John Frederick is very rich. He lives in Frederick house and is attended by a housekeeper, gardeners, maids, etc.  Orphaned twenty years ago, at the age of sixteen, he lives alone in this vast rural estate.  He is also VERY large.  He is, and has always been, a ‘comfort eater’.

His idea of a hike is to walk as far as his mother’s wing of the house.  He has missed out on life other than what he can experience via books and his computer.  Loneliness doesn’t even begin to cover it. He seldom ventures beyond the door to his bedroom so his view of the world in mainly from his bedroom window.

John Frederick always has a personal chef.  However, the demands he places on this member of his household staff ensures that they seldom stay long as it is almost impossible to meet his exacting standards.  Thus it is that Lexie comes to Frederick House for an interview.

An orphan herself, Alexandra Haynes has only recently graduated from culinary school.  She is a diminutive redhead, still reeling from the death of her mother in a house fire.  She loves working at Frederick House – where her love of food preparation is readily appreciated. She is working for John Frederick for six weeks before she even gets a chance to meet him.

Once they meet, they discover an odd rapport.  They enjoy tea together, and they find a shared love of musical theatre soundtracks. Lexie is blissfully content until a medical emergency changes everything at Frederick House.

“Six sweating, panting men emerge from the bedroom, three on each side of the gurney.”

Will the newly developed friendship between Lexie and John Frederick survive this new way of life?

A fun, quick and easy read about two interesting, though eccentric characters, who each find their own way of coping with life’s challenges. If you don’t mind a ‘fanciful‘ story, this is a great read for a rainy afternoon.

I received a digital copy of this short novel from She Writes Press via NetGalley.

about Cathryn Novak from Booksparks:

Cathryn Novak has had a love affair with words that began as soon as she could read. After graduating with a degree in Communications and Public Policy from U.C. Berkeley, Cathryn did a stint in advertising before devoting the rest of her professional career to public service. During that period she wore many hats including speech writer, policy analyst, and investigative report writer. Her monograph on the Los Angeles Police Commission, The Years of Controversy, was published by the Police Foundation in Washington, D.C. Now retired, Cathryn has returned to her first love, the world of fiction. Size Matters is her first novel.