The Cheesemaker’s Daughter

I am doing that thing I do where I get home from somewhere wonderful (Croatia) and read books to help me relive it. This is such a beautiful story about family, belonging, and identity — I loved it. Marina returns home to Sirana (her family’s cheese factory on the island of Pag, Croatia) to regroup and figure out her next steps after separating from her husband. There, she finds the family business is struggling. Meanwhile, an old rivalry (and romance) comes to light, as do old, lingering family tensions. Marina realizes she has to do everything she can to save Sirana! She finds herself increasingly immersed in the world of cheese: learning to make it, hiring a new cheesemaker, and figuring out workarounds for old equipment they can’t afford to replace. The writing is beautifully transportive, and as a foodie, I loved learning so much about the cheesemaking process. I also thought the parts about Croatia joining the EU were really interesting, as the book was set in the year leading up to that.