The Lemon Jelly Cake

Pages: 240 📖

Year Published: 1952 🕰️

Days to Complete: 7

Author:

Madeline Babcock Smith published this, her first novel, in August of 1952 and unfortunately died in December of the same year at the age of 65. Smith was born in Rochester, Illinois and also lived in Springfield. Smith studied literature at the University of Illinois, married, and moved to Decatur, where she lived the rest of her life.

Learn More about Madeline Babcock Smith

Three words to describe this read:

Nostalgic- While I haven’t lived through the turn of the 20th century, I did live in Central Illinois and that is where this book takes place. On a certain level, it reminded me of the summers of my youth and spending time with my grandparents. It brought sweet memories and I felt that I could relate to the small town of Tory.

Innocent- The narrator is Helene, a child old enough to understand the basics of adults and society, but not quite old enough to interpret their deeper meanings. This leaves the reader to dig into the events surrounding Helene, her family, and the town and come to their own conclusions, although some conclusions are confirmed throughout the story.

Lighthearted- The book does cover some more serious topics, infidelity and complacency to name a few, but Babcock Smith does a great job of keeping the tone of the story breezy and inviting. I willingly left my small town in Central Illinois but this book made me want to stop home for a visit.

Quote:

“I think it’s better to be exactly as you are.”

This quote is self-explanatory and that’s why I like it.