Saturday 27 May 2017

The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny Colgan (Audiobook, Romance, Contemporary, 9/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

February 2017, Hachette Audible, 10 hours 9 minutes long, Audiobook, Review copy

Content: some romance, humour 

Book summary from Audible who I received this copy from
Flora is forced to move back to the tiny island of Mure from the bright lights of London. It's tough: even the beautiful landscapes and bright blue sea can't lift her spirits - she's too busy looking after her dad and her feckless brothers. Then she chances upon her mum's collection of recipes and begins to cook her way through it. As she reconnects with her family and the place she was born, might she also find herself? 

Nayu's thoughts
I had to listen to this twice because the first time I was under the influence of heavy medication and didn't understand the story. When I restarted it all made much more sense, and meant I'm not writing how unlike a Jenny Colgan book it is. Flora doesn't have a major event happen that starts her off on her cooking journey like the other Colgan books I've read, not exactly. I liked the randomness of how she ends up back in the island  community she was born in. She is there because she has to be-if she had a choice she would never have gone because of a mystery incident which is revealed much later in the story. It's interesting how an event is perceived to be a set way by Flora but in actuality not everyone hates her for what happened. 

That's not the only life lesson she learns, but it's a big one. I loved getting to know how live in a small community can be for both actual and perceived outsiders. It was interesting how one outsider had no clue how they were alienating themselves with the community, that by doing a few easy enough acts they would find it easier to gain local support for their project. Flora points this out, as well as unexpectedly enjoying visiting her childhood home which leads to Great Things Happening. I possibly would have liked a bit more focus on the cooking side of the story, but overall it's another fun Jenny read/listen which I will reread/relisten at some point! The narration was perfect with different characters being distinguished from their voices (including what sounds like accurare accents).

Find out more on Jenny's website

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