Publisher Description

In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi's and Chicken Frannie's have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state--and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi's before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie's. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda sends an SOS to Food Wars, the reality tv restaurant competition that promises $100,000 to the winner. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire. . . .

The last thing Brooklyn-based organizational guru Mae Moore, Amanda's sister, wants is to go home to Kansas. But when her career implodes, Food Wars becomes her chance to step back into the limelight. Mae is certain she can make the fading Mimi's look good--even if that pits her against Amanda and Frannie's. With a greedy producer stoking the flames, their friendly rivalry quickly turns into a game of chicken. Yet when family secrets become public knowledge, the sisters must choose- will they fight with each other, or for their heritage?

Author Biography

KJ Dell'Antonia is the former editor of MotherLode and current contributor to The New York Times, as well as the author of How to Be a Happier Parent (Avery, July 2018). She lives with her family on a small farm in Lyme, New Hampshire, but retains an abiding love for her childhood in Texas and Kansas.

Review

A January 2021 Country Living Front Porch Book Club Pick

"The Chicken Sistersby KJ Dell'Antonia is a delightful look at sibling relationships and the unbreakable and bonds of family."—Real Simple

"The Chicken Sisters is a pitch-perfect book with which to begin the New Year, when the spirit of starting anew and putting aside baggage (no matter how many centuries old it may be!), is exactly what we need. Well, that and a plate of fried chicken, of course." —Country Living

"If you prefer your family secrets served with a side of fried chicken, we highly recommend The Chicken Sisters…[a] funny, heartfelt book…"—Hello Giggles

"A charming first novel about family, regrets, and second chances. Dell'Antonia deftly deals with issues of mental illness, marriage troubles, and dreams deferred, all the while telling a funny satire of reality TV. An utter delight from start to finish."—Booklist (starred review)

"Mae and Amanda are spirited characters, and their foibles are told with care and humor. Recommended for Food Network and HGTV watchers, this first novel is plucky, heartwarming, and a welcome distraction from the news of the day."—Library Journal 

"Be warned: you'll crave fried chicken throughout."—Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Dell'Antonia writes convincingly and sympathetically about complicated family relationships, giving Mae and Amanda each relatable flaws. The Food Wars scenes are a fun peek behind the curtain of the reality TV world, and the small-town warmth of Merinac is comfortingly quirky. A charming and satisfying story about family bonds that will make meat eaters everywhere crave fried chicken."—Kirkus Reviews

"Nobody knows the humor and pathos of complicated family relationships better than K.J. Dell'Antonia, which is why this story about sisters and fried chicken and reality TV is such a satisfying read. It's like the comfort-food of novels: warm, memorable, and wholly original. I loved it."—Laura Zigman, author of Separation Anxiety

Promotional

Three generations. Two chicken shacks. One recipe for disaster.

Review Quote

" The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell'Antonia is a delightful look at sibling relationships and the unbreakable and bonds of family."-- Real Simple "If you prefer your family secrets served with a side of fried chicken, we highly recommend The Chicken Sisters ...[a] funny, heartfelt book..."-- Hello Giggles "A charming first novel about family, regrets, and second chances. Dell'Antonia deftly deals with issues of mental illness, marriage troubles, and dreams deferred, all the while telling a funny satire of reality TV. An utter delight from start to finish."-- Booklist (starred review) "Mae and Amanda are spirited characters, and their foibles are told with care and humor. Recommended for Food Network and HGTV watchers, this first novel is plucky, heartwarming, and a welcome distraction from the news of the day."-- Library Journal "Be warned: you'll crave fried chicken throughout."-- Minneapolis Star Tribune "Dell'Antonia writes convincingly and sympathetically about complicated family relationships, giving Mae and Amanda each relatable flaws. The Food Wars scenes are a fun peek behind the curtain of the reality TV world, and the small-town warmth of Merinac is comfortingly quirky. A charming and satisfying story about family bonds that will make meat eaters everywhere crave fried chicken."-- Kirkus Reviews "Nobody knows the humor and pathos of complicated family relationships better than K.J. Dell'Antonia, which is why this story about sisters and fried chicken and reality TV is such a satisfying read. It's like the comfort-food of novels: warm, memorable, and wholly original. I loved it."--Laura Zigman, author of Separation Anxiety

Promotional "Headline"

Three generations. Two chicken shacks. One recipe for disaster.

Excerpt from Book

Amanda It was one thing to put a message in a bottle and another thing entirely when that bottle came back to you from across the sea with a genie stuffed in next to the reply. She had to rub the bottle now, right? She''d cast the spell, wished the wish, and asked in prayer, and she had received. It would be different if she didn''t believe. It wouldn''t have worked if she didn''t believe. But of course, she did believe. She believed with all her heart and soul that Food Wars had the power to change everything, and she was right. Later, she wished she''d been a little more specific. It had been fun, sending the e

Description for Sales People

A proper feel-good novel that combines fun, family and food for fans of the Gilmore Girls! Author is former editor of the New York Times Motherlode blog and a contributor to Slate magazine. A perfect, utterly compelling summer read with its small-town charm, big characters, and family drama. The novel's exploration of loss, sibling bonds, family rifts, and romance make it perfect book club fodder.

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