The Kitchen Front Published by Ballantine Books by Jennifer Ryan
on February 23, 2021
Genres: Adult, European Literature, British Literature, Food & Drink, War, WW II, Historical
Pages: 408
Source: Borrowed, Library
Format: Hardcover
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 0593158806
Rating:
In a new World War II-set story from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front - based on the actual BBC program of the same name - as well as a chance to better their lives.
Two years into WW2, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives.
For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For the lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.
These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart?
I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction lately–and mostly stories that center around WWII. I don’t know why, but I find that time period–and all that the people (especially the Europeans) had to go through–extremely fascinating.
So of course, I had to try at least one book by Jennifer Ryan. She is known for writing heartwarming fiction from this time period.
The Kitchen Front is a story about four women who are all vastly different. They come from different backgrounds, have different places in society, and have different experiences when it comes to cooking.
However, they all are competing to be the new radio co-host for The Kitchen Front, a popular radio show about food during the war.
There were times some of the characters were just ugly. But Ryan did a beautiful job in exposing each character’s weakness and motivations–the things that lead them to make the choices that they do.
All-in-all this is a story of friendship, heartbreak, and what it means to be united… What it means to be family, even if you’re not blood. All of these women, each with their own stories, truly shone through by the end.
About Jennifer Ryan
Jennifer grew up in the British countryside with a penchant for climbing trees and a wonderful grandmother who told her hilarious stories about the Second World War.
As an adult, she became a nonfiction book editor, first editing politics and economics at The Economist Books, and then moving on to the BBC, DK, and other publishers, editing books on health, cooking, wine, and history.
All this time, though, she harbored a longing to share her grandmother's stories about the war, and so she embarked on an MA in fiction at Johns Hopkins University. The novel that she wrote while there--The Chilbury Ladies' Choir--became a National Bestseller.
Please visit Jennifer's website for more information and free giveaways.
www.JenniferRyanAuthor.com
