Bread and Chocolate

by Philippa Gregory

A collection of short stories from one of our most popular novelists - the perfect gift. A rich and wonderful selection of short stories. A TV chef who specialises in outrageous cakes tempts a monk who bakes bread for his brothers; a surprise visitor invites mayhem into the perfect minimalist flat in the season of good will; a woman explains her unique view of straying husbands; straying husbands encounter a variety of effective responses. Just some of the delicacies on offer in this sumptuous box of delights...

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

DR PHILIPPA GREGORY studied history at the University of Sussex and was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University, and is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. In 2021, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature and to her charity Gardens for the Gambia. and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com.

Philippa's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PhilippaGregoryOfficial

Reviews

[Pragya]

Read more reviews at Reviewing Shelf.

I am not much for short stories so when I pick one up, I am either in the mood for something short or am not in the mood for anything and can't decide. But this, my my, was a brilliant choice. I finished it in less than 20 hours on a workday which is saying a lot for a 250 page book.

I probably read one book by Gregory long long back. Oh wait, after a quick check on GR, I apparently haven't read a single one by her. I think something is fishy here. I have 4 books from one of her series adorning my shelves. And I thought I had read atleast one  by her and loved it to justify buying these 5 but oh well, maybe the GR reviews did me in.

The title story, which is also the first, reeled me in by its smell of warm bread fresh out of the oven and the deliciously dark, melting chocolate. Can you visualize it yet? Taste it? Mmmm.. like a beautiful sin it goes...

This book is a mix of stories with some sad like 'The favour" or "The if game" but also several clever ones like "The visitor", "The conjuring trick" and "Theories about men".

One of my favorites was 'theories about men'. It's so clever and funny at the same time. I also really enjoyed 'the wave machine' and 'the magic box'.

All in all, I would say the stories are women-centered and play on the power of females. However, I am pretty sure if you are not a staunch believer in patriarchy, you will enjoy these as a male too.

Gregory weaves magic with a solid punch packed in the stories. Her writing is delicate and fragile yet visual and emotional. She makes her women characters capable and clever, just the kind of women I like to read about (and encounter in the real world unless they are the evil sorts then I would rather they be dumb :p).

The book makes for a quick read and I highly recommend it.

[Nadine Rose Larter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m trying to start my mornings with a short story this year. This was a good first choice.

[Sue Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly disappointing.
More akin to the readers stories sent in to those out of date magazines that you read in the dentist waiting room.
Although The Bimbo, The Playmate and Catching the bus would score a 3, they are not enough to lift the other 14 shorts.

[Gill James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of short stories but these really excelled. They were very well written and all plausible yet unpredictable. A different, totally appropriate voice for each one
A real delight.

[E.M. Tippetts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story collection is a real showcase of Philippa Gregory's talent. I'd enjoyed her historical fiction, but this collection shows that she doesn't just excel at research and period detail, nor does she need hundreds of pages to tell a story. These short stories are mostly modern day and are in a variety of viewpoints from third person, to third person limited, to first person. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a rich story, but who might not have hours to sit and read. I carried it around with me and read it on the Underground as I went from place to place. Many of the stories are very short, and it's amazing how much richness she can distill into such a small space. My favorite was "Coo-ee", and I wondered how much of it was a narration of her writing process, the dry historical versus the in-the-moment, looking for "a bit of a laff" components of her fiction. Perhaps it has nothing to do with her writing process, but it's entertaining all the same.

[Fran Macilvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Bread and Chocolate' by Philippa Gregory

B&C is not 'amazing' but is one of these books that I have bought several times. I tend pass on books after I have read them, but the characters and events in these short stories have a tenacious quality: through the years, snippets of them float in and out of mind (especially when I am reading other short stories)so that I have now been driven to buy another copy. It would probably be simpler just to keep it for a few years. B&C seems to have become my bench-mark.

I recommend this collection highly. Witty, well observed and poignant, these stand as some of the best short stories I have read.

Fran Macilvey, author, 'Trapped: My Life With Cerebral Palsy'

[Khaimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of touching stories, some even heart-wrenching. Set in different periods, the stories are written in a thoughtful manner- vivid but not overwhelming. And yes, there will always be that little surprise at every end. Worth reading.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of short stories. So at first I didn't enjoy this book, but then I realised that the author in each of her short stories was giving us a subtle message on life. Clever woman! I won't spoil it for you, but would encourage you to read it. I have changed my mind on short stories!

[soumyadeep naskar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good collection of short stories. Each and every story has it's own flavour.

[Syeda Hirra Fatimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bread And Chocolate is a collection of short stories by the famous author Philipa Gregory. Gregory has written several other novels most of which belong to the genre of historical fiction. Her most famous ones are 'The Other Boleyn Girl' (it's now a movie, too), 'The Red Queen', 'The White Queen', and many others.
The book consists of 17 short stories. No two stories are related instead they touch different aspects and fields of life. The only thing common in these stories is the element of surprise and a plot twist towards the end.
The short stories included some quite interesting ones while others were just mediocre ones with cliffhanger endings. 🙄
Here goes my review!
• Bread and Chocolate: A pious monk from a monastery, who makes finger-licking good bread, is brought to a production house for making his infamous bread. There he's seduced by his co-host, who is an extremely sensuous woman with an expertise in making literally "death by chocolate cake".
• Coo-ee: A guest lecturer and a lively woman - two people with natures that are poles apart - meet on a cruise and began their adventures. (this one ends in a death 😬)
• The Favour: This one is set in a historical period with all the ladies and lords and suitors and tournaments. Lady Ygraine is torn between her love for David St Pierre, a knight of low status, and her duty towards her mother of marrying a noble lord. Although she chooses to go with her hearts wishes but that's where the plot twist lies.
• Theories About Men: Stephanie believed that 'men are creatures of habit'. They cannot help but be unfaithful towards their wives. However, being the creatures of habit, the habit of coming home to the same comfortable house in the familiar embrace if their wives ultimately wins over the charm of running around. But a day comes when she had to put her theories to test. (this one's my most favourite).
• Lady Emily's Swim: An elderly woman, Lady Emily, joins a health club when her daughter, Margaret, buys her its subscription as a birthday present. She completes 20 swimming laps regularly but what she's thinking about during those 20 laps is what's surprising.
• The If Game: two colleagues start playing the if game when they start flirting - if you were my wife, if you were my mistress, if we lived together. The only problem is that the guy just cannot stop playing the game even though he's married.
• The Conjuring Trick: Boy, was it creepy! A couple wakes a dead beast who was runored to have killed his kids. The couple got the story featured in a local TV channel which somehow woke the Beast.
• The Garden: Oh, the feminist are gonna love this one! It features and oppressed and suppressed housewife with a control freak of a husband. Read it till the end to  bask in the glory of how she took her revenge.
• The Playmate: The story of love, trust and betrayal. It showcases how having a mother prettier than you could be a pain for a plain girl.
• Going Down River: This one sent chills down my spine! This is a story of a scientist who went to live with and learn the ways of an ancient, undocumented tribe. He lived with the tribe for a year and at the end the Tribe arranged a grand festival for his departure. The way he leaves will leave you in shock for a while, though.
• The Visitor: A happy-go-lucky tale for winter nights and Christmas. This story has the typical Christmas stories vibe. A young couple who has embraced the minimalistic lifestyle, and doesn't really celebrate Christmas, receives an unannounced guest.
All in all, this book was a light, easy-going and enjoyable read. I may or may not reread it but I thoroughly loved it and had fun with my light reading.
Until next time! 🖤

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that falls under the same comments a lot of collections do. Some are better than others. It's all right, nothing amazing. A bit dated if I'm honest. There's a predominantly 90s feel writing about women who would have been in their 30s or 40s there, and there's still a very male-female divide about roles in the house, in marriage and so on. A lot about affairs with the good little housewife left at home. A lot of wives packing suitcases for incapable husbands, polishing their shoes, keeping house - all unpaid work but because it's taken for granted and not valued by the husbands it feels almost like slavery in some cases. There's one tale of this horrible husband who essentially nukes the life out of his garden (I can imagine him being of the plastic grass and hedge type now) and is a control freak about his house. His wife is a shadow who keeps house and has no life, but he makes her feel as though she has no ownership or equality within the home because she doesn't earn and apparently doesn't contribute anything.

I quite liked the one about the artist looking after his young niece, the historical one about the jousting and the young lad asking for a favour, and the money orientated 80s couple who "create" this creepy ghost story in their house in order to sell it to earn a sack of cash and pay off their debts. The conjuring. Indeed.

Some were weaker and a bit meh.

It ends with a bit of a boring story that leaves the book with a bit of hope, with a young girl starting at grammar school and her mother hoping she'll get her chance, whilst all the relatives sit and moan about wasting that education on a girl. Where's the point? Blah blah blah.

[Victoria Frow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good. An interesting selection of short stories all discussing the relationships between men and women especially those who are married and what happens in that marriage.

Trigger warning: the chapter The Magic Box has scenes of self harm.

[Marcela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philippa is a highly talented short story writer . I was encapsulated by each character and plot and it was a lovely read to and from work and right before bed and right after waking up. Never knowing what story I’d be reading and what it would be about, it was lovely.

[Jo K Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I’m not a great lover of short stories, somehow they feel incomplete.

This is what this book is, lots of short stories. Whilst they are written very well. I just didn’t feel that they were complete enough for me.

[Linn Paladino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice and enjoyable stories. One of the stories actually made me cry in public 😅

[Catalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories. One was really scary and one was really dull, but a couple of them were very heartbreaking and a lovely read.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining, fun and with a ‘twist’. Just what I expect from a collection of short stories. Loved it.

[Dan Gabree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short stories. Each very, very different and covering most emotions. Each story leaves you wondering what the next will be and eager to dig in.

[Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

As any collection of short stories, there were some better than others but overall, I enjoyed this book. It was perfect for this time of year for me because I had to prepare exams and classes, so I was able to read one or two in between college and work.

Mostly all the stories revolved around women. They were either the main characters or the ones that caused a greater effect on the protagonists. I quite enjoyed the different kind of women that Philippa Gregory created and I rooted for them and felt identified with a few of them.

As regards writing, I continue to find Gregory interesting. I've read one of her historical novels and was completly inmmersed in the story, the characters and the historical period. She has a way with words that enages the reader quite fast. That's why in a few stories where the plotline was completly unappealing or boring, I found myself reading on just because of the writing style.

My favourite were The Favour, The Conjuring Trick (I was very surprised to find her writing something like that but it was VERY good), The Wave Machine (this one was very sweet) and Going Downriver.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn’t read anything by Philippa Gregory until I read this sparkling collection of seventeen short stories but I think I shall be reading at least some of her other books. The stories are a mixture of genres – historical, mystery, supernatural and stories about people going about their daily lives.

I enjoyed all the stories – which is unusual in such a collection – and I found them all to be of an equally high standard. I particularly liked the title story which features a monk who loves baking. My other favourites were – ‘The Wave Machine’ about a small child’s effect on a single man; ‘The Magic Box’ – which sent shivers down my spine and ‘The Garden’ about a controlling man and the wife who sees a means of escape.

I think this is a collection of short stories which I shall be reading more than once. I’m pleased that the advent of e-books has meant authors and publishers taking a chance on short story collections sometimes short stories are just what the reader needs to dip into rather than a full length novel.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of stories by great author Phillippa Gregory. As with any compilation, some stories are better that others. I found the book took a little time to come into its own. Each story is special and thought provoking in its own way. favourites are The Conjuring Trick (very spooky!), The Wave Machine (lovely and sweet), The Magic Box (again quite spooky) The Visitor (gave me a lovely glow and warmed the heart) and Catching the Bus (a tale of the special relationship between a clever girl and her mother). Would recommend! :)

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars might be a little too high, but I really enjoyed this short story collection. All 17 are completely original in their interpretations. Well written, easy reads they are a range of subjects, including a bread baking monk, women betrayed by men in widely different ways, and a PhD. thesis gone wrong, and even a Santa story. Memorable characters, poignancy, humor, and worthy of continued contemplation. Loved all of them.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of stories by Philippa Gregory; in fact it's my introduction to her fiction. Particular favorites were "The Wave Machine" and "Going Downriver" (very dark humor). Reading "The Visitor" touched on a past life of mine in many ways, even though it was rather predictable.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous collection of short stories with lots of different genres. Don't be fooled by the title as its not all foodie stories. I haven't read anything else by the author but certainly want to after reading these. In fact I wouldn't mind owning a copy of this as I'm sure I'd enjoy reading them all again sometime.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a stirring collection of deliciously crafted short stories from Phillippa Gregory! Connected only by the theme of strong female heroines, each tale is unique, scintillating and downright scary at times. Great writing, sinister characters and deep psychological turmoil abound in this fascinating collection. Well worth a read!

[Book-a-neer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was really great. Phillipa Gregory writes really well. The short stories were all different scenarios and conflicts evoking different feelings. I was happy, sad, scared, hopeful... I didn't want the stories to end but at the same time I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to see what would happen in the end.

Definitely recommend.

[JayeL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I may have read this before. I don't actually remember reading it, but the stories sounded familiar. A number of the stories were a little creepy or had an element of creepiness to them. The stories were well written, but they don't make me want to pick up any of the author's other books.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a few were kinda depressing in a dark way, but well written.

The conjuring story I thought was scarier than The Woman in Black! but I'm not used to reading horrors so maybe it's not that scary...

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philappa's short stories remind me of those by Daphne du Maurier....they're either quirky, or dark. All of them are good and this is no exception. Plot lines are intriguing, characters are fleshed out and interesting, story lines are rich. It's an easy read and one for a long weekend of R&R.

[JayeL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories about food.