Title: The Lager Queen of Minnesota

Author: J. Ryan Stradal

Publisher: Viking 2019

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 353

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Two sisters, one farm. A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living. So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself.

With the proceeds from the farm, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country, and makes their company motto ubiquitous: "Drink lots. It's Blotz." Where Edith has a heart as big as Minnesota, Helen's is as rigid as a steel keg. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, and she could find a potential savior close to home. . . if it's not too late.

Meanwhile, Edith's granddaughter, Diana, grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses. She earns a shot at learning the IPA business from the ground up--will that change their fortunes forever, and perhaps reunite her splintered family?

I really really enjoyed this one. But coming so soon after reading Stradal’s first book. Kitchens of the Great Midwest, I found myself comparing the two. I really enjoyed Diana and many of the side characters in this book. While rough around the edges, Diana is really someone who cares deeply for her family. Edith and Helen were less sympathetic and frankly interesting characters. I was very annoyed by their choices. Edith was selfless to the point of being harmful to herself, while Helen never seemed to care about anyone but herself. I get what Stradal was trying to do with the two sisters, but I was often annoyed. I was just hoping to get back to Diana’s story quicker. This sound very negative, but I really did enjoy this book. I was intrigued by the storyline and hoped for a satisfying conclusion. Thankfully, the ending has me tearing up. It’s not a “happily ever after” ending (that would have been too far-fetched for the characters), but we do get a satisfying ending. A definite recommendation.

Next up on the TBR pile: