The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County

By Claire Swinarski

What an odd title for a novel! But as soon as you start reading, you will realize that it is very appropriate. Some of the main characters in the book are members of the funeral committee at St. Anne’s Catholic Church. When there is a death, they quickly move into action to provide the expected luncheon for attendees at the funeral “knowing they couldn’t fix broken hearts but might as well feed them.” Any food left over is packaged up and sent home with the bereaved so they don’t have to worry about food for the following difficult days.

As you get to know Esther, you will also meet her family and witness their love for each other. Esther is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. She is a widow, and she is frustrated with the process of growing old. Her generosity and empathy for Hazel, a young single pregnant woman she befriends on a Catholic website leads her into financial danger, but Esther’s family and friends gather round to support her. Unfortunately, Esther’s background and community stress the importance of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. The situation she is in is shameful to Esther, but it would also be shameful to accept help.

Esther’s granddaughter Iris comes to the rescue in a different way when Annabelle, a childhood resident of Ellerie County, passes away. Her family arrives for the funeral but find their reservations are a problem. Iris has a house almost ready for use as an Airbnb and lets them stay there. The grateful family includes a celebrity chef and his daughter. Cooper, his son from a previous marriage, is part of the dysfunctional family group. Cooper’s own mother is less a mother to him than Annabelle had been. A former EMT, he also suffers from PTSD.

The characters and their situations drive the plot and engage the reader. I felt immersed in the friends and family groups in the small town and could even feel the cold during the winter. The author of The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County excelled in physical and emotional descriptions. Without a Hallmark kind of ending, she still manages to provide a hopeful conclusion to her story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Fiction, Women’s Fiction, New Adult

Publication:  March 12, 2024—Harper Collins

Memorable Lines:

Esther was from an age where loving your neighbor meant loving your actual neighbor, not just adding an emoji to your Twitter name in times of crisis. She helped people just because they were standing in front of her.

…why couldn’t she just lie? It was the Catholic in her. The guilt clung to you like powdered sugar. You’d find the stuff in your hair days later.

They all thought you had to be in love to commit. They didn’t realize it was the other way around: that love came from commitment. Nobody ever tells you when you get married how many days you’ll wake up in the morning and want to strangle the other person. No, to them it was all Pinterest boards and buttercream flowers.