Alan Rochford was living the dream when he started Stone Cottage, an idyllic French restaurant nestled in the Adelaide Hills.
He had everything going for him apart from experience, money, and the first idea about what he was doing. After two years and one divorce, he began to see the funny side, fed on an endless diet of characters and occurrences so crazy that you couldn't make them up.
The blurb of this book promised so much, but for me the contents just didn’t deliver. Whilst there were a couple of laugh out loud moments, I didn’t generally enjoy the writing style; the attempts at humour or most of the stories generally. The majority of the book felt like hearing a story from someone who enjoyed telling it because they had a great time, whilst you are sitting there thinking ‘guess you had to be there’ to get it.
I want to make it clear that others may well find this book enjoyable and funny, it just personally didn’t gel with me. Like all things in life, you should consider others views, but ultimately form your opinion. Chefs and others that love Fawlty Towers humour may well find it more relatable; but for me the best bits were the brief descriptions of the wide variety of game food on the menu, sans guinea pig!
Guinea Pig in White Wine Sauce by Alan Rochford is book 6 in #ktbookbingo - category ‘Purchased for less than the RRP’. If you’d like to play along go to #ktbookbingo or @kt_elder on Instagram
Hilarious! I particularly enjoyed the chapter about the plums. Alan planted native trees to encourage wildlife, which came in abundance, but then proceeded to decimate his orchard. Been there, done that!! Being a resident of Adelaide, this book made sense on so many levels. Much of what he writes is tongue in cheek and those readers who don't realise this do not have a sense of humour. Exaggeration can be funny, especially when the reader has been in similar situations. I have never owned a restaurant, mind you.
Had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this hilarious book. The subtle humour, the canny turn of phrase and Alan's unique storytelling style all contributed to the colourful imagery created in my head by his cleverly narrated anecdotes. Loved it!
It certainly is a funny book. Alan Rochford recalls some of the hilarious and unexpected antics that occurred in the famous 'Stone Cottage Restaurant'. From travels through the French countryside to learning how to build stone walls and friendships that are just as strong and long-lasting. A flood of characters that keep coming back. A good read with lots of laughs!