Author: Jenny Colgan
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A warm and enjoyable read which will make you want to live by the sea and eat lots of bread.
Ever since I read Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, I've become a huge fan of Jenny Colgan's writing, so needless to say, I had been waiting to read this book. A huge thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for sending me an advanced review copy of this book.
Blurb:
Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.
And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favourite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . .
And people start to hear about it.
Sometimes, bread really is life . . . And Polly is about to reclaim hers.
First things first - The cover of the book is adorable, much like all of Jenny's other books. It matches the storyline perfectly and there is something really warm about the cover that it puts you in such a good mood the moment you look at it. The story begins with Polly Waterford and her boyfriend's business failing and declaring bankruptcy, their flat is for sale and their relationship is at its end. Polly struggles to find a place to live and moves to the small sea-side town of Mt. Polbearne. She is forced to live in a place above an old abandoned shop because that is the only one she can afford in her current state. She gradually begins to warm-up to the new place - living close to the sea, the fishermen around town and the local beekeeper. She finds solace in baking bread and spreading the joy and comfort of her baking among all the people and it helps her make friends. The rest of the story is about how Polly uses her skills at baking in starting a new life for herself in Mt. Polbearne, with some super-sweet romance along the way.
I must admit that I was not held captive after reading the first two chapters unlike what I had expected. May be because, the lowest times of the story were all contained in the first two chapters and the story opens up with a failing business and relationship. I put the book away and got back to it after a few days. Once I got to the part where the story moves to Mt.Polbearne, I really started enjoying the book. One of my dreams is to live by the beach/sea-side and this was a perfect story in that sense, it made me long for the day when I can just open my windows and there is nothing to look at but the waves splashing against the shore. I could totally picture the cozy and beautiful town of Mt. Polbearne from Jenny's descriptive writing. Her description of the different breads sounds sinfully delicious and totally leaves you mouth-watering much like in all of her other books. Only she could have made me want to get some flour and start kneading the dough.
I admired Polly's character all through out - the no-nonsense woman, cool as a cucumber during life's toughest times and always looking forward to moving on to something better in life rather than sitting around and sulking. Her stubbornness when Huckle asks her to move in with him in Savannah and her determination and courage with which she tackles the landlord lady totally made me cheer for her at every step along the way. Though at first, I couldn't feel any chemistry between her and Huckle, as I turned the pages, I was looking forward to their romance and the spark between them.
The other characters that stand out are Huckle, Mrs. Manse, Tarnie and Reuben. I was disturbed for quite sometime learning about Mrs. Manse's past, and the image of her standing on the edge of the sea at nights waiting for her loved ones still haunts me. I really liked both Tarnie and Huckle's characters, Jenny's description of both the men is lovely so much so that you almost drool over them ;) The conversations between Reuben and Polly's best friend Kerensa are really hilarious and had me in splits.
Oh! how can I forget the cutest character of all - Neil the puffin - An adorable sea bird and Polly's best friend when she was all alone during her initial days at Mt. Polbearne. He sure is everyone's sweetheart! The puffin and the Polly-Huckle romance are two of my most favorite picks from the story.
One thing that I loved in both Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe and this novel is about how an important event happens that makes everyone comes together and support each other during tough times! It always brightens up my day knowing and thinking of all the people who are out there looking out for me. It leaves me with a warm and fuzzy feeling to be blessed and associated with so many good people.
I loved this book and I am sure any Jenny Colgan fan will not be disappointed with this book. This is a perfect spring read with a very simple and sweet story line. It will leave you feeling extremely comforted and satisfied when you finish the book. I highly recommend it.
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A warm and enjoyable read which will make you want to live by the sea and eat lots of bread.
Blurb:
Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.
And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favourite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . .
And people start to hear about it.
Sometimes, bread really is life . . . And Polly is about to reclaim hers.
First things first - The cover of the book is adorable, much like all of Jenny's other books. It matches the storyline perfectly and there is something really warm about the cover that it puts you in such a good mood the moment you look at it. The story begins with Polly Waterford and her boyfriend's business failing and declaring bankruptcy, their flat is for sale and their relationship is at its end. Polly struggles to find a place to live and moves to the small sea-side town of Mt. Polbearne. She is forced to live in a place above an old abandoned shop because that is the only one she can afford in her current state. She gradually begins to warm-up to the new place - living close to the sea, the fishermen around town and the local beekeeper. She finds solace in baking bread and spreading the joy and comfort of her baking among all the people and it helps her make friends. The rest of the story is about how Polly uses her skills at baking in starting a new life for herself in Mt. Polbearne, with some super-sweet romance along the way.
I must admit that I was not held captive after reading the first two chapters unlike what I had expected. May be because, the lowest times of the story were all contained in the first two chapters and the story opens up with a failing business and relationship. I put the book away and got back to it after a few days. Once I got to the part where the story moves to Mt.Polbearne, I really started enjoying the book. One of my dreams is to live by the beach/sea-side and this was a perfect story in that sense, it made me long for the day when I can just open my windows and there is nothing to look at but the waves splashing against the shore. I could totally picture the cozy and beautiful town of Mt. Polbearne from Jenny's descriptive writing. Her description of the different breads sounds sinfully delicious and totally leaves you mouth-watering much like in all of her other books. Only she could have made me want to get some flour and start kneading the dough.
I admired Polly's character all through out - the no-nonsense woman, cool as a cucumber during life's toughest times and always looking forward to moving on to something better in life rather than sitting around and sulking. Her stubbornness when Huckle asks her to move in with him in Savannah and her determination and courage with which she tackles the landlord lady totally made me cheer for her at every step along the way. Though at first, I couldn't feel any chemistry between her and Huckle, as I turned the pages, I was looking forward to their romance and the spark between them.
The other characters that stand out are Huckle, Mrs. Manse, Tarnie and Reuben. I was disturbed for quite sometime learning about Mrs. Manse's past, and the image of her standing on the edge of the sea at nights waiting for her loved ones still haunts me. I really liked both Tarnie and Huckle's characters, Jenny's description of both the men is lovely so much so that you almost drool over them ;) The conversations between Reuben and Polly's best friend Kerensa are really hilarious and had me in splits.
Oh! how can I forget the cutest character of all - Neil the puffin - An adorable sea bird and Polly's best friend when she was all alone during her initial days at Mt. Polbearne. He sure is everyone's sweetheart! The puffin and the Polly-Huckle romance are two of my most favorite picks from the story.
One thing that I loved in both Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe and this novel is about how an important event happens that makes everyone comes together and support each other during tough times! It always brightens up my day knowing and thinking of all the people who are out there looking out for me. It leaves me with a warm and fuzzy feeling to be blessed and associated with so many good people.
I loved this book and I am sure any Jenny Colgan fan will not be disappointed with this book. This is a perfect spring read with a very simple and sweet story line. It will leave you feeling extremely comforted and satisfied when you finish the book. I highly recommend it.
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