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From India

An emotional family drama with strong female characters

Reviewed in India on 16 June 2021

The Lager Queen of Minnesota is a family drama concerning two sisters, Edith and Helen, estranged since their father died and left the family farm to Helen in 1967. We first meet Edith first, in 2003, at age 64, who is convinced that her younger sister Helen has manipulated their father into changing his will. Edith strives to earn a living at a nursing home, where she has been baking pies, for 37 years.

Rolling the narrative back to 1959 and shifting to Helen’s point of view, Stradal draws a sharp contrast. Helen has just had her first taste of beer at 15, and all she wants is to get out of her small Minnesota hometown and brew beer. While Edith struggles to make a living, despite baking award-winning pies, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, from someone she has known all her life. . . But is it too late?

The story is narrated using flashbacks and multiple points of view. Stradal expertly develops his story in a nonlinear fashion, moving back and forth from 2003, in chapters seen through the eyes of Edith and her granddaughter Diana, with intermingling episodes from Helen’s spectacular rise in the light beer business in the 1970s.

Though revolving around the beer business, At the heart of it, it’s a story of three resilient women – Helen, Edith, and Diana. There is lots of humor to keep things on the lighter side but the book slips in many emotional moments when you are least expecting them. The small-town setting and the historical background of brewing from the 1950s show the commendable amount of research the author has undertaken. The first half was a bit slow but enjoyable. The second half is where the story catches steam. Full marks for the warm satisfying conclusion which made it a strong finish for me. .

Stradal creates some strong and memorable characters. It was easy to get invested in these characters right from the start—From the all sacrificing Edith who always put other’s needs above her own to Helen, a ruthless, somewhat manipulative business tycoon to Diana, a teenager who kept getting into trouble until she was caught and had to work her way out of trouble, all of them expertly crafted. Apart from the characters, the book has many bright moments which will keep you invested in the storyline.

While the story has many resilient women, their storylines never combined together except towards the end. So it felt like reading different parallel stories in isolation, rather than the story of 3 generations. All the information about brewing beers and all the different kinds of beers was just so overwhelming, especially for someone who doesn’t drink at all. So a lot of it I didn’t understand but I found the process interesting nonetheless.

Overall, The Lager Queen of Minnesota is an emotional family drama with some strong and empowering female characters. With a cast of lovable characters, sharp writing, a touch of humor, and a heartwarming finish, this is a delightful read. If you love reading family dramas with strong female characters, this is a must-read book for you.

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From other countries

J. v. Kirchbach

Family Saga with microbrews and rhubarb pie

Reviewed in Germany on 16 November 2019

Verified Purchase

I do not really like beer but I loved this book. I heard about this book on the #amwriting podcast, a recommendation from @kjda and it did not disappoint.
This book was fun to read, and hard to put down. The characters are very well developed and you feel their joys and pains as they do. They become real, not just words on a page. My only complaint is that the book ended. I want to know what happens to these characters next.
What a fun, endearing and interesting book that attests to the Midwest ethics. In a nutshell it is a family saga with microbrews and rhubarb pie.

Very entertaining by J. Ryan Stradal. I definitely look forward to more books from Mr. Stradal and will order his previous „Kitchens of the Midwest“ now.

Linda

Love this Book!

Reviewed in Canada on 10 August 2019

Verified Purchase

After reading too many heavy, dark novels I needed a light-hearted summer read and this book didn't disappoint me. On occasion it made me smile and even laugh out loud. But the story isn't frivolous; the characters are selfless, warm, mid-westerners and serious themes flow through this story. I'm looking forward to reading more by J. Ryan Stradal.

Loza63

Let’s all brew some beer!

Reviewed in Australia on 4 December 2019

Verified Purchase

What a fantastic story, just made me want to brew beer and understand more about its creation. I loved the passionate and driven characters.

Dan MacMillan

It was a fun read with a great ending!

Reviewed in Canada on 9 August 2019

Verified Purchase

I like the way the entire story was pulled together at the end with some level of predictability but also some twists.

Steeler555

Refreshing and heartfelt!

Reviewed in Canada on 28 February 2020

Verified Purchase

Great read!

M. James

Loving The Lager Queen(s)

Reviewed in the United States on 27 July 2019

Verified Purchase

Kindle Immersion Read
I read 'Kitchens of the Great Midwest ' (Stradal's debut), three times in three years and waited patiently for a second novel. Let me just say 'The Lager Queen of Minnesota ' was worth the wait!

Born and raised in Minnesota, the story and writing are accurate, very relatable, and made me smile. By the end my eyes were leaking, my heart was full, and my body was covered in goosebumps. Yep, it feels so good.

Kudos to Judith Ivey's narration and her emphasis on strong vowels, which is ever so Minnesotan, don'cha know.

Personally, the only disturbing factor is the use of profanity, especially the F-Bomb. The story reads better without it and would make one of the best 'Clean Reads List' were they edited out of the story.

'The Lager Queen of Minnesota' will make for many grand book group discussions, especially with some pie in a bottle ale! Skol!

27 people found this helpful

Cara

WARNING: You'll crave a delicious craft beer while reading this fantastic book!

Reviewed in the United States on 8 August 2019

Verified Purchase

As a Minnesotan who has spent majority of my life in Duluth, this book is top notch. (Read it and you'll see why). Besides the great shout- outs and nods to some pretty sweet cities (and breweries) in MN and WI, the book itself is amazing.

I love how the writer tells the story of these impressive women. Although fictional, they are so relatable that I was imagining specific friends, family and acquaintances as I read.

My only complaint is that like 70% of the book is basically set up to crave beer! Not just any beer, but a craft, beer-snob beer! I'm not an IPA gal myself (unless balanced with a fruit) but even these descriptions had my mouth watering for something over 100 IBUs.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how these ladies (and fellas) brewed their craft and it made me appreciate the process without muddying the story.

I was worried "The Lager Queen of Minnesota" wouldn't be as good as his first book, "Kitchens of the Great Midwest." Both tell excellent tales of women in the midwest as they find their calling in life. I now understand my own mother as I mutter the phrase "I love you both equally"

Definitely read "The Lager Queen." But be(er) warned that it pairs well with a nice locally brewed craft beer.

15 people found this helpful

Reader in St Paul

Better for beer lovers

Reviewed in the United States on 16 August 2019

Verified Purchase

As a Minnesota resident, I was so hopeful about this book, especially after reading the reviews. But I found the jumping about in time a bit jarring, some characters underdeveloped, and the beer information not easily accessible. I think this book would be better enjoyed by someone who already has a fairly good understanding of the various kinds of beer. For example, it would be better if you know what a lager is vs. an IPA before you start. I had to stop several times to look up background info on beers on the internet to understand what was going on. Admittedly - I know next to nothing about beers, as a wine drinker, so I may not be the target audience!

Otherwise - a pleasant enough read. The womens’ lives and how they worked through tough times was the most interesting to me. As a St Paul resident, fun to see references to places I know.

15 people found this helpful

J. Randazzo

Delightful Delightful Delightful

Reviewed in the United States on 15 August 2019

Verified Purchase

I loved this book..Characters went on even when bad things happened..maybe because I lived in MN for 42 years..maybe because I love Lager and Pie...each page and chapter was so filled with humor or sadness.. or survival of ordinary things ..that happen to ordinary people..the towns and places could be in any State..but it was so true to Minnesota..thought about Edith and the rest of the characters when I wasn't reading the book...a true feeling of a good book..or maybe I want our world to be filled with people like this again..or at least show us they do exist!

10 people found this helpful

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The Lager Queen of Minnesota: A Novel

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The Lager Queen of Minnesota: A Novel

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