The Essential Elizabeth Stone

A Novel

By: Jennifer Banash

Narrated by: Jenn Lee

From the author of The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana comes an emotional and empowering multigenerational family saga about a mother and daughter, and the secrets they keep from each other—and from themselves.

For more than thirty years, Elizabeth Stone has been an irreplaceable fixture in homes around the world, a food and lifestyle icon with a brand as warm and inviting as New England brown bread. Until, after her sudden passing, she leaves her legacy and her multimillion-dollar empire to her daughter, Juliet, who is expected to step seamlessly into her shoes.

Juliet finds herself at both a personal and professional crossroads in her life, fearing she won’t be good enough to maintain the image and brand of a woman she adored. With the company in financial trouble, Juliet is urged to write the definitive biography of her mother—self-made entrepreneur, perfect mom, and homespun everywoman whose own childhood in Maine was filled with comfort food and simple elegance. But other than what little Juliet has been told, she doesn’t know much about her mother’s past.

The truth is, no one does.

As she digs through her mother’s possessions, tracking down those who knew her, Juliet is stunned to uncover a lifetime of secrets and lies. As she uncovers the truth, she is forced to reckon with her grief over missing someone she isn’t sure she ever really knew. Faced with decisions about the fate of her mother’s empire, as well as Juliet’s own marriage and future, she will first have to answer the question on everyone’s mind—who was Elizabeth Stone?

©2024 by Jennifer Banash. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Banash steadily illuminates the contours of Elizabeth’s past by switching between Juliet’s research and chapters from a younger Elizabeth’s point of view, and she makes Juliet’s emotions palpable as she weathers one revelation after the next. Readers will race through this expertly plotted tale.” —Publishers Weekly

“Sizzling with secrets at every turn, The Essential Elizabeth Stone contained all my favorite ingredients: love, mystery, and surprises that made me audibly gasp. It's a riveting mother-daughter story about the allure of shiny lies, the grit it takes to face the truth, and the freedom we find in starting over.” —Jennifer Gold, author of Halfway to You

“How can you carry on a legacy if that legacy is based on lies? Banash’s riveting, prismatic page-turner unfolds the story of a charismatic lifestyle author who, at her death, leaves her adult daughter everything but the truth about whom she really was, and her adult daughter’s searching struggle to understand why. A moving, gorgeously written exploration about identity and the complexities of love.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder

Stunning read!

Jenn Lee’s performance in this book is stunning. Every. Single. Word. She makes it come to life! It’s a good story, well told, and made even better by Jenn Lee’s voice acting.

Enjoyed the book

I loved the storyline and narrator. I am surprised how much I loved the book since it was a random choice. I look forward to future books from author and narrator . Thanks again for hours of enjoyment.

Well written story

The story was well thought out and brought together beautifully. Characters were interesting with varying personalities.

Mother daughter love story

I was riveted listening for hours on end on a road trip. If you are into delicious description, powerful storytelling, and a beautiful story of mother daughter love, this is your book- masterfully narrated by Jenn Lee. Do yourself a favor and listen to this audio version!

Author never met an adverb, adjective or simile...

...she didn't love.

Was there a story here? I couldn't tell due to the overuse of adverbs, adjectives, and similes.

Here's my off the cuff interpretation:
It was like a long, dull knife, silvery in color, ripping through my guts when I thought of my lovely, dead, sweet mother. I can see her like a heavenly angel watching down on sad, little me. A tear shimmered wetly in my eye, the glittering drop slid slowly down my cheek like water on gold olive oil, and I think of my mother cooking...

If you can get through this without hate-reading, I'd be amazed.