A Year of Sundays is a most uncategorical book—a love story that's a culinary tour, about a cat, midlife crisis, being sightless, and living and feasting in, not just touring, fascinating Old World destinations.
Edward Webster, a city official in California, and his blind
wife, Marguerite, a marriage and family therapist, are feeling
a bit blue and nostalgic. What reenergizes the marriage is a
beautiful shared dream of sybaritic adventure. One day, hope
struck as they realized how they could make the dream a reality.
Why not dally together—take a sabbatical to visit romantic
locales, savor life, and reclaim that precious possession,
la
vie du couple? "It would be great to live without a schedule,"
Marguerite said. "To explore Provence…the Greek islands…to
spend a few weeks in each place with absolutely no demands."
So, defying conventional wisdom, the Websters put their professions
on hold and took off (as a family of 3, with kitty Felicia meowing
her way) for a leisurely tour of Europe from Brittany to the
Greek Isles. Hitting 24 delightful destinations, the Websters
stayed long enough in most of the new surroundings to be regulars
at the cafes and restaurants, and make friends among the staff.
Edward's challenge on the dream vacation was to help Marguerite
share the local cultures she no longer sees. Flavors, textures
and smells are all more special for us as readers with a sightless
person along!…We all know how taking an interest in food
is an unbeatable way to get to know a new place. All the more
so dining with Marguerite and the cat! In picturesque villages,
shopkeepers entice Marguerite to touch and experience everything.
Being blind is a virtual conversation piece. So is being polite
and furry beneath the table, claws retracted but poised for
a tidbit langoustine. The unique circumstances bring an extra
dose of piquancy to the descriptions of great and mediocre meals
as the Websters delve into European cuisine along its byways
…"Food is about life is it not? I think, perhaps,
you enjoy living."
A Year of Sundays is the quirkiest, most affecting love story, food book, pet book, travel memoir in years. Here's the sort of Grand Tour many people wish they could take but most of us never get around to…It's pancakes in Holland, spumoni in Italy, crepes in Brittany, and paella in Spain, but also the best herb-marinated olives ever in a humble Italian grocery, and pungent spices in a North African marche to the far side of Paris. Many people wish they could do what the Websters did, but for one reason or another never get around to their own Grand Tour. Nevertheless, from the moment Felicia's furry face looks up at the author, as if to ask 'It's my turn now, right?' to the honest and moving denouement, you'll want to replicate this fascinating trip.
A Year of Sundays is available at bookstores or by calling 1-800-789-7916.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Edward D. Webster’s richly thoughtful, multifaceted account, like all the best books of travel, has the immediacy and the markings of years of gestation. And it's his first, in a career that has been in distinctly worldly, pragmatic veins. His jobs have spanned math teacher; heading a math department in a school in New Mexico where the students were Navajo Indians; environmental specialist in the oil industry; and currently Contract Administrator for California’s Ventura County Transportation Commission.
