Pie

“Alice was standing beside the bed when her aunt Polly reached a trembling hand out from underneath the leopard print bedspread (Polly loved leopard print) and pulled the girl closer to whisper in her ear.

‘Thank you very much.’

They would be the last words Polly Portman, the pie queen of Ipswitch, ever spoke.”

This expression of gratitude captures the essence of who Polly was. Each of the 13 times Polly wins the Blueberry Award for the best pie in the country, she gives the same four-word response. Her last words, spoken to Alice, convey both that Polly believes she has lived an extremely fortunate life and that Alice is one of the main reasons she feels grateful. As Alice resolves her feelings of grief at the end of the narrative, she also uses the expression, indicating that she also feels sincere gratitude.

“Word of Polly Portman’s remarkable pie shop spread when a reporter from the Ipsy News wrote an article about it. The Associated Press picked up the story and pretty soon people from all over the country were flocking to the corner of Windham and Main to experience PIE for themselves. They came bearing raspberries from Oregon, sugar cane from Louisiana, pecans from Texas, and cherries from Michigan. Day after day, people flocked to the shop, and whatever they brought with them, Polly would turn into pies.”

This description of the PIE pilgrimages is one of several montage passages demonstrating the phenomenal growth and impact of Polly’s pie baking. The pie shop becomes a sort of pastry shrine, attracting attention first for the pies, then for the 13 consecutive awards for the nation’s best pie. So successful is the pie shop that it becomes the financial engine driving the economy of the tiny village of Ipswitch. Ironically, Polly charges nothing for her pies.

“‘Keep your voice down, dear,’ her father said. ‘You don’t want Alice to hear.’

‘I don’t care what she hears. She’s got stars in her eyes just like everyone else in this town. I’m tired of people acting like Polly Portman is some kind of a saint. If you ask me, she’s just plain selfish. Not to mention crazy. Who in their right mind turns down a chance to be a millionaire?’”

This question, from Polly’s sister Ruth, reveals the contrast between Polly and virtually every other character in the narrative. For Ruth and the other individuals in the novel, the primacy of wealth and fame is an indication of having the proper mental focus.