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Available
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Collection
Publication
HarperCollins
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML: One of the Season's Best Historical Fiction Novels by the New York Times! Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick for November! A Country Living Best Book of Fall! A Washington Post Best Feel-Good Book of the Year! In a novel perfect for fans of Hazel Gaynor's A Memory of Violets and upstairs-downstairs stories, Annabel Abbs, the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, returns with the brilliant real-life story of Eliza Acton and her assistant as they revolutionized British cooking and cookbooks around the world. Before Mrs. Beeton and well before Julia Child, there was Eliza Acton, who changed the course of cookery writing forever. England, 1835. London is awash with thrilling new ingredients, from rare spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them. When Eliza Acton is told by her publisher to write a cookery book instead of the poetry she loves, she refuses�??until her bankrupt father is forced to flee the country. As a woman, Eliza has few options. Although she's never set foot in a kitchen, she begins collecting recipes and teaching herself to cook. Much to her surprise she discovers a talent �?? and a passion �?? for the culinary arts. Eliza hires young, destitute Ann Kirby to assist her. As they cook together, Ann learns about poetry, love and ambition. The two develop a radical friendship, breaking the boundaries of class while creating new ways of writing recipes. But when Ann discovers a secret in Eliza's past, and finds a voice of her own, their friendship starts to fray. Based on the true story of the first modern cookery writer, Miss Eliza's English Kitchen is a spellbinding novel about female friendship, the struggle for independence, and the transcendent pleasures and solace of… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ang709
This was an interesting story. I really enjoyed reading about the experimentation with recipes and the creation of the cookbook. I had expected more of that. I thought this book would celebrate the joy of food and cooking, but the amount of parental drama gave the book an overall serious tone.
Also, I can't agree that this is a book about friendship. While Miss Eliza may have treated Ann better than most people treated their servants, I didn't feel she treated Ann as a friend. At times she selfishly used Ann, and she never confided in her.
Overall, this was an interesting read, just not what I was expecting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for the early read.
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Also, I can't agree that this is a book about friendship. While Miss Eliza may have treated Ann better than most people treated their servants, I didn't feel she treated Ann as a friend. At times she selfishly used Ann, and she never confided in her.
Overall, this was an interesting read, just not what I was expecting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for the early read.
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LibraryThing member jillrhudy
Thanks to William Morrow & Co. for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Eliza Acton is an aspiring Victorian poet whose family has fallen on hard times. The publisher has rejected her latest poetry manuscript and told her to write a "cookery book" instead. When young Ann Kirby
The book switches back and forth between the brilliant Eliza and spunky Ann, each a rebel in her own way, each torn between ambition and family obligations and up against Victorian norms of womanhood.
With a lively writing style and two engaging characters, this mouth-watering novel is a delight from beginning to end. I wanted to keep reading until the cookbook came out and Eliza and Ann celebrated success as authors together, because the book definitely did not feel like 400 pages.
Eliza Acton is an aspiring Victorian poet whose family has fallen on hard times. The publisher has rejected her latest poetry manuscript and told her to write a "cookery book" instead. When young Ann Kirby
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comes to work as a maidservant in Eliza's boardinghouse, the two women bond over a love of food and cooking while writing a precise and poetic book of recipes-and keeping shocking family secrets from each other.The book switches back and forth between the brilliant Eliza and spunky Ann, each a rebel in her own way, each torn between ambition and family obligations and up against Victorian norms of womanhood.
With a lively writing style and two engaging characters, this mouth-watering novel is a delight from beginning to end. I wanted to keep reading until the cookbook came out and Eliza and Ann celebrated success as authors together, because the book definitely did not feel like 400 pages.
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LibraryThing member DilowRosas
This dual-perspective historical fiction features two women beginning a journey in food appreciation, a solid friendship, and independence during a time of strict societal rules restrictions. Each women comes from different social classes and faced adversity in different ways. This book really
**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**
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shows how cookbook compilations came about and how one's aspirations are shaped during the Victorian period. It brings a tasteful depiction of a historical figure with little information known. It also makes a fictional prediction of the assistant that helped the historical figure and a perspective that brings a broader view in this little tidbit of history. Though as a personal preference I would have liked some more details in some parts of the story. Overall it's definitely an interesting read.**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**
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LibraryThing member nicx27
'A recipe can be as beautiful as a poem' and indeed Annabel Abbs' writing and her portrayal of two strong women in The Language of Food is as beautiful as anything I've ever read.
I feel like I should have heard of Eliza Acton but for me her contribution to cookery writing was lost in the mists of
Eliza was a published poet with a second collection already prepared when she was told by a prospective publisher that what they really needed from her was a cookery book. She was no cook and a woman of her status would not expect to spend any time in the kitchen, but she rose to the challenge with the help of a young maid by the name of Ann Kirby. There is so much that is wonderful about this book and one of the things that stood out was the unexpected friendship and companionship that builds between the two women. There is a perfect blend of fact and fiction (not much was known about Ann) and whilst Eliza is based on many known facts, Annabel Abbs has weaved her narrative around them without compromising on good storytelling.
The book that Eliza eventually wrote was trailblazing and I loved every word that described the food and the way it was prepared and cooked (maybe with the exception of the eel!). There is such delight in the characters' accomplishments and although I found myself wishing for scratch and sniff pages, Abbs does a tremendous job at illustrating the feelings, sounds and smells of the kitchen through her written words.
This is not just a story of cookery writing though, but also one of the constraints placed on women in the 19th century, and the contrast between the poor and those who had a higher place in society. In alternating chapters from each woman's point of view we are able to see each battle with their own place and status. I think The Language of Food is an outstanding book, staying faithful to the truth whilst giving the reader a truly absorbing read. It is beautiful inside and out and will be one of my favourite reads of the year.
I feel like I should have heard of Eliza Acton but for me her contribution to cookery writing was lost in the mists of
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time…until now. I'm so pleased to have read this book and to have been able to find out more about this remarkable woman, who was ahead of her time.Eliza was a published poet with a second collection already prepared when she was told by a prospective publisher that what they really needed from her was a cookery book. She was no cook and a woman of her status would not expect to spend any time in the kitchen, but she rose to the challenge with the help of a young maid by the name of Ann Kirby. There is so much that is wonderful about this book and one of the things that stood out was the unexpected friendship and companionship that builds between the two women. There is a perfect blend of fact and fiction (not much was known about Ann) and whilst Eliza is based on many known facts, Annabel Abbs has weaved her narrative around them without compromising on good storytelling.
The book that Eliza eventually wrote was trailblazing and I loved every word that described the food and the way it was prepared and cooked (maybe with the exception of the eel!). There is such delight in the characters' accomplishments and although I found myself wishing for scratch and sniff pages, Abbs does a tremendous job at illustrating the feelings, sounds and smells of the kitchen through her written words.
This is not just a story of cookery writing though, but also one of the constraints placed on women in the 19th century, and the contrast between the poor and those who had a higher place in society. In alternating chapters from each woman's point of view we are able to see each battle with their own place and status. I think The Language of Food is an outstanding book, staying faithful to the truth whilst giving the reader a truly absorbing read. It is beautiful inside and out and will be one of my favourite reads of the year.
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LibraryThing member shelleyraec
Inspired by the little that is known of the life of poet, and pioneering cookery writer, Eliza Acton, and her assistant, Ann Kirby, The Language of Food (also published under the title Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen) is the third novel from British author, Annabel Abbs.
“But you cannot cook,
The rejection of Eliza Acton’s second book of poetry by a publisher who suggests she writes a gothic romance or recipe book instead, coincides with her father’s abrupt bankruptcy, leaving she and her mother to take charge of a boardinghouse for wealthy visitors to Tunbridge Wells in order to support themselves. Despite rarely ever having even set foot in a kitchen, and her mother’s objections, Eliza volunteers to take on the role of cook, reasoning it’s an opportunity to save money, and accept the publisher’s commission to write a recipe book.
The sole carer for her mentally ill mother and one legged, alcoholic father, seventeen year old Ann Kirby is both apprehensive and excited when the local Vicar Mr Thorpe arranges a position for her as underhousemaid for Eliza at the boardinghouse. Unused to service, Ann has no idea what to expect but she soon proves herself invaluable to Eliza as she proves to have an instinct for flavours, and they work to develop the cookbook together.
“Why should the culinary arts not include poetry? Why should a recipe book not be a thing of beauty?”
Told through the alternating perspectives of the two women, The Language of Food draws on fact and imagination as Eliza and Ann develop what will eventually be “the greatest British cookbook of all time”, published in 1845 as ‘Modern Cookery, in All Its Branches: Reduced to a System of Easy Practice, for the Use of Private Families’. It’s also a story of female friendship and fortitude, as the women, despite their different stations in life, work side by side, and a story of creativity and cooking as Eliza and Ann combine their talents for poetry and instinct for flavours.
While Abbs incorporates as much accurate information as available about Eliza in The Language of Food, Ann is almost an entirely a fictional construct. I liked Eliza as a somewhat unconventional woman for her time, and it’s pleasing she and her contribution to modern cookery have being remembered and honoured here. Ann is young and naive, and her backstory makes her a very sympathetic character. Abb’s portrayal of the partnership they develop in the kitchen is warming, though their situation precludes a truly equal relationship. I found it interesting that Abbs explained the omission of Ann as a coauthor of the book as a decision made by Ann, and have to wonder if there was any truth to that.
The bulk of the story takes place over a year so, though in reality it took Eliza and Ann ten years, from 1835 to 1845. to write their cookbook. Abbs touches on the social history of the era including the tremendous inequality between social classes, the status of women across the social spectrum, and the treatment of the mentally ill.
“I must coax the flavors from my ingredients, as a poet coaxes mood and meaning from his words. And then there is the writing itself. Like a poem, a recipe should be clear and precise and ordered. Nothing stray.”
Eliza is credited as the pioneer of modern cookery books because she was the first to list ingredients separately from the methodology, and to provide precise quantities of ingredients. She could also be said to have pioneered the genre of ‘food writing’, by combining instruction with description. Foodies should enjoy Eliza’s poetic depictions of scents and tastes, though the fare of the 1800’s, which relied heavily on game and foraged foods, may sound quite unusual. A handful of Eliza’s ‘reciepts’ are printed after the Notes section at the end of the book.
The Language of Food is an engaging historical novel, and I appreciated learning about the beginnings of the modern recipe book.
“But you cannot cook,
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Eliza. You have never cooked. Besides, ladies do not cook.”The rejection of Eliza Acton’s second book of poetry by a publisher who suggests she writes a gothic romance or recipe book instead, coincides with her father’s abrupt bankruptcy, leaving she and her mother to take charge of a boardinghouse for wealthy visitors to Tunbridge Wells in order to support themselves. Despite rarely ever having even set foot in a kitchen, and her mother’s objections, Eliza volunteers to take on the role of cook, reasoning it’s an opportunity to save money, and accept the publisher’s commission to write a recipe book.
The sole carer for her mentally ill mother and one legged, alcoholic father, seventeen year old Ann Kirby is both apprehensive and excited when the local Vicar Mr Thorpe arranges a position for her as underhousemaid for Eliza at the boardinghouse. Unused to service, Ann has no idea what to expect but she soon proves herself invaluable to Eliza as she proves to have an instinct for flavours, and they work to develop the cookbook together.
“Why should the culinary arts not include poetry? Why should a recipe book not be a thing of beauty?”
Told through the alternating perspectives of the two women, The Language of Food draws on fact and imagination as Eliza and Ann develop what will eventually be “the greatest British cookbook of all time”, published in 1845 as ‘Modern Cookery, in All Its Branches: Reduced to a System of Easy Practice, for the Use of Private Families’. It’s also a story of female friendship and fortitude, as the women, despite their different stations in life, work side by side, and a story of creativity and cooking as Eliza and Ann combine their talents for poetry and instinct for flavours.
While Abbs incorporates as much accurate information as available about Eliza in The Language of Food, Ann is almost an entirely a fictional construct. I liked Eliza as a somewhat unconventional woman for her time, and it’s pleasing she and her contribution to modern cookery have being remembered and honoured here. Ann is young and naive, and her backstory makes her a very sympathetic character. Abb’s portrayal of the partnership they develop in the kitchen is warming, though their situation precludes a truly equal relationship. I found it interesting that Abbs explained the omission of Ann as a coauthor of the book as a decision made by Ann, and have to wonder if there was any truth to that.
The bulk of the story takes place over a year so, though in reality it took Eliza and Ann ten years, from 1835 to 1845. to write their cookbook. Abbs touches on the social history of the era including the tremendous inequality between social classes, the status of women across the social spectrum, and the treatment of the mentally ill.
“I must coax the flavors from my ingredients, as a poet coaxes mood and meaning from his words. And then there is the writing itself. Like a poem, a recipe should be clear and precise and ordered. Nothing stray.”
Eliza is credited as the pioneer of modern cookery books because she was the first to list ingredients separately from the methodology, and to provide precise quantities of ingredients. She could also be said to have pioneered the genre of ‘food writing’, by combining instruction with description. Foodies should enjoy Eliza’s poetic depictions of scents and tastes, though the fare of the 1800’s, which relied heavily on game and foraged foods, may sound quite unusual. A handful of Eliza’s ‘reciepts’ are printed after the Notes section at the end of the book.
The Language of Food is an engaging historical novel, and I appreciated learning about the beginnings of the modern recipe book.
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LibraryThing member Maret-G
This novel is based on a true story of a poet and a first cookery writer, Eliza Acton. She rediscovers cooking after a publisher suggests Eliza to write a cookbook instead of poetry. She starts collecting recipes, experimenting them and writing observations. Together with her assistant, Ann, they
There is much more in this book besides love for cooking. This is a story of friendship between a lady and her servant. Told in alternating perspectives between Eliza and Ann, the reader experiences struggles and challenges of two women from different social classes in the Victorian era.
The writing is wonderful, the main characters are lovable, the plot is fascinating and the story is beautifully told. I truly enjoyed this book.
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carefully try different recipes and make adjustments for the dish to be unique and delicious. There is much more in this book besides love for cooking. This is a story of friendship between a lady and her servant. Told in alternating perspectives between Eliza and Ann, the reader experiences struggles and challenges of two women from different social classes in the Victorian era.
The writing is wonderful, the main characters are lovable, the plot is fascinating and the story is beautifully told. I truly enjoyed this book.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
This book is a really well done portrait of Victorian women's lives. It focuses on Eliza Acton and her servant girl, Anne, who come from very different backgrounds and crises to meet in the kitchen. There were things that are a bit unbelievable in the way that real life can be unbelievable. There
Advanced Listening Copy provided by Libro.fm
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were many things about both Eliza and Anne that left me agitated in the reading -- their circumstances, their lack of power, their inability to understand each other in their different stations in life. The story unfolded in a perfectly paced and precise way, and the audiobook narrator did a wonderful job. Advanced Listening Copy provided by Libro.fm
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LibraryThing member LARA335
In UK called ‘The language of food’.
Historical fiction based on Eliza Acton, who perhaps wrote the first detailed cookbook for the middle classes.
Set in first half of the 19th century, Eliza yearns to make her own way in an England hostile to independent women. She trains a young servant, who
I have absolutely no interest in cookery, but Abbs is able to convey knowledgeably the passion for creating food Eliza and her assistant have, and I found fascinating & informative how the two women negotiated living in a restrictive society.
Historical fiction based on Eliza Acton, who perhaps wrote the first detailed cookbook for the middle classes.
Set in first half of the 19th century, Eliza yearns to make her own way in an England hostile to independent women. She trains a young servant, who
Show More
has her own tribulations, working to escape the family hovel and with the disgrace of a mother committed to a mental institute.I have absolutely no interest in cookery, but Abbs is able to convey knowledgeably the passion for creating food Eliza and her assistant have, and I found fascinating & informative how the two women negotiated living in a restrictive society.
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LibraryThing member murderbydeath
Not quite as good as I'd hoped it would be, but maybe that's because it also felt a bit different that I expected. This is a fictional work based on the real life of Elizabeth Acton, author of what is considered to be one of the world’s most successful cookery writers, with Modern Cookery for
Abbs, condensed the 10 years Acton worked on the cookbook, along with her assistant/servant Ann Kirby, and imagined how the partnership might have worked. I think she did a great job, and I was enjoying it right up until the end, where it did so rather abruptly. Acton returns home from a visit to her sister's, full of enthusiasm, energy, and plans to add a chapter on bread, enters the kitchen to hear Ann humming, and BAM! The next page is the Epilogue. It was disorienting, to say the least.
Otherwise, it was an enjoyable, if not exactly riveting, read. I knew nothing about Acton (as I try never to cook), but by the time I finished this book, I planning on trawling the used book sites for a copy of Modern Cookery for Private Families, even though I have no plans to start cooking. I think it was the scene involving quince paste. I'm intrigued by quinces and would be willing to try my hand at paste. Anyway, a good read, with some great author notes at the end about what's accurate and what's story-telling. It's always a bonus when fiction can be educational too.
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Private Families first published in 1845 and was a best seller internationally for the next 90 years.Abbs, condensed the 10 years Acton worked on the cookbook, along with her assistant/servant Ann Kirby, and imagined how the partnership might have worked. I think she did a great job, and I was enjoying it right up until the end, where it did so rather abruptly. Acton returns home from a visit to her sister's, full of enthusiasm, energy, and plans to add a chapter on bread, enters the kitchen to hear Ann humming, and BAM! The next page is the Epilogue. It was disorienting, to say the least.
Otherwise, it was an enjoyable, if not exactly riveting, read. I knew nothing about Acton (as I try never to cook), but by the time I finished this book, I planning on trawling the used book sites for a copy of Modern Cookery for Private Families, even though I have no plans to start cooking. I think it was the scene involving quince paste. I'm intrigued by quinces and would be willing to try my hand at paste. Anyway, a good read, with some great author notes at the end about what's accurate and what's story-telling. It's always a bonus when fiction can be educational too.
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LibraryThing member classyhomemaker
There's so much that I loved about this story but I think, overall, it fell a little short of its full potential. I started out feeling thankful that I'd stumbled on a rare historical fiction that wasn't contrived and full of smarminess---and I think it maintained that spirit to the end. Thank you,
There was a lot I struggled with, though. Since this book is about culinary arts, let me compare it to a delicacy. One may imagine a unique and beautifully executed story with all the special things that make it come together marvelously—one may even collect most of the ingredients to make it mix superbly. But if one tweaks an important element in the wrong way, the whole thing tastes a little off. One big issue was my difficulty with the supporting characters. Hatty starts off sort of bossy and keeps saying Ann must obey everything she says…but that doesn’t actually happen and the next lengthy scene concerning Hatty has her sympathizing with Ann and being kind. In the end, Hatty really never plays any significant part and the story could have been told just as well without her. Eliza's mother switches from kind to difficult to compassionate to snobby to hatefully revengeful in turns—I guess her one consistency is ridiculousness. Mr. Arnott seems intrigued by Eliza’s interest in how spices are used in cooking—even comments that it makes her unique and one gets the impression this is what attracts him to her; yet thereafter he makes it clear he expects her to be an ordinary Victorian ornamental wife. The whole thing with Eliza's sister, Mary, was completely unbelievable. Even the short time with the French chef is weird—he and Eliza butt heads but the next morning he suddenly has a change of heart and she’s suddenly lusting after him? All these shifts in character and story line might be ok if fleshed out a bit, but instead it just leaves me sad that this repetitive lack of character development mars an otherwise charming and well-written story. So many of these supporting characters are completely inconsequential.
The alluding to Eliza’s past goes on too long and random tragic events are thrown in with no foreshadowing. Sometimes really major events, like Eliza's breakup or the ending of Ann and Eliza’s friendship, are alluded to and then just skipped over like afterthoughts. Interesting “plot twists” are revealed far too late to be interesting. The seasoned reader has already discerned them. It's all just such a weird way to tell what could be a memorable story.
My opinion is probably not a popular one but I think Eliza acted selfishly to give up motherhood to chase her own interests. “Maybe I was not meant for motherhood," she says. Why? Because she has interests, hobbies, and dreams? So do I but God made me a mother—-so I fulfill that first and fit in the other things as I can. As someone whose mother left her family to go chasing greener pastures, this hits hard and leaves a bad taste. I lost a lot of respect for her there and I hope that's not her true story.
Ann’s memories of earlier days with her mother before the dementia made me sad. An attentive mother is priceless. I hope I don’t leave my children too soon.
The most memorable quote from this story was from a poem by Miss Letitia Elizabeth Landon called "The Widow's Mite": "Few save the poor feel for the poor: The rich know not how hard it is to be of needful food"
I'm planning to save this in my collection---and start adding to my antique cookery book collection much more regularly!
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Author! I loved the atmosphere, as well as the attention to the interesting details coupled with avoidance of too much description of inconsequential things. I loved that there was so much allusion to real people and events that I spent an hour, and plan to spend longer, going through the suggested authors and reading list at the back of the book. I love it that Eliza Acton's original cookery book can be downloaded and printed---it's currently collecting on my printer tray---all 740ish pages of it.There was a lot I struggled with, though. Since this book is about culinary arts, let me compare it to a delicacy. One may imagine a unique and beautifully executed story with all the special things that make it come together marvelously—one may even collect most of the ingredients to make it mix superbly. But if one tweaks an important element in the wrong way, the whole thing tastes a little off. One big issue was my difficulty with the supporting characters. Hatty starts off sort of bossy and keeps saying Ann must obey everything she says…but that doesn’t actually happen and the next lengthy scene concerning Hatty has her sympathizing with Ann and being kind. In the end, Hatty really never plays any significant part and the story could have been told just as well without her. Eliza's mother switches from kind to difficult to compassionate to snobby to hatefully revengeful in turns—I guess her one consistency is ridiculousness. Mr. Arnott seems intrigued by Eliza’s interest in how spices are used in cooking—even comments that it makes her unique and one gets the impression this is what attracts him to her; yet thereafter he makes it clear he expects her to be an ordinary Victorian ornamental wife. The whole thing with Eliza's sister, Mary, was completely unbelievable. Even the short time with the French chef is weird—he and Eliza butt heads but the next morning he suddenly has a change of heart and she’s suddenly lusting after him? All these shifts in character and story line might be ok if fleshed out a bit, but instead it just leaves me sad that this repetitive lack of character development mars an otherwise charming and well-written story. So many of these supporting characters are completely inconsequential.
The alluding to Eliza’s past goes on too long and random tragic events are thrown in with no foreshadowing. Sometimes really major events, like Eliza's breakup or the ending of Ann and Eliza’s friendship, are alluded to and then just skipped over like afterthoughts. Interesting “plot twists” are revealed far too late to be interesting. The seasoned reader has already discerned them. It's all just such a weird way to tell what could be a memorable story.
My opinion is probably not a popular one but I think Eliza acted selfishly to give up motherhood to chase her own interests. “Maybe I was not meant for motherhood," she says. Why? Because she has interests, hobbies, and dreams? So do I but God made me a mother—-so I fulfill that first and fit in the other things as I can. As someone whose mother left her family to go chasing greener pastures, this hits hard and leaves a bad taste. I lost a lot of respect for her there and I hope that's not her true story.
Ann’s memories of earlier days with her mother before the dementia made me sad. An attentive mother is priceless. I hope I don’t leave my children too soon.
The most memorable quote from this story was from a poem by Miss Letitia Elizabeth Landon called "The Widow's Mite": "Few save the poor feel for the poor: The rich know not how hard it is to be of needful food"
I'm planning to save this in my collection---and start adding to my antique cookery book collection much more regularly!
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Original publication date
2021
DDC/MDS
| Fic Historical Abbs |