Goldenseal is an interesting exploration of an estranged friendship. There were some very poignant moments and I agree with those who compare it to Gentleman in Moscow - it's set in a hotel and has the same almost claustrophobic feel. It's not a bad thing but go in knowing it's a very character-driven story about two former friends whose secrets come back to haunt them.

3.5 stars

Thanks to Catapult Press for the copy to review.

I liked this book, but I think the premise held more potential than what was actually on the page. The characters are not very relatable and I had a hard time connecting with them. There’s a lot of build up to finally understand what happened between them all those years ago, but I think the payoff fell a little flat for me. The book cover is beautiful!

Two friends reunite for one night in a Los Angeles hotel in 1990 as they try to work through their past. While most of the book is set during that one night, it does flash back to explain each of their lives and what led up to the betrayal and their estrangement. The first part of the book was slow moving, but it picked up as more of their history was explained. Overall, a once close friendship that was complicated by secrets and misunderstandings and their last attempt to reconcile decades later.

The very odd blurb of this book equates it to a mashup of A Gentleman in Moscow and My Brilliant Friend. And, well, it does seem to have the more annoying characteristics of both of those novels. I DNF’d this one.

I adored Maria Hummel's novel Still Lives and jumped at the chance to read her latest: Goldenseal (out today!) Two long estranged best friends in their 70s meet at a downtown Los Angeles hotel in 1990. Y'all know I love novels about complicated friendships, and this one is all of that. The action unfolds mostly on a single day, with flashbacks to childhood. I found the first half a little slow. Hummel was clearly waiting to include the reader on all the drama and history, and the payoff made it worth it because the second half really shines. They're both well-formed, complex, dynamic characters, and the story packs a punch about time, friendship, trust, love, loss, and even the city of Los Angeles.

Elegant and evocative, GOLDENSEAL should appeal widely to fans of literary and book club fiction.

Two estranged friends reunite and come to terms with the betrayal that once tore them apart. This novel moves effortlessly through time to tell the story of Lacey and Edith. The reader will be curious how these once upon a time friends have spent the last four decades without speaking to each other. Hummel does a wonderful job of spinning the story to keep the reader's interest. She conveys different time periods and settings in such a descriptive way that the reader feels immersed in the story world. This isn't a fast-paced plot, but give it time and the characters of Edith and Lacey will come to life.

Readers who enjoyed My Brilliant Friend will find much to admire here.

Ultimately, this novel is hauntingly beautiful in its evocation of long lost love and hidden secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary e-galley; all opinions are my own.

Goldenseal is the story of two friends Lacey and Edith and their reunion 40 years after last seeing each other. To me the novel fell flat. Neither character felt relatable and the story was slow moving.