NEW RELEASE
Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan (2014)
When Polly's business with partner Chris goes under along with their relationship, she is forced to move to a more affordable location. She finds the remote island of Polbearne, and rents a dilapidated old flat above a closed-down bakery. After some mishaps with the locals, she immerses herself in her hobby of baking bread to distract herself from the failures in her life, and soon the locals are warming to both her and her delicious creations. I love Jenny Colgan's writing - she has a knack of creating characters that really jump off the page, and the ability to have numerous irreplaceable secondary characters that are just as lovable as the main protagonist. Polly was great, and I enjoyed going on a journey with her to find herself again. Huckle, Tarnie and Mrs Manse were engaging characters with surprising stories that kept the plot fresh, interesting and at times heartbreaking. But the real winner of this story, for me, was Neil the puffin. What a lovable little guy, and a great addition to the story. Colgan has also included some delicious recipes at the back for readers to try out, and quell the hunger for bread you will inevitably get when reading this book. (LO)
Jenny Colgan's latest novel, Little Beach Street Bakery, asks can baking bread mend a broken heart? The summary says: "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." Little Beach Street Bakery is out in March 2014.