The Essence of Mimi

The Essence of Mimi is a fresh and charming tale filled with love, family dynamics, and life choices. It is the story of two women, an elderly Mimi, telling her life story to Annie, a young college professor living in Charleston, West Virginia. The tale she tells is also of two women and their adventures beginning in nursing school in Detroit at the beginning of World War II. Mimi and Rosemary’s studies are demanding, but with romance on the horizon, Mimi still finds time to enjoy herself and navigate difficult times.

It is a story about love, life, and one of the most fundamental human rights: the right to choose. Tales from the past and from the present are woven together to ultimately offer readers a compelling picture of a life well-lived.

Strong women, historical times and places, love, and grief are themes explored in this account of a friendship that spans decades.

The Essence of Mimi was initially published as an epistolatory work called “The Convenience of Crafting Maple Fudge.”