Occasionally a book jumps out of any pre-ordained genre and manages to capture triumph, tragedy, and larger-than-life story telling - almost independent of genre. Certain works are at once adventure, autobiographical, reverent, and inspiring.
Cathie Beck's "Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship" does all of that and more.
Two women meet at pivotal times in their respective lives - Cathie's just raised a family on her own and is just 38-years-old. Denise is an entrepreneur extraordinaire - she's owned a string of successful businesses and knows full well how the world works and how to make it work for her.
Except life is never that clear. The two strike up an unlikely friendship that changes them both forever.
Beck's command of storytelling is without flaw. With a confident, humor-infused (yet brutally poignant) voice, she takes readers on the most intimate, hysterically funny, and heart-wrenching journeys ever written about. As readers, we are 'one' with her as she takes us into hers and Denise's hearts, into their homes, deep into their souls, and, ultimately, into their respective futures.
We see the women confront unfair and often life-wrecking circumstances - just as we see them plan capers that are at once daring and delightful. We hear their inner trepidations about relationships, men, women and family - even as we see them make the most difficult decisions one might ever face.
This is an impossible-to-put-down book. It is a joyful ride and I cannot remember a book I could recommend more.
Savor every syllable. Look forever to Beck's newest work.
