Helen: Vianne by Joanne Harris (2025)
This is the prequel to the author’s beloved book ‘Chocolat’ published in 1999. It follows a 21-year-old penniless Vianne who arrives in Marseille to escape her nomadic fugitive past.
With lyrical writing and described as a delicious book, Helen enjoyed the focus on food and chocolate. There was also lots of magical and mystical themes not really enjoyed by Helen as she is not a fan of mystical realism.
Ed: Chocolat by Joanne Harris (1999)
Set in the French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes between Mardi Gras and Easter Sunday, it follows the story of Vianne Rocher, a single mother who arrives with her six-year-old daughter Anouk to open a chocolaterie opposite the church.
She has a talent for cooking with chocolate and can choose chocolates that suits the personality of her customer.
The priest does not approve thinking she maybe a witch or a sorcerer and a threat to the people’s faith.
Every page offers a description of chocolate and recipes, picturesque French villages, colourful gypsies and crazy old ladies.
A wonderful read.
Lyn: The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens ( 2025)
This story is centred around the history of the Tasmanian jam industry. The writing is very descriptive, particularly of some of the ‘special jams’ made by Harriet Brown, almost ‘tasteable’.
Harriet was sent out to work in the factory, disguised as a boy, when she was only 12. Her friend Henry Jones had started in the factory on the same day.
When she was 16, she was forced to marry an older man who taught her every aspect of jam making.
Harriet and Henry maintained their lifelong friendship including when Henry owned and managed the biggest jam factory . His life motto was “I EXCELL” becoming I X L, the brand names of his products.
A fascinating story, well researched, great characters and many twists and turns.
Judy J: Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez (2017)
The author had first gone to Afghanistan in 2001 as part of a group offering aid after the fall of the Taliban. She founded a beauty school that trained 200 women in the art of hairdressing etc, many of whom went on to run their own salons.
She also opened a coffee shop.
Return to the Little Coffee Shop is set in the time when the Taliban are increasing their control, many NGOs have left and the local people are beginning to lose many freedoms they had once enjoyed.
The coffee shop is now run by several locals and tells the story of their daily struggles to accept the life being forced upon them.
Unfortunately the coffee shop only sells chocolate brownies, choc chip cookies and the local honey cake.
An interesting read to get a feeling of the times.
Judy De la T: When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison (2012)
Gemma is 37 years old, has a successful business as a private chef cooking for different ones each night. Her life feels full and secure . Recipes are certain and successful when you follow the directions and use good ingredients
But when her life takes on unexpected changes, how will she cope?
Judy described it as chic lit, mildly amusing and a good quick read.
Leslie: The Hope Flower by Joy Dettman (2021)
Lori Smyth- Owen, is the only girl in a family of twelve. Her father is a weak man who commits suicide to escape his bed-bound wife, Mavis, who is morbidly obese, volatile and mentally unstable. Upon their father’s death, the children, not wanting to be split up in the welfare system, plan to raise themselves. They can now take charge.
Food almost has its own personality in the story, feeding 12, including preschoolers, teenagers, young adults, always chaos, always a challenge.
Central to the story is the dining room table around which so much discussion happens and plans made to keep the family together.
The underlying theme is hope. Hope their situation will change and their mother will return to the person that only the older children can remember.
Lesley enjoyed it and wanted the kids to come out on top.
Val: The Second Worse Restaurant in France by Alexander McCall Smith (2019)
Val described the book as faintly amusing , light weight and easy to read.
The author always includes many facts and knowledge in his books.
Paul Stuart, a renowned cookbook writer is researching his new book when his domestic arrangements change. His partner moves in with 2 cats who become quite the nuisance.
His cousin invites him to visit her in France, where they meet people running the local restaurant. They don’t really know what they are doing and Paul and his friends are encouraged to take it over.
Pat: The Prodigal Daughter by Prue Leith (2023)
Angelica Angelotti is a chef who also wrote cookbooks although Pat didn’t find her writing very convincing. Her parents had run successful Italian restaurants and so she had grown up in this life.
She wants to learn French cooking and so her parents agree that she can attend a cooking school in Paris. This also is a way of getting away from her dominant cousin Mario.
But to her parents’ dismay, the plan backfires in more ways than one.
Pat said she wouldn’t highly recommend it saying that the author’s writing style didn’t excite her.
Theresa: A Gift from the Comfort Food Café by Debbie Johnson
Katie has had an unhappy childhood; she is now pregnant and has separated from the father of her child.
So moving to a new area, and in particular a quiet little country town gives her a new start.
The centre of the town is the café. It is where everyone meets and talks and helps each other. She gets a job in the local chemist and a new romance beckons.
Theresa described it as a simple read, light and happy with some humorous scenes.
The relationship between Kate and her little boy was just beautiful and she was able to rise above the sad life she had left behind.
Jo: Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke (2017)
This is one of a series of books featuring Hannah Swenson, a baker of cakes and cookies in her café. But she also investigates murder on the side. In this book a person is found murdered in her downstairs condo. Hannah gets involved in solving this crime.
Recipes are included throughout the book and Jo loves them but agrees they wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste.
Kerrie: Toast The Story of a Boy’s Hunger by Nigel Slater (2023)
Nigel Slater’s memoir explored his growing up from 9 years old to 16. Kerrie “gobbled it up’ in little bite sized pieces. His life during these years is told through his memories of food.
His mother suffered from asthma, dying in front of him when only 9.
His memory is the toast she always burnt but made with love.
His father cooks for ‘performance’ and power over Nigel.
The beautiful writing made you feel and taste the food he is describing.
In many ways, the book mirrors the social history of post war England through the food highlighting class differences and what they ate.
Parts of the book were very sad but there were also many funny moments.
Joan: The Farmers’ Wife Country Cookbook
To Joan this old book was a treasure having been given it many years ago.
The recipes were chosen from those that appeared in Midwestern America’s Farmers Wife magazine between 1893 and 1939.
Rosemary W: Butter by Asako Yuzuki (2017)
This novel, inspired by a real-life serial murder case in Japan, follows a Tokyo journalist who starts interviewing a woman accused of tricking and possibly killing men seducing them with her cooking, believed to be poisoned.
Other themes in the book include:
Feminist literature for Japan highlights the patriarchal nature of society and the social expectations of women. It discusses what is perfect.
The habit of modern society for eating bland and unhealthy food.
Rosemary commented that there was so much in the book and it was gloriously written.
Michelle also read the book.
While agreeing with everything Rosemary had mentioned, she had appreciated the descriptions of food and the recipes. So much of the book was about food and waste.
Dimity: A Year at Hotel Gondola by Nicky Pellegrino (2018)
Kat is a food writer who travels the world, eating unusual things. But after she begins a new relationship and agrees to settle down with him, they start to run the Hotel Gondola in Venice.
So Kat sets up a book deal to write about their first year in the hotel, the food and the people of Venice they meet while working out their relationship.
Food is very prominent in the book, every meal is eaten out, described and recipes sent back to England. Food comes first and conversation later.
The book is rich in friendships and relationships with a backdrop of Venetian life. A nice read.
Judy A: Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (2024)
This is the personal memoir by one of the USA’s most well-known food personalities, Ina Garten. She is aka the Barefoot Contessa, the author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, and a beloved Food network personality, an Emmy Award winner, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon.
She had a difficult up bringing with cold and distant parents, but they were wealthy and she has never wanted for resources when the ‘luck’ arrived. The Barefoot Contessa tag came from the first little café she operated, and all her cookbooks follow that title.
A lot of it is not just food and her life but about buying and selling properties and renovating both in the US and in Paris and name dropping the people she had spent time with.
It was an interesting read but forgettable.
Bev: Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe and Shazzie (2011)
The book describes the history of chocolate, where it comes from and how it is processed.
It explains the scientific properties and health benefits of eating chocolate and elaborates how you will lose weight, sooth your heart, nourish your intellect and attract prosperity by eating.
The ‘naked chocolate’ is the raw cacao bean and information is given on how to prepare it.
60 original and mouth-watering chocolate recipes are shared.
Kris: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg (1987)
The story is told over two timelines. Its 1985 and Evelyn Couch , a middle-aged, menopausal woman struggling with her weight and self-worth meets Ninny Thredgoode in the Rose Terrace Nursing Home. While in the waiting room, Ninny tells the story of her life in the 1930s.
One of these stories is of Ninny and her sister-in-law, Idgie opening the Whistle Stop Café in the 1930s. The cooks were two coloured women. The café becomes central to the town in rural Alabama. One of the favourite dishes was green fried tomatoes. Times were tough in the depression, racism was everywhere but people made the best of their life.
Kris described as a heartwarming and funny book, although there were a few gruesome moments, it is well worth the read.
Rosemary S: The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan (2022)
This is a warm, uplifting historical novel set during World War two in rural England when food rationing is a part of everyday life.
The story centres on a BBC radio cooking competition, The Kitchen Front, where four contestants must create delicious meals using limited wartime products.
Four women from very different backgrounds enter the competition to become the first female co-host of the programme. Although each hope to win for personal reasons, the competition ultimately leads them to friendship, self-discovery, and the courage to change lives.
Some of the recipes which are included in full in the book:
Curried Salt Cod
Mushroom Soup using locally foraged ingredients
Sardine Rolls, using canned sardines
Whale Meat and Mushroom Pie using 1 pound of whale meat steak.
AUGUST BOOK CLUB : A book from the Library Kit
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Fragile Monsters by Catherine Menon
Life after Life by Kate Atkinson
No comments:
Post a Comment