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A review by laura_cs
All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore
5.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A fantastic debut that retells Jane Austen's "Persuasion" in Edinburgh, where things are heating up in the kitchen, in the restaurant scene, and in the hearts of two former lovers...
Susan Napier loves food; not only is she a talent pastry chef, but her grandfather founded a successful chain of restaurants, Elliot's, and taught her everything she knows about food. But, now, her grandfather is dead and if Susan doesn't act soon, so will the original flagship restaurant located on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. Susan must act fast to save Elliot's, and that is all she can focus on. Too bad that her father and sisters didn't get the memo as they overload her with their problems. And then there is the man she sees at the baggage claim. A very familiar man.
Chris Baker returns to the city of his youth to finally open his own restaurant. He trained under Elliot himself and has since become a renown chef in his own right, traveled the world, and hosted his own television cooking competition show. Now, he's ready to take that next step and fully put down roots in the city he grew up in. Maybe then he can finally start to get his heart to give up on Susan Napier, his first love and the woman who broke his heart. So, of course, who does he run into upon finally return to his native Scotland?
This brilliant contemporary retelling of "Persuasion" is lavish in its descriptions of food (Moore having come from a family of chefs herself), as well as plenty of drama, humor, and heart, with the brilliant deliverance of the idea of not allowing your past to define your future. The restaurant scene is a brilliant way to re-imagine this Austen classic, and as a reader I felt right at home in Edinburgh (that travel bug is biting hard...) and it served as a wonderful setting for this story. Also, now very hungry and would like some tea. So much good food is mentioned, and I want to try my own hand at baking so many new things!
I am eager to see what Moore will create next. You could say my interest is.... "All Stirred Up!"
A fantastic debut that retells Jane Austen's "Persuasion" in Edinburgh, where things are heating up in the kitchen, in the restaurant scene, and in the hearts of two former lovers...
Susan Napier loves food; not only is she a talent pastry chef, but her grandfather founded a successful chain of restaurants, Elliot's, and taught her everything she knows about food. But, now, her grandfather is dead and if Susan doesn't act soon, so will the original flagship restaurant located on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. Susan must act fast to save Elliot's, and that is all she can focus on. Too bad that her father and sisters didn't get the memo as they overload her with their problems. And then there is the man she sees at the baggage claim. A very familiar man.
Chris Baker returns to the city of his youth to finally open his own restaurant. He trained under Elliot himself and has since become a renown chef in his own right, traveled the world, and hosted his own television cooking competition show. Now, he's ready to take that next step and fully put down roots in the city he grew up in. Maybe then he can finally start to get his heart to give up on Susan Napier, his first love and the woman who broke his heart. So, of course, who does he run into upon finally return to his native Scotland?
This brilliant contemporary retelling of "Persuasion" is lavish in its descriptions of food (Moore having come from a family of chefs herself), as well as plenty of drama, humor, and heart, with the brilliant deliverance of the idea of not allowing your past to define your future. The restaurant scene is a brilliant way to re-imagine this Austen classic, and as a reader I felt right at home in Edinburgh (that travel bug is biting hard...) and it served as a wonderful setting for this story. Also, now very hungry and would like some tea. So much good food is mentioned, and I want to try my own hand at baking so many new things!
I am eager to see what Moore will create next. You could say my interest is.... "All Stirred Up!"