Hillary Manton Lodge

Dear Readers,

I have not had a series of books make me as hungry as the Two Blue Doors series by Hillary Manton Lodge since the Potluck Club.  The recipes and the descriptions of the food are wonderful, but because it is also set around a wonderful family dynamics makes it all the more enjoyable.

The third book, Together at the Table, finally arrived on the shelves a few weeks ago.  I just waited for the perfect time to read it, even though that was hard to do, and this past weekend was it.  I spent most of the time while reading dreaming of wonderful pastries, pastas and desserts.  Hillary makes  me want to become a chef and learn how to make all those wonderful dishes.  I will admit that I have and still use recipes from the first two books and there are a couple in this one that I am going to give a try.

If you have not read the first two books you may want to skip down a couple of paragraphs as there might be a couple of spoilers.

Book #3 picks up a few short weeks after book #2, Reservations for Two, leaves off.  There is much that happens between Juliette and Neil.  They have broken up and Juliette is now dating someone else.  But unexpectedly Juliette runs into Neil at the park and it sets off a chain of events that no one really saw coming.  Well almost no one. ;-)

While Juliette is trying to decide on her love life, she is still doing research on her missing family members.  The letters have not lead to many leads, but when Caterina hits on an idea, suddenly the ball is rolling again and maybe they will find all the answers to the questions of what happened to Alice and where she disappeared to.

I have really enjoyed this gentle story.  It had a bit of history to it, it had loads of good food (not that I got any;-) and a sweet love story.  As we walked along Juliette as she grows up, we also learn a bit about ourselves and some of the things that makes us tick.

The three book series, #1 is Table by the Window, is a wonderful read.  Now that they all have been published you won't have to wait for the next one like did.  (Lucky you)  But make sure you go and enjoy them all.  And maybe even try a new dish or two.

Happy Reading,

Hillary Manton Lodge

Dear Readers,

I am really Johnnie come lately on the review of this book.  I really really wanted to read it sooner, but deadlines and a lost book delayed it a bit for me.   Once I found my copy back, it was between the headboard and the wall.  Who knows how it got there other than I must have fallen asleep while reading one night… 

Reservations for Two by Hillary Manton Lodge was the much awaited sequel to The Table by the Window.  For anyone who read the first one you know and understand how the book ended.  It just ended, with Juliette and Neil arriving in France to follow her grandmother’s history and the mysterious photo Juliette discovered.  Yikes, who does that to readers?  J

Reservations picks right up where the other left off and you don’t miss a beat.  Juliette and Neil not only are in France, they move on to Italy to follow her grandmother’s story.  What they find in Italy is a stash of letters that may or may not explain everything and Juliette is eager to get started reading.  She meets her grandmother on the pages, a young lady determined to got to pastry school despite her parent’s wishes.   As Juliette reads on she finds a part of her heritage that she knew nothing about. 

This is such an enjoyable way to tell a story.  Hillary has really hit it out of the park with the mixture of contemporary and historical.  Throw in the wonderful recipes and she has you captured right from the beginning of the book.  Of course she leaves us totally up in the air at the end of this book also.  So once again we will wait patiently (maybe) for the next book to find out what happens not only with Juliette, but also her grandmother.

On a little side note, I did find reading this book at night is maybe not the best idea.  With all the wonderful food described and recipes given it will basically make you want to get up and create a dessert and devour it all on the spot.  Okay maybe go buy a wonderful dessert and then eat it all.  Whichever works for you.  Just be forewarned.

Happy Reading,

P.S.  The picture shows the original cover, there is a different one now that matches the first book better. 

Hillary Manton Lodge

Dear Readers,

First let me tell you I really enjoyed reading A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge.  It is a wonderful story about families and what it means to be part of a loud and loving family.  How sometimes it can be awkward when everyone tries to take care of each other.  Sometimes it can be frustrating when someone thinks they have a better idea for your life than you do and how no matter what choices you make, they will love you completely. 

Second I want to tell you, the recipes included in the text made me want to take a cooking class or two to learn how to make some of the items listed.  There were no easy cook in a couple minutes recipes, these were involved dishes that required time to make and then more time to enjoy with a group of family and friends.

 

Juliette’s family revolves around food.  Grandma moved from Italy after her husband passed to open her own pastry shop in Portland, Oregon.  Her parents own an Italian/French restaurant that seems to be on everyone’s list to go to.  Her brother is a chef and she herself writes for a food magazine. 

When her grandmother passes, Juliette inherits her prep table.  She remembers learning how to cook and make pastries at her grandmother’s side.  She loves this table and the memories it brings.   While cleaning the drawers she finds an old cookbook of Grandmother’s and it contains a picture of someone who looks strikingly like her brother. Who could it be?

I will let you discover the answer to that question, it is a journey you need to take with Juliette.   Between the family she has and the history that is part of their story, it is a hard book to lay down.  It isn’t because it is so fast paced, it is because you won’t want to leave them. 

So grab a pastry of choice and rich cup of coffee and enjoy.

 

Happy Reading,