Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Today I am bringing you my book review for My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen. If you have read this book, let me know what you thought of it. I was surprised by it. For example, I didn’t know that it was based on the story from My Fair Lady.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Culinary delights abound, romance lingers in the air, and plans go terribly, wonderfully astray in this historical tale.
It’s 1830s England, and Culinarians—doyens who consult with society’s elite to create gorgeous food and confections—are the crème de la crème of high society.
Helena Higgins, top of her class at the Royal Academy, has a sharp demeanor and an even sharper palate—and knows stardom awaits her if she can produce greatness in her final year.
Penelope Pickering is going to prove the value of non-European cuisine to all of England. Her contemporaries may scorn her Filipina heritage and her dishes, but with her flawless social graces and culinary talents, Penelope is set to prove them wrong.
Elijah Little has nothing to his name but a truly excellent instinct for flavors. London merchants won’t allow a Jewish boy to own a shop, so he hawks his pasties for a shilling a piece to passersby—but he knows with training he can break into the highest echelon of society.
When Penelope and Helena meet Elijah, a golden opportunity arises: to pull off a project never seen before, and turn Elijah from a street vendor to a gentleman chef.
But Elijah’s transformation will have a greater impact on this trio than they originally realize—and mayhem, unseemly faux pas, and a little romance will all be a part of the delicious recipe.
My Review:
This book introduces you to three most important characters within the early chapters and as soon as you meet them you know exactly what their personalities are and what their flaws are. Helena is forceful and ambitious. Penelope is caring and gentle. Elijah is a man who spends the whole book trying to be better for himself and not be treated differently because of who he is. This book does not shy away from discussing the social issues of the time and I liked that it was included in a way that didn’t feel forced or too much in the reader’s face. I loved how the characters developed throughout the story and it never felt like their flaws were being brushed over, their flaws were fully on display and dictated their actions throughout.
My rating:
