- Paperback: 330 pages
- Publisher: Summertime; 1st edition (1 Oct 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1904881424
- ISBN-13: 978-1904881421
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 12.7 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 198,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Sunshine Soup - nourishing the global soul
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"As she does in her fabulous non-fiction books, in Sunshine Soup, Jo Parfitt makes the challenges of being a mobile wife ring stunningly true." Robin Pascoe, www.expatexpert.com "An interesting and evocative read. A peep into another world." Anita Burgh, author of 22 bestselling novels including Distinctions of Class, www.anitaburgh.com
Product Description
Dubai 2008. In this multicultural melting pot, six women search for meaning in a life judged by many to be charmed and superficial. As first-timers, lifers and love immigrants operate within the expat bubble a darker side emerges – of culture shock, loss of identity, depression, temptation and grief. Newcomer, Maya, navigates the unfamiliar while the sand beneath Barb’s feet begins to shift. Stereotypes are smashed as the reality of life amidst shopping malls and housemaids rises to the surface. As humid days get cooler, the plot deepens/soup thickens and the expats discover what really matters. For Maya the secret lies in the kitchen – a place that is no longer her domain. The book also includes recipes from Maya’s kitchen and questions for reading groups.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sunshine Soup: Nourishing the Global Soul
I have just finished reading "Sunshine Soup", by Jo Parfitt and I must say that I enjoyed reading it thoroughly. Having lived in the middle east myself as an expatriate wife I could perfectly relate to Jo's characters in this book. Maya, newly arrived in Dubai, leaving a profession she loved behind along with her close friends. Barb, the first friend that Maya makes in Dubai, who is there to help everyone yet carries a secret within her that makes her extremely unhappy. Through Barb, Maya meets other expatriate women in much the same situation as herself, searching for happiness and fullfilment in a land far away from home. Together they form a strong friendship and put their skills together to form the Sunshine centre which supports women exactly like them.
Jo paints a very realistic picture, light hearted sometimes, but truly reflective of life as an expatriate. It is great fun to read and has an up beat and positive ending that leaves you wanting to know more.
I have just finished reading "Sunshine Soup", by Jo Parfitt and I must say that I enjoyed reading it thoroughly. Having lived in the middle east myself as an expatriate wife I could perfectly relate to Jo's characters in this book. Maya, newly arrived in Dubai, leaving a profession she loved behind along with her close friends. Barb, the first friend that Maya makes in Dubai, who is there to help everyone yet carries a secret within her that makes her extremely unhappy. Through Barb, Maya meets other expatriate women in much the same situation as herself, searching for happiness and fullfilment in a land far away from home. Together they form a strong friendship and put their skills together to form the Sunshine centre which supports women exactly like them.
Jo paints a very realistic picture, light hearted sometimes, but truly reflective of life as an expatriate. It is great fun to read and has an up beat and positive ending that leaves you wanting to know more.
Format:Paperback
When Maya moves to Dubai with her pilot husband, she is shocked to find the words "Housewife. Not allowed to work" stamped into her visa. Having run a successful deli back in England, Maya struggles to find a sense of purpose in her new home. To make matters worse, her husband seems distracted and distant.
Through Barb, an outgoing American woman whose cheerful demeanor hides a sad secret, Maya is introduced to a circle of expat women who help her to find friendship and meaning in her new life. Maya's marriage weathers the storm and she builds a new and exciting life for herself in Dubai.
This book would appeal to married expat women, or to those who are considering moving abroad--especially if they are following a working partner. Dubai was beautifully described and seemed much more interesting than I'd imagined it to be.
As well as being entertaining, "Sunshine Soup" paints a realistic picture of the highs and lows faced by expat women.
Through Barb, an outgoing American woman whose cheerful demeanor hides a sad secret, Maya is introduced to a circle of expat women who help her to find friendship and meaning in her new life. Maya's marriage weathers the storm and she builds a new and exciting life for herself in Dubai.
This book would appeal to married expat women, or to those who are considering moving abroad--especially if they are following a working partner. Dubai was beautifully described and seemed much more interesting than I'd imagined it to be.
As well as being entertaining, "Sunshine Soup" paints a realistic picture of the highs and lows faced by expat women.
Format:Paperback
Jo Parfitt is mistress of the pen and of the word. With 27 non-fiction books to her name, including cookbooks, guides for career management, coaching for creative writers, even computer handbooks, she has inspired many budding authors by "sharing what I know to help others grow" and with her `brainwave to bookshelf' tutorials.
Sunshine Soup is her first novel. It is, by her own admission, the book that has scared her the most to write. God! There's no hope for the rest of us mere mortals, then!
The book is most definitely an expat book, though the narrative flows around fictional characters rather than the more usual memoirs. So rumour has it, anyway - it is very hard not to suspect that there is a large piece of Jo in Maya, the main character, with her in-depth knowledge of Dubai, her abiding love of her therapeutic kitchen and her propensity to encourage people around her to flourish.
I started the book knowing nothing of Dubai. The visuals drummed up by Jo's compelling descriptions brought it to life for me, and give a very solid background setting for the very real characters that are splashed across the canvas.
The issues of being an expat wife, trailing spouse, or whatever label is currently fashionable, are very clearly stated. With Maya, it is the wrench of leaving behind a business partnership into which she had poured energy and devotion, and the subsequent realisation that she will not be allowed to work in her new life. The coming to terms with the lack of direction, even in her own home, where she feels guilty about the undertaking of any task to which the housemaid lays prior claim. The loneliness of being a freshly arrived alien, whose kids go off to school to sink or swim without her assistance.
With Barb, it is the self-created trap of the furious filling to the brim of her time, just to avoid her own company and empty moments that would give room for reflection on sad events and on her fulfilling partner-role. Her heavy-handed involvement in and organisation of just about all things available for input makes her the dependable one, the one who is always there, always strong - quite a formidable character, but everyone has secrets, and their own Achilles heel, and she is no exception.
With other characters, Jo delivers further insights into the various and myriad difficulties that come hand-in-hand with the life of the expat wife.
There were two aspects of the book that I especially liked. The first is its ability to encompass the viewpoint of the working spouse, too - Maya's husband, Rich, as the shaker and mover in the expatriation, also has a tale to tell of his own problems in his new environment.
The second is the glimpse we are allowed into a couple of Arab relationships, as their unfolding stories intertwine with the expat narratives.
All in all, a colourful, honest, and sensitive while informative book that I enjoyed thoroughly.
Oh, and by the way - as a bonus, Jo generously shares with us the mouth-watering recipes served up through the narrative. Love it!
Sunshine Soup is her first novel. It is, by her own admission, the book that has scared her the most to write. God! There's no hope for the rest of us mere mortals, then!
The book is most definitely an expat book, though the narrative flows around fictional characters rather than the more usual memoirs. So rumour has it, anyway - it is very hard not to suspect that there is a large piece of Jo in Maya, the main character, with her in-depth knowledge of Dubai, her abiding love of her therapeutic kitchen and her propensity to encourage people around her to flourish.
I started the book knowing nothing of Dubai. The visuals drummed up by Jo's compelling descriptions brought it to life for me, and give a very solid background setting for the very real characters that are splashed across the canvas.
The issues of being an expat wife, trailing spouse, or whatever label is currently fashionable, are very clearly stated. With Maya, it is the wrench of leaving behind a business partnership into which she had poured energy and devotion, and the subsequent realisation that she will not be allowed to work in her new life. The coming to terms with the lack of direction, even in her own home, where she feels guilty about the undertaking of any task to which the housemaid lays prior claim. The loneliness of being a freshly arrived alien, whose kids go off to school to sink or swim without her assistance.
With Barb, it is the self-created trap of the furious filling to the brim of her time, just to avoid her own company and empty moments that would give room for reflection on sad events and on her fulfilling partner-role. Her heavy-handed involvement in and organisation of just about all things available for input makes her the dependable one, the one who is always there, always strong - quite a formidable character, but everyone has secrets, and their own Achilles heel, and she is no exception.
With other characters, Jo delivers further insights into the various and myriad difficulties that come hand-in-hand with the life of the expat wife.
There were two aspects of the book that I especially liked. The first is its ability to encompass the viewpoint of the working spouse, too - Maya's husband, Rich, as the shaker and mover in the expatriation, also has a tale to tell of his own problems in his new environment.
The second is the glimpse we are allowed into a couple of Arab relationships, as their unfolding stories intertwine with the expat narratives.
All in all, a colourful, honest, and sensitive while informative book that I enjoyed thoroughly.
Oh, and by the way - as a bonus, Jo generously shares with us the mouth-watering recipes served up through the narrative. Love it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brought back the sunshine for me
Having lived in Dubai for 5 years in the 80's I completely identified with the characters in this book and grew to think of them as my friends. Read more
Published 2 months ago by H. M. Bell
Book Review - Sunshine Soup
"I don't believe there are any expat women who would not recognise a part of themselves in this book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kama J Frankling
At last, a novel about the expat experience!
Sunshine Soup is an enjoyable and engaging read. There are very few novels about the expat experience on the market and Sunshine Soup will strike a chord with anyone who has lived... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Angela S. Williams
Every expat will recognise themselves here
This is a novel every expat woman will enjoy, even if their experiences don't exactly match those of the very human and likeable characters in this story. Read more
Published 6 months ago by S. J. Dagg
Great read
I found it impossible not to be drawn in to this book. The characters are strikingly drawn and developed, the plot is compelling and the sights and sounds of Dubai form an... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jack Scott
Sunshine Soup
The life of an expat wife in a far-flung destination has all the classic ingredients for a jolly good chick-lit novel and who better to pen the story than someone who's lived the... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mrs Shelley Antscherl
An expat story with food and tips on how to put sunshine in your life!
It seems a bit corny now to add recipes to your novel (Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson spoofed it up marvellously in an earlier tale set among British... Read more
Published 8 months ago by The Watermill at Posara
If you want to live the Dubai expat life, just read the book
Although Jo Parfitt has written many books, this is her first novel and it's a compelling read. I thought I'd be able to read it in bits, but found myself abandoning work to find... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Lesley Morrissey
If Dubai interests you, if you like people, if you like food - buy...
Meet Maya and Barb and a cast of other women in Jo Parfitt's first novel, Sunshine Soup: though if you are an expat you will already know women like them. Read more
Published 9 months ago by F. A. H. Gidley
A must-read, fresh and lively novel, which captures brilliantly expat...
Life will never be the same for expats! If you have ever been curious as to what goes on behind the closed doors of the expatriate brigade, this novel will open your eyes! Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jane KM
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