NINA NAVISKY
Novelist
ABOUT
Nina Navisky writes novels that will spark conversation at your next book club meeting. Drawn to real-world issues because of her son's multiple disabilities, her family dramas are rich with emotion and sprinkled with humor. Prior to writing, she received degrees in psychology and speech-language pathology, which explains why she enjoys complicating her characters' lives with ulterior motives and communication breakdowns.
EXCERPT
Dog walker by day and fortune cookie writer by night, Marissa is broke. Blindsided by divorce, she's determined to support her young son, Owen, musically gifted and struggling to hide his peculiar behaviors from the world. When a stranger offers her a week's pay to cook dinners for a widow who lives one floor down, Marissa accepts. She'd be a fool to turn down such easy cash. But the arrangement isn't simple with ninety-four-year old Rose, who tends to lapse into Yiddish and has no interest in visits from an unfamiliar neighbor.
Soon Marissa discovers clues about Rose's unspoken history: a piano, silent for decades, yet still in tune; a locked case with an unbreakable code; and three hidden photos bearing an inscription. As Owen's future darkens, Rose's past is revealed---leaving Marissa to decide how to create good fortune for the three of them.
REVIEWS
"Nina Navisky writes with a warm hand that leads readers into thought-provoking moments...With its delicate probe into circles of life, restarts, and processes of discovery, The Fortune Cookie Writer will delight..."
--Midwest Book Review
Read the full review here.
"Navisky is a talented writer who has created an evocative tale with compelling, complex characters. Single mom, Marissa, finds herself cooking dinners for widowed Rose, and what begins as a challenge for both reveals the moving lessons of life and loss. A tender read you won't soon forget."
--Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today Bestselling Author of This Is Not How It Ends
Amazon reviews:
"In The Fortune Cookie Writer, author Nina Navisky expertly weaves together the life stories of two women who were unlikely friends but whose destinies collided thanks to a loving act of kindness of a third woman. This book is for anyone who has lost a loved one, had regrets over past words and actions, has misunderstood or been misunderstood and for all of us who have asked ourselves the question, 'are my kids ok?' Reading this book will bring comfort and connection to those who have felt alone with life’s challenges."
"You will find yourself pulling for Marissa and Owen while admiring the pure love of this mother for her son while encouraging Rose to reach out to this family...This book is gentle and heartwarming, sad and hopeful, inspiring and unforgettable."
"The Fortune Cookie Writer by Nina Navisky is a heartfelt and charming story... (that) highlights the beauty of multi-generational friendships and demonstrates that people can come into our lives at the most uncanny times and provide us with the answers and companionship we are in search of....an uplifting and entertaining book with a loving and beautiful reminder of how resilient and resourceful we can be as individuals, particularly when we realize we are not alone."
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION GUIDE
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