Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
“I thought at times that poetry might be an elegant way of screaming.”
Synopsis: It’s the last day of 1984, and 85 year old Lillian Boxfish decides to take a stroll around Manhattan. As she does, the story alternates between Liliian recalling a long and eventful life, and the events that occur during her walk. Lillian had an early career in advertising at Macy’s department store, cut short by marriage, motherhood, and divorce.
Nicholette’s Review: This novel is set exclusively in the head of Lillian, and what a delightful place to be! Lillian tells her life story as outlined on the streets of New York. Her life included lot of triumphs and joys (successful career, love and marriage, motherhood), as well as regrets and set backs. It’s also a bit of a love letter to the New York City itself, as she reflects on many of the well known landmarks of the city that she adores. Among the things I loved about Lillian: she was funny, smart and brave, she loved to walk everywhere that she goes, she could admit her failings, and, even at the age of 85, could still be open to the world and the people that she met. Rating: 4/5
Corey’s Review: I’ll start off by saying that this book is slower paced, not that there is anything wrong with that, but be forewarned. There were times when I dazed off for a bit. The entire book is narrated by our main character, Lillian Boxfish as she looks back on her life and her time living in NYC. Lillian is a spunky old lady that has had her shares of triumphs and failures. My favorite parts of the book were her reminiscing about old New York and the way life was back in the day. While I enjoyed the book, I don’t think I would recommend to someone that is looking for a page turner. Rating: 3/5
Menu: During Lillian’s New Year’s Eve stroll around New York, she decides to stop and have dinner at Delmonico’s. Delmonico’s is a well known restaurant of New York, perhaps one of the first in the modern style of a la carte dining. The restaurant claims to be the originator of several notable dishes including Eggs Benedict, Delmonico steak, Lobster Newburg and Baked Alaska. Lillian dines here with her ex-husband Max as they hash out the details of their divorce. She has the steak and “Delmonico potatoes.” The restaurant was known for the potatoes, but the interesting thing is the Internet has quite a few different recipes which all claim to be the original version. The general idea however, is diced potatoes in a cream sauce with cheese, topped with breadcrumbs. It’s quite similar to a familiar dish Southerners call “funeral potatoes,” and I promise that if you decide to use frozen hash browns, I won’t give up your secret.
Ingredients:
8 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, diced to 1/2 inch size
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, half and half or light cream
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese, mild cheddar or whatever you have
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1) Heat the oven to 425 degrees
2) Butter a shallow baking pan
3) Simmer diced potatoes in salted water for 12-15 minuets, or until just ten cook and stir for 2-3 minutes, but don’t brown
4) Gradually add the milk and continue cooking over low heat until thickened. Season with salt and pepper
5) Combine the drained potatoes with the sauce, transfer to baking dish.
6) Cover with grated cheese
7) Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and toss with the breadcrumbs.
8) Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the potatoes
9) Bake for about 20 minutes until the top is browned and casserole is bubbling around the edges.
