#BookReview: The Language Of Food by Annabel Abbs @annabelabbs @simonschusterUK @BookMinxSJV #TheLanguageOfFood #AnnabelAbbs #HistFic #Recommended

Book Synopsis:

Two women
Ten years
A recipe for success
 
Eliza Acton, despite never having boiled an egg, became one of the world’s most successful food writers, revolutionizing cooking and cookbooks around the world. Her story is fascinating, joyful and truly inspiring.

The award-winning author of The Joyce Girl seamlessly intertwines recipes and meticulously researched history, serving up the most thought-provoking and page-turning historical novel you’ll read this year. Explore the enduring struggle for women’s freedom, the exhilarating power of friendship, and the creative joy of cooking, through the life of Eliza Acton – finally out of the archives and into the public eye.
 
England, 1835. Eliza Acton dreams of becoming a poet, but when she takes her new manuscript to a publisher, she’s told that ‘poetry is not the business of a lady’. Instead, he demands a cookery book.

Eliza is hesitant but when her bankrupt father is forced to flee the country, she has no choice but to comply.

Although she has never cooked before, she is determined to learn and to bring her skills as a poet to the craft of recipe writing. She hires young, impoverished Ann Kirby as her assistant and, before long, the two women develop a radical friendship crossing the divides of age and class. Together, Eliza and Ann break the mould of traditional cookbooks, changing the course of food writing forever.  But in the process of doing so, their friendship is pushed to its very limits.

My Review:

The Language Of Food is an absorbing, heartwarming book which is best to read on a full stomach otherwise you might find yourself getting very hungry indeed.

Firstly I absolutely loved the main characters and really enjoyed following them throughout the book. It was an absolute joy getting to know Eliza and discover her unique way of thinking which always made me smile. Eliza and Ann gradually grow closer and it was great to see how the friendship helped them- especially Ann who really seemed to find herself under Eliza’s care.

This book has lots of fascinated history details which really helped bring the period to life. It was fascinating to learn more about Eliza and how she developed her now legendary cookbook which helped set the precedent for the modern cookbook. It was especially interesting to see the type of food the rich ate at the time and how it was prepared. I think the eel scene in particular will stay with me for a long time, definitely not something I’d like to do! It was heartbreaking to see the stark differences between how the rich and the poor lived when Eliza goes to visit Ann. It broke my heart how people had to live like that and it was considered normal. The horrific descriptions of the ‘care’ Eliza’s mother receives was also heartbreaking to read about and made me very glad things had chance in this area.

The book started off a bit slow as the author sets the scene but I soon found myself absorbed into the story. I quickly warmed to Eliza and Ann, wanting to keep reading so I could spend some more time with them in that wonderful kitchen. This isn’t particularly a fast paced book but I didn’t care as I was soon caught up in the wonderful descriptions of the food and the lovely friendship that developed between the main characters.

If you are a fan of historical fiction then I highly recommend this book. I read it with the historical fiction book club I’m part of so would also recommend it as a book club read as there was lots to discuss.

About The Author:

Annabel Abbs is the multi-award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, Frieda, Windswept, The Language of Food (Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen in the US) and 52 Ways to Walk. Her next book, Sleepless, comes out in 2024.

Abbs is also the co-writer of The Age-Well Project (written under Annabel Streets), a non-fiction work which explores the latest science of longevity and has been serialised in the Guardian and The Daily Mail.

Her journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Irish Times, Tatler, The Author, Sydney Morning Herald, The Weekend Australian Review, Psychologies and Elle Magazine.

Abbs has a BA in English Literature from the University of East Anglia, where she now sponsors a post-graduate scholarship in creative writing, and an MA from Kingston. She was born in Bristol, and now lives in London and East Sussex. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @annabelabbs, or visit her website, http://www.annabelabbs.com.