Martine Bailey, An Appetite for Violets (2015)
Start with an intriguing opening: a mouldering, uneaten feast, seen through the eyes of a hapless young man in search of his runaway sister. Add some piquant ingredients: the voices of servants, with their own lives and thoughts under the genteel surface imposed by their aristocratic employers. Take both servants and masters on a journey from northern England to Tuscany, mixing well along the way. Result: a thoroughly entertaining historical mystery, with a culinary slant.
In this tale inspired by and incorporating a collection of antique recipes, it’s natural enough that the main narrative belongs to an energetic young cook, Biddy Leigh. Biddy’s distinctive first-person voice provides much of the charm of the novel, and her enthusiasm for gastronomic adventure is contagious. When torn from her familiar surroundings by the seeming whim of her mistress, taken on an increasingly puzzling journey through France and over the Alps to Italy, she loses no opportunity to learn and benefit from her expanded horizons, and sharing her experiences is a treat for us as well. But when the game becomes deadly serious, can she cook her way out of this turn of events?
Although the components of this novel were splendid, the last stages of their assembly left something to be desired. Biddy’s mistress asks her to take part in a deception that requires her to act and talk in a way that is not truly believable for her character, and that also caused her to lose much of her distinctive “flavor.” An overly hasty love story and an unnecessarily melodramatic twist also marred the final chapters. Like cooks, novelists must beware of too many ingredients, too eagerly flung together. However, An Appetite for Violets is in the main a delicious concoction, full of historical details that don’t bog down the story but provide many delightful moments to savor.
Linked in Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads
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The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
Hum, too bad there were too many ingredients. 🙂 I have this on my list and will likely at least give it a try, but I'll keep my expectations in check. Fun review!
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There's a lot to enjoy, only it could have been worked out better at the end. The recipes alone are delightful.
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Great commentary on this book.The idea of integrating old recipes into a story like this seems to be a good one.It is too bad the ending sounds to have gotten sloppy.
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The recipes were definitely a window into a different time — can you imagine modern cookbook writers giving directions like "bake till well enough"? They really gave a feeling of authenticity to the narrative, although that disintegrated a bit at the end.
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I like the way you describe Biddy, even if her voice changes in the latter part of the novel. I think I might enjoy this one.
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Biddy is a great character! I hope you enjoy her story if you do read it.
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Thks for the suggestion… Added it to me reserve list at the library
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Wonderful, I'll be interested to know what you think.
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That's too bad about the ending because the rest of it sounds absolutely delightful! I'm curious about the mouldering feast and the idea of the antique recipes sounds lovely! Thanks for sharing!
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Lots of intriguing elements there, for sure.
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I have this one to get to as well!
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I think it's going to be very popular, now that it's available on this side of the pond.
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Enjoyed your review and am curious about Biddy. Sounds like this one is worth a try despite your reservations about "too many ingredients."
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I do recommend it. Some readers might not even be bothered by that aspect as I was.
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I like the sound of this but I know exactly what you mean about having too many ingredients in a story.
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It can be a problem, and not just for first-time authors.
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