters make [The Forager Chefs Club] a captivating book to the very end. The compelling story follows five chefs through a unique culinary experience in rural Michigan where the bounty of the earth provides creative possibilities for their meals and their personal growth. It’s easy to get lost in the story and the meals in this delightful read."
BETH DOTSON, AUTHOR OF ROOTED IN SUNRISE
"Through the viewfinder, splashes of entertaining life come alive in this absolutely intertwined delicacy of a story. From refreshing earth-rendering recipes of steeping lemon verbena leaves in heated milk to test your senses, it forages deep into many personality aspects: belief, core, steadfastness, honesty, true to oneself, courage. This author has nailed it in so many twists and turns! A must read!"
ELAINE BOLAND, LOCAL FOOD ADVOCATE AND FOUNDER/OWNER OF FIELDS OF ATHENRY FARM AND SIDE SADDLE BISTRO
Praise for Paper & Ink, Flesh & Blood
"Elegant and strange, magical in its metaphor, Paper & Ink, Flesh & Blood gives us an old-fashioned kind of heroine in Margaux, a woman who lives inside her lifeblood connection to books. As we case back over the events that shaped her life up to the present, we can't help but see our own literary loves reflected, and all the ways books have illuminated our brightest and our darkest time. This is a story full of its own electricity. It's wonderful."
ASHLEY WARLICK, AUTHOR OF THE ARRANGEMENT
"From the first line, Walston grips you and never lets go...With rich and gorgeous writing as well as a real gift for place, you'll remember this wise and heartbreaking tale long after you've finished it. A dazzling love letter to the power—and magic—of books!"
CONSTANCE SAYERS, AUTHOR OF A WITCH IN TIME
"Richly imagined and deeply felt, Paper & Ink, Flesh & Blood can also be dark, intriguing, and disturbing in the best possible ways. Margaux's sensitivity and razor-sharp observations make her the perfect narrator for this enthralling coming-of-age story."
GISELE FIRMINO, AUTHOR OF THE MARBLE ARMY
"Paper & Ink, Flesh & Blood immediately draws you in... This fun read is perfect for all of the book lovers in your life."
PERRY PIDGEON HOOKS, PRESIDENT, HOOKS BOOK EVENTS
"This intimacy, in such a case, feels like a privilege, and it gives us considerable pleasure to have been granted closeness to Margaux. . . . Line by line, paragraph by paragraph, it’s a real pleasure to read."
PINCKNEY BENEDICT, AUTHOR OF THE AWARD-WINNING MIRACLE BOY AND OTHER STORIES
"Paper & Ink, Flesh & Blood is rich with characters to fall in love with 'who chose to dance through the world when others chose to walk.' The characters are full and rich enough, that I feel like they are friends. I miss them already. This book is one that I will be thinking about for a long time."
SUSAN RANDLETT, AMAZON REVIEW
"Margaux will resonate with readers early on; her deep relationship with her 'paper and ink' friends are familiar—you’ve known them, too—and the powerful metaphor infused in this story invites us to consider thoughtfully our own connection to the influences of text, the fulfillment we achieve through reading. And just one more note: This summer spent quarantined and distanced from those we look to for comfort has inspired most of us to examine ourselves and our pasts; this is a tender time, and I think this novel offer me good guidance and inspiration as, like Margaux, I feel encouraged to think back to my own grandmother and her nurturing influence on me as a reader."
JAY, AMAZON REVIEW
"I was hooked in the first chapter. And it just gets better... It’s fascinating to hear lines from classic books describing the people Margaux encounters. The characters in the novel are well defined and easy to relate to, especially when the books give us some insight. It has a few twists and turns, enough to keep you turning the page. I suggested Pen & Ink, Flesh & Blood for one of my Book Groups. It would make a good book discussion."
DONNA M., GOODREADS REVIEW
"This book. Amazing. A treat for anyone who appreciates the power of reading and who understands the magic that a book offers. This one cast a spell from the beginning and kept me from doing anything else the weekend I started reading it. And the spell lingered, reminding me of so many of my favorite authors and books that I now feel compelled to re-read. I’ve just packed a bag for a quick weekend in the mountains, and have chosen the ones that have spoken to me in the past and, and like Margaux, I hope they’ll speak to me again. Brava, Ms. Walston!"
SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH, AMAZON REVIEW