Кондитерка-втікачка

by Louise Miller, Вікторія Кучма (illustrator), Марія Росіл (translator)

«Кондитерка-втікачка» — роман Луїз Міллер про любов, відчуття дому, пошуки себе і свого місця в житті.
Олівія Ролінґз — віртуозна шеф-кухарка, її роботу високо оцінюють ресторанні критики. Професійна кухня для неї — місце спокою і балансу: там порядок, передбачуваність, все знайоме і завжди на своїх місцях. Та коли Олівія підпалює не лише фламбований десерт, а й ресторанну залу, вона не вигадує нічого кращого, як просто втекти. Адже ясним полум’ям загорілася не тільки робота, а й не надто вдала любовна пригода.
Олівія переїжджає з Бостона в ідилічне тихе містечко Гатрі, що у Вермонті, до своєї подруги Ханни і починає працювати у старенькому готелі «Цукровий клен». Кухня, що пахне корицею і свіжим хлібом, звуки банджо і скрипки, мальовничі краєвиди, привабливий син фермера, нові друзі, конкурс на найкращий яблучний пиріг — дівчина захоплюється життям у сільській місцевості. Однак стати частиною спільноти Гатрі з його старими і новими таємницями не так вже і просто. Дівчині доведеться подорослішати й усвідомити: якщо не тікатиме від стосунків, дружби, проблем, зможе нарешті проживати життя своєї мрії.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Christmas, Food, Audiobook

416 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2016

About the author

Louise Miller, a pastry chef and writer living in Boston, MA, is the author of THE CITY BAKER'S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING and THE LATE BLOOMERS' CLUB. Louise is an art school dropout, an amateur flower gardener, an old-time banjo player, an obsessive moviegoer, and a champion of old dogs.

You can find Louise posting pictures on Instagram-
https://www.instagram.com/louisetheba...

get book updates on Facebook and Tumblr-
https://www.facebook.com/louisemiller...
http://louisemillerauthor.tumblr.com

read her bio, sign up for her newsletter, and all other book news at http://www.louisemiller.net/

and chat with her on Twitter-
https://twitter.com/louisethebaker

Reviews

[Brady Lockerby]

DNF - I’m only 13 pages into this and how much the author is focusing on the weight of the characters is so icky. Like who cares what size pants they wear? It’s been referenced at least 5 times in only 13 pages and it’s just so odd and unnecessary so BYE

[Malia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just what the doctor ordered after a number of dark mysteries and psychological thrillers! It's a lovely summer read with likeable characters and did I mention there's pie? Boston baker, Livvy, makes a reluctant move to the Vermont countryside, where she takes up a position as baker for the Sugar Maple Inn, little knowing that its owner, Margaret, has other plans for her. There is some romance, a little mystery, but mostly this is a story about friendship and family. It's not cheesy, if a little predictable, and I really enjoyed immersing myself in the cozy atmosphere of this book. As someone who enjoys baking, and certainly the odd slice of pie, Miller's culinary observations were fun, and I intend to test the apple pie recipe she includes in the back of the novel. For fans of light-hearted fiction with a cast of friendly characters and a well-illustrated, cozy setting, THE CITY BAKER'S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING won't disappoint!

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and have written what I think is a fair and honest review. Thank you!

Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 When Livvy, the pastry chef at an inclusive Boston dining club, drops a lit baked Alaska setting the room on fire, she runs to Vermont the safest place and person she knows. Her best friend Hannah. Hannah quickly finds her a position at a gorgeous inn, called Sugar Maple, located in the Vermont countryside.

The descriptions of the desserts will have you drool, the food, entice, the beautiful setting and family atmosphere , envious and the banjo music and square dancing, tapping your feet. Still all os not sweetness and light, that would not be real life, there is an odious woman named Jane White, there are the secrets the Inn's elderly owner keeps and there is a family tragedy. Livvy herself is a colorful character, she dyes her hair the most outrageous colors, fierce fuchsia, banana yellow, pine green, changing to suit moods and seasons. On her own since the age of sixteen she just wants a place and a life she can call her own. Oh yes, and must not forget a wonderful dog called Salty. Of course there has to be a love interest as well.

Still, a much lighter fare than that in which I usually indulge, always gravitating more to salty than sugar. But I have to admit I enjoyed this brief foray to the sweet side.

ARC from Publisher.

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livvy Rawlings is a pastry chef at an exclusive restaurant in Boston called the Emerson Club. One evening while serving a flambe dessert, she accidently sets the building on fire. Out of job and needing money, she moves in with with her best friend in Vermont. Eventually, she finds herself a job as a baker at a small inn. The owner’s intention is to utilize Livvy’s culinary skills to win a pie contest.

Livvy begins to settle into her life and guests are pleased with her baking. She develops a close friendship with her neighbors, Dotty and Henry McCracken. She feels a connection to their son Martin who is in from Seattle. Livvy plays the banjo in a local band where Martin is the fiddler. Unsure of how long Martin will stay in town, she would like a romantic relationship to develop.

Livvy starts to embrace small town living and moves on from her past life. One big difference is local gossip which makes everything public. Is this the place where Livvy will settle?

I enjoyed the many well developed characters that were introduced in this book. The descriptions of the baking flowing through the story made it a real treat to read.

I am thrilled that the author is working on her second novel.

$14.14 for hardcover on Amazon ! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101981202/...

[Margitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read the first sentence in the book three times.

The night I lit the Emerson Club on fire had been perfect for making meringue.

Each time I read it, I giggled and called out 'What?!' And then I started laughing. That's what I do in dumbfounding astonishment. And I liked the feeling of the book on the spot.

What a great way of starting out a book and setting the tone for what turned out to be a wonderful, relaxing, no-brainer, good read.

Our protagonist was orphaned at the age of sixteen when her father passed away and her mother was sort of missing in action since she was a baby. By the grace of many angels, 32-year-old Olivia Rawlings became a well-known chef in the prestigious Emerson Club in Chicago.

After the Emerson Club disaster with the pistachio baked Alaska, she was asked to take a break. That lead her to her best friend Hannah in Guthrie, Vermont, where everybody knows everything but no one says a word.

Livvy was not the poster child for good behaviour, and had a few less flowery tales to rather not talk about. Taking care of herself since the age of sixteen, with no adults to keep an eye, she did what all teenagers did when nobody was looking.

She developed her own way of coping with challenges, such as dyeing her hair when it was time for change. The color could be anything from Manic Panic Electric Amethyst, to Manic Panic Electric lava, or Cotton Candy Pink and the color did not remain long enough on her hair to call it home. The Manic Panic color palette arrived and left through a revolving door on her head as the changes started piling up in her life.

Apart from introducing a new self to a new beginning through an instant new hair color, she discovered the secret of food to win the hearts of the new people she constantly met. Guthrie was not the easiest town to win over, not with her track record.

However, it did not take long to crumble the community's resistence with dishes such as corn consommé, a salad of baby red oak greens, with toasted black walnuts and a maple vinaigrette with goats cheese with croutons made of dried-apple spice bread; prime rib with cipollini au jus, wild mushroom risotto and roasted Brussels sprouts; popovers with chives; cheese plates containing Vermont cheddar with quince paste, fresh chèvre with home-made blackberry preserves , sheep-s-milk blue cheese with pears poached in port; desserts including pumpkin crème Brûlée baked in hollowed-out miniature pumpkins; apple galettes with frangipane in puff pastry; pears stuffed with cognac-soaked figs wrapped in phyllo, baked to a crispy brown, chocolote shells, filled with thick amber caramel, studded with toasted pecans and a layer of dark chocolate ganache just barely sweetened; and huckleberry clafouti. ( I am a bit concerned about the frangipani in food, since in Africa it is a beautiful fragrant flower but highly poisonous, so I need to check that recipe out on the internet - haven't done so yet).

Chef Albert at the Sugar Maple Inn, where Livvy found a job as a pastry chef, made sure that her first serious performance as chef at the Guthrie Harvest Festival, capped off by the Harvest Dinner afterwards, would be a success.

But Livvy had one more challenge to prove that she was the best pastry chef for Sugar Maple Inn. The apple pie competition at the Coventry Country Fair. Margaret Hurley was the owner of Sugar Maple Inn, and since her husband's passing lost the competition for three years in a row. It was a disgrace in the eyes of the town. She was determined to appoint a chef that would bring back the blue ribbons once again.

And then there was the elusive neighbor, Martin McCraken, who invited her to become part of the Hungry Mountaineers band, performing at the Contra Dance events in town. Livvy could play a banjo putting many masters to shame.

Livvy's change of scenery, from a sea of impersonal stainless steel in impressive kitchens in cities, to country houses where the stoves had minds of their owns and equipment might have been purchased at yard sales, or country auctions, would slowly allow her to rethink her own life, and discover the value of family, friendships and bonding - something she never experienced in her life before. She finds a surrogate father and an accepting family in the McCrakers, with a bond slowly developing between herself and Margaret Hurley.

The book loses a star for 'advocating' a pregnancy for a single young women who could not take care of herself, let alone a baby. To use it as a romantic element in the book goes totally against the grain for me personally.

A cozy, sweet read, with a little romance added to spice up the pastries and her life.

COMMENTS

I had to watch a few Contra Dance events on Youtube to get behind the mystery (for me) of this dance form. But after watching it for a while I decided to rather get out there and do a few rounds myself of the feisty boot scootin boogie, and line dancing on the wild rhythms of 'Achy Breaky Heart' with Billy Ray Cyrus looking deep into my eyes. I nearly fainted. Well, okay I'm a bit unfit too! But oh those eyes... and the beat ... of my heart. I considered calling a doctor and faint with a smile right around my head! And do it again! And again!

Nope, so the Contra Dancing did not do if for me, but the baking had me wild with excitement!

And the story was okay. A feel good Sunday read for me, with a little bit of my WILD WILD side bursting out in the open. Jeans, cowboy hat an' all. I just need the real boots!

Well okay, Line dancing with Billy was not part of the book at all, but it ensured a happy four star rating for this book. Because sometimes life is just INCREDIBLY GOOD! This book lead me to an important reminder to just be happy for no reason whatsoever!

[PorshaJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delicious, fun read! I was hooked by the blub on this one after I read 'pastry chef extraordinaire'. If it has anything to do with food, I'm going to read it. And if it's baking....come on.

Livvy is the pastry chef extraordinaire, who is having a rough go of it. Her parents are gone and she seems a bit lost. After a mishap at her current place of employment, she travels a few hours to visit her friend and find comfort, but instead, she finds a job as the head pasty chef at a Vermont resort. Livvy describes in detail all the mouth-watering delights that she bakes. And she bakes a lot in this one. There is even a large apple pie baking contest at the annual fair which seems to be the biggest competition around. The story is not something I would normally read - it's a bit sweet in terms of girl leaves one guy, finds another guy, heartbreak, and then.....well, it was a bit predictable. But it had a big focus on baking so I gave it a shot. And I was happy to read this one. Sometimes you just need a feel good book. And if includes details on making apple pies, it's just the whipped cream on top. So to speak. Plus, I learned a great new tip on pie/dough making that I can't wait to try out.

I listened to this one on audio. It was an OK audio. I could have either listened or read the print.

[Melina Souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

primeira leitura da maratona literária gilmore girls concluída ♡
valeu a pena ter esperado pra ler esse livro durante a maratona :D

ps: e a vontade de morar em uma cidade pequena no Canadá só aumenta :x

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect foodie cozy romance novel. The author is a pastry chef and it shows; I was so pleased to find the apple pie recipe in the back and can't wait to make it.

Olivia was sleeping with her married boss and caused a fire at an important event and flees to rural Vermont, where she ends up finding a job at a small inn that just happens to need a pastry chef. And before you think it is a ridiculous notion, I once had to relocate to a town of 10,000 people in rural Indiana and found a job as a pastry chef at a tea room, so let's just say I found a lot to love here. It's the dream - the perfect job with free housing, with room for creativity, friendly locals who happen to play the same music she learned from her father, and a love interest who is just the right mix of talented, strong, loves his mother, and mystery. First snows, baking contests, maple syrup.... I think this author has a promising future.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy through NetGalley.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a while ago, and thought I had already posted this on Goodreads. So, here it is!

Looking for a feel-good book these days? While traveling we came to Lucy’s Books in Astoria, Oregon and they recommended this one. So glad they did!

The descriptions of the desserts will have you drool, the food will certainly entice you, the beautiful setting and family atmosphere will give you opportunity to pause...and, the banjo music and square dancing may even have you tapping your feet.

It's a lovely summer read with mostly likeable characters and did I mention there's pie? The recipe is in the back!

There is some romance, a little mystery, but mostly this is a story about friendship and family.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Olivia Rawlings, the protagonist of pastry chef Louise Miller’s debut novel, arrives in Guthrie, Vermont one September, it’s with a weight of guilt and rumor behind her. She left Boston’s Emerson Club in ignominy after setting the place on fire with a Baked Alaska and sleeping with a married boss twice her age. Now her best friend, Hannah, is determined to help Livvy make a fresh start in a small town. She uses her clout as the local doctor’s wife to get Livvy a job as the chief baker at the Sugar Maple Inn, run by a formidable older lady named Margaret.

Livvy sets up in the sugar house with her Irish wolfhound, Salty, and settles into a daily routine of baking muffins, bread and cakes for the guests. She gets to know the local community by soaking up atmosphere at the Black Bear Tavern and playing banjo with the Hungry Mountaineers band at country dances. The McCrackens, in particular, become a kind of surrogate family for this lonely woman in her early thirties: Dotty is Margaret’s best friend; her husband Henry is battling colon cancer; and their youngest son Martin has temporarily given up his normal life in Seattle to help out. A love of food and music binds Livvy to the McCrackens, and Henry is like a stand-in for the father she lost as a teenager.

This is a warm, cozy read full of well-drawn secondary characters and romantic possibilities for Livvy. There’s nothing clichéd about it, though. Livvy is a sassy narrator whose hair goes from purple to orange to turquoise and whose promiscuous past matches her reputation for perfect macaroons and apple pie. I didn’t love the conflict at the three-quarters point that briefly takes Livvy back to Boston, but it all comes together in a satisfying dénouement.

I love how Miller documents the rhythms of the small-town country year, including tapping the maple trees in the early spring and a pie baking contest at the summer county fair. But I’m calling this a perfect book for autumn because of how the early chapters depict pivotal events from Livvy’s first months in Guthrie, especially the annual Harvest Festival supper (corn consommé, baby green salad with walnuts and maple vinaigrette, goat cheese on apple spice bread, prime rib or mushroom risotto, chive popovers, Vermont cheddar with quince paste, and pumpkin crème brûlée) and a boisterous Thanksgiving meal with the McCrackens.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal was one of my top fiction picks of last year, and this is a worthy 2016 counterpart. Though not quite as edgy, Miller’s debut also shares the foodie theme of my favorite novel of 2016 so far, Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. All three of these books capture the almost theatrical magic of the restaurant meal. I’ll leave you with this extended passage describing the setup for the Harvest Festival. Though I’ve never been to New England in the fall, it makes me nostalgic for it all the same:

There is a moment after the prep is done and before the theater of the dinner service begins when I love to escape the kitchen. Dusk had fallen, and when I stepped outside, I was drawn to the light spilling from the barn, golden and inviting. I poked my head in. Margaret had outdone herself. The long tables were covered in cream linen. Squash-colored tapers stood tall in sparkling silver candelabras. Fat bouquets of sunflowers, goldenrod, and black-eyed Susans stuffed into mason jars were surrounded by tiny pumpkins and crab apples. I looked up to see a thousand white Christmas lights hanging from the rafters. The whole room glowed.

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louise Miller is remarkably accomplished in this debut novel about a family-less pastry chef escaping an affair with her boss in Boston, a married man, and landing at the Sugar Maple Inn in Guthrie, Vermont. All of our senses are engaged just by contemplating the premise: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Miller adds the umami ingredient, voice. Her main character, Livvy, has the wit to speak her mind and the cooking talent to go with it. What she doesn’t have before she moves to Vermont are the comforts of a home where people will love her for just who she is.

Romances are written to a formula, and some do it better than others. Miller manages to include every element of a rockin’ romance, including a prudently unconsummated sex scene with said boss late in the proceedings that proves her bonafides when it comes to one of the more difficult things to write well: sex. That this is a debut is reason for romance-lovers to celebrate. The story was inventive enough to encourage us to believe that there is more where that came from.

We are treated to the Coventry County Fair prize-winning apple pie recipe at the end of the book, though anyone who has baked before knows there is always a magic ingredient in successful baking: skill or luck. What we didn’t get, alas, were recipes for the three-tier wedding cake for Margaret’s arch-rival’s granddaughter, Emily White, which included coconut with passion-fruit curd, devil’s food with rum ganache, and lemon with fresh raspberries and white chocolate cream, all covered with fondant. But you can search those out and practice a little until her next novel yields more suggestions.

Miller herself is a pastry chef in Boston, though she gives Livvy “a splashier career” than her own. In an interview conducted by her publishers, Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, Miller tells us

"Actually, writing a pastry chef character gave me a surprise benefit: it made me more mindful in the kitchen. I found myself paying closer attention to everything I was making—especially to the tasks I can perform without thinking, like making chocolate mousse or crème brulee—wanting to capture all the details."

Truthfully, it would not have bothered me a bit to have a few more clues to successful baking left in. Who isn’t completely obsessed with BBC TV’s The British Baking Show?

"I find that writing about food is a million times more difficult than actually making food. Baking requires precision, and I had to fight the urge to include every step of the process when writing about making dessert. Many of the baking scenes had to be edited several times because they sounded too instructional."

I don’t bake often, but when I do, I want to make sure it turns out. A few more hints to winning techniques wrapped in a romance fondant wouldn’t go astray in this reader’s opinion. Besides, if we learn a few things along the way we may not feel so guilty taking a day or two to read about someone else pursuing their dreams.

When asked why she chose this particular story line, Miller admits that she has always been a city kid:

"I think the allure comes from the fantasy that life will be vastly different—a slower pace, a life more connected to the land and to the seasons, with space to grow a big garden, to own a little piece of land and to know it well. Life in the city requires constant negotiation—with your neighbors, with the people on the subway, in line at the coffee shop, in traffic—part of the attraction is being free from some of those pressures."

Fantasy is a big part of successful romance. The most reassuring thing about this novel was that Livvy and her fellow characters all progress to some kind of personal dream fulfillment in the course of the story. Livvy creates her own family with strong bonds, and her friends manage to wrestle her to the ground long enough for roots to form. She is not finished growing, but we leave knowing she has a solid foundation for a good life and successful career. And that is how we feel about Louise Miller, too.

This is a fine book to escape the summer heat, so rustle up a copy when it comes out August 9, 2016 and settle in for a journey that begins with flambé and ends with homemade apple pie.

[Tommy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ya'll, I tried. I wanted to like this book and write a positive review, because I could tell this was supposed to be a light, cozy, seasonal read. I feel like I may be reading too much into it but there was just too much for me to ignore.

Long story short - I think my real issue is that a lot of deeper concepts and ideas were introduced but not fleshed out or focused on, leaving me to be confused about what the author was intending to say. Livvy had a lot of flaws that were detrimental to her happiness, and she did nothing to improve upon herself to fix her problems. I would argue she never recognized her problems and so was very passive about them, never taking accountability for her actions. The author boiled it down to Livvy needing a family - to put down roots down with a mother (or two) she never had, a husband, and children - to feel complete, like that alone would fix her impulsive, destructive behaviors caused by abandonment issues beginning in her teenage years.

With that being said, here's a long list of specific things that bothered me and gave me that impression, because I need this off my chest.

---

Examples of issues I have with Livvy:

- Her affairs, with no introspection or commentary on the morality or effect of it. What I feel that I'm being told is that because she is a mess of a person who doesn't manage her time or money, she's also a homewrecker, but like it's just one more thing out of her control and not a decision she has deliberately made. She even blames Margaret for not telling her Martin is engaged instead of holding Martin accountable for his actions. (Hellooooo! He cheated!!) She's only embarrassed because everyone knows about it, not that she did it. She abandons her job and runs from town and avoids all her confrontations AGAIN and straight back into the arms of another cheating man, and continues to fantasize about Martin like he didn't cheat on his fiance with her.

- Her hair being specifically called out multiple times as Manic Panic Electric Amethyst, Manic Panic Electric Tiger Lily, Manic Panic Atomic Turquoise, Manic Panic Electric Banana, Manic Panic Electric Lava, Enchanted Forest, Cotton Candy Pink. It's super important you know exactly what funky color she just dyed her hair. This is petty, but it just felt jammed in there and over the top by calling out a famous brand and particular dye color.

- Her opinions of "Big Pharma." It appears she doesn't get along with her best friend's husband purely because he's a doctor (because we never get a real scene between them), and resents the idea of baking for a fundraiser for the local hospital. I'm confused about what this healthy and able-bodied woman thinks about healthcare. She never has a thought about the care Henry receives though... or her prenatal care, of which we see basically nothing.

- Rescuing Salty when he was lost even though it was clear her Boston life was unsuitable for a large dog. I.e. always working long hours all day long, and being too busy to have friends or go out. When is she supposed to be caring for a dog? No wonder he has separation anxiety. She even forgot about him when she ran away from Guthrie. She constantly left him along in the middle of winter with no heat source. She never considered him unless it was her excuse to not go stay out somewhere.

- Constantly thinking about others' fashion in a condescending manner. What's her dig with Talbots? Saying Margaret stole her wardrobe from a Talbots, and joking about Margaret hosting the president of Talbots for lunch.

- Thinking her grandma was crazy in grieving for her late husband, despite that she understands the loss of her own father as a teenager. She lacks so much empathy.

- Her weird infatuation with men twice her age. Is this whole book about her serious daddy issues? Suddenly it makes a lot more sense.

- Her weird attitude about gay people. She was suprised one of the McCracken adult kids would have a same sex partner. And she made that one weird comment on the token gay couple in town like being a gossipy small town means they're homophobic. It was so out of place.

- Claiming Jane was spreading lies about her actual affair with Jamie she actually had, because Jane is clearly the Bad Guy in this book.

- She's this super good baker who impressed a French ambassador, yet not very professional and not connected in the industry. She's good for no reason. Is she good because she has passion, is she good because she's never in one place too long and learns different techniques from people? Who knows. We never hear about anything but her gig at the Emerson in Boston, despite her having lived across the globe. Not to mention, she very unprofessionally ditched two jobs with no notice, and acted like it was crazy that Margaret would honor an agreement with a client just because they don't like the client on a personal level.

- Her weird instalove reaction to Martin. She noted the first time she saw his teeth on on their 3rd meeting maybe, and instantly says Martin made a life in Guthrie feel possible despite having only talked to him like 4 or 5 times maybe. It's not the job, friends, or feeling of having a family/community that attracts her to stay in Guthrie, but this awkward man-child she barely knows.

- Odd comments about Melissa, an almost 40-year-old wife with children, "look[ing] so much like an ADULT" like our main character isn't in 32 and basically living on her own since 16. What a ridiculous thing for a grown woman to say about another grown woman.

- She is judgemental and perpetuates town gossip despite being the victim of it, such as when she wants to refuse service to Jane White despite not even knowing her outside of gossip, and when she judged Jane's granddaughter Emily before meeting ber her just because she was "a White."

- She is an awful friend. She ditches her BEST FRIEND who tells her she needs her at Thanksgiving to help her, and Livvy abandons her to spend the holiday with the McCrackens because after barely 2 months in Guthrie, she thinks of Henry "like a father" and she wants in Martin's pants. She "struggles" to find an excuse to decline the McCracken's invitation like saying her friend needs her isn't a good excuse. And then she doesn't even check in on her very pregnant friend afterward until her best friend confronts her about it a month later.

- That strange comment about how Livvy's mom might find it oppressive that women would work in the kitchen while the men kick back. The endgame and a lot of conversation of this novel is settling down with a family and kids, so I'm just really confused by this suggestion of it being oppressive to a women's liberation lesbian woman in a travelling theater group. It just doesn't fit thematically with where this book is going and it confused me when there was no other consideration of it.

My other complaints about the story:

- I think it's pretty obvious if you read the the author bio that Livvy is the author's self-insert, but my problem is that I don't like Livvy and I don't like the author. I get major yuck vibes from them both. Too many odd details that don't make sense and have no purpose in the story, and really just add to my dislike of Livvy/the author.

- Martin constantly sounded like a teenage boy infatuated with his first love and not a 40-year-old engaged man.

- Very odd flow in chapter 7 where they sit down for dinner, say like 2 lines of dialogue, and then get up and clean the empty plates. No indication of any passage of time. I was very confused.

- I know the McCrackens practically adopted Livvy into the family, but she had been there 3 months TOPS. It felt so weird for Livvy to say Henry was like a father to her and that Henry thought of her as a long-lost daughter, especially when it's not very clear how much interaction is happening off page.

- Why is she squatting in an abandoned pizza shop???? Why doesn't she bum off her best friend Hannah or anyone else she knows??? I'm so done. I can't.

- 6 months pregnant and she doesn't seem to be visiting the OBGYN, doesn't know the gender of the baby but assumes it's a girl, hasn't even considered names, where she will live, how she will afford a baby, what childcare she will have while she works. I suppose that fits with her characterization of being an immature and impulsive person who doesnt plan ahead, but the whole story was about how she needed a family to have a home and be content and settle her life down, so it made no sense that the baby wasn't making her get shit together.

[Анна Лисенко-Гурська · Rating 3 out of 5]

Це було важко, але я дочитала.

Ну, по-перше, як для класичної хепіенд-сторі вона була надто довгою. Я очікувала романтичну комедію, а отримала довгуу оповідку. Так, смачну, цікаву, провінційну оповідку. Але довгу, трясця.

А ще, надто багато фейспалмів. Що й не дивно, бо книга довга. Ну і власне, чим більше всього в книжці, тим частіше траплялось те, що молодіж називає крінжем))

Ну, наприклад... ой, нє, чекайте, то ж спойлери.
Просто вірте на слово, є моменти, коли я бралась за голову. Жанр, звісно, виправдовує. Але місцями, нуу не знаю.

Може з книгою все гаразд, може то я читала її тупо вічність? Не знаю.
Бо вкінці, як і водиться, в таких книжках, я змітала з очей скупу снобську сльозу.
Отаке.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A cozy little Fall foodie book...although a little on the sweet side. I took this book on a trip to the mountains last week and it was perfect for reading by the lake, watching the leaves fall around me and smelling woodsmoke as I read about apple pie and Thanksgiving in Vermont.

[Enotka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Затишна історія про те, що все буде добре. І після неї дуже хочеться яблучного пирога :)

А взагалі, для мене, більше шансів, що історія буде вдалою, якщо в ній йдеться про письменників (книгарні) або кулінарію. Бувають винятки, але переважно саме атмосфера книжок і їжі дуже сприяє доброму сприйняттю)

[Oksana Kravets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Це було неймовірно затишно. Пречудова книга, якщо хочеться відпочити та поринути в атмосферу трохи ідеалізованого спокійного життя за містом

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

This book begins with our protagonist, Olivia “Livvy” Rawlings, a talented young (age 32) pastry chef working in Boston, feeling a sudden need to relocate after an especially unpleasant series of events. While carrying a huge and flaming Baked Alaska at a large catered event, she noticed her most recent lover, her much older and very much married boss, unexpectedly standing across the crowded ballroom with his wife. Surprised and distressed she drops the Baked Alaska, creating a major rumpus and setting the hall on fire. Back at her apartment, she calls her life-long best friend, Hannah Doyle, who now lives in the very rural, very far away Guthrie, Vermont (an imaginary town author Miller locates in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont). Hannah pulls some strings and gets Livvy a job as pastry chef in the Sugar Maple Inn. The very next day Livvy packs up her bags and her Irish Wolfhound and drives to Guthrie.

Miller describes the town and its people lovingly. Hannah is very happy to have her dear friend close by again, especially when she feels her in-laws trying to rule her household. The Inn is owned by Margaret, an eccentric and somewhat secretive older woman, who Livvy is constantly trying to figure out. The chef and other Inn employees are also interesting and well-developed characters. There is a full panoply of townsfolk for Livvy to meet, including an extended family, the McCrakens, which folds Livvy, an orphan with no living family members, into their warm embrace. And we too come to care for this place and these people as we happily turn the pages.

The book doesn’t offer too many surprises as Livvy adjusts herself to the ins and outs of living in a small town where people are both snoopy and supportive. We get many details about the ins and outs of rural life. The landscape is both gorgeous and homey. The prose does not get in the way of the story; at the same time, the book is a treat to read, a confection of warmth and good will that will satisfy all but the most jaded. In the right hands, this book would make a fine romantic comedy movie: Sleepless in Seattle move over.

[Trin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just so... *throws up hands* heterosexual? Heteronormative? I don't know. Something where the only possible happy ending seems to be to move to the country, bake, get married, and have lots of babies (admittedly not in that order).

Like: a lot of those things seem really nice to me, but put all together, wrapped up in a happy ending's neat little bow -- what a bummer.

This is well-written, though, and the food sounds yummy.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already put on five pounds just from reading this, my first note on The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living reads.

To bake or not to bake, that is the question. Then again, what’s the worst that could happen? Well, you could set the room on fire…

That is how The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller begins. We are introduced to the main character, Olivia Rawlings, mid-catastrophe. Olivia is a well-known baker, a pastry chef extraordinaire, who seems to love, live and breathe her craft – apart from her casual affair with her boss. Her mother left when she was still a child and her father passed away when she was but a teenager. All she seems to have left is her job, her baking, and Hannah, her best friend. It’s to Hannah’s arms she runs when avoiding the ashes of her simmering recent past, and it’s from her leading hand that she finds her future.

I feel like I have been offered not a slice, but a universe-sized version of my all-time favorite cake. This book is comfort, is acceptance. It is not the kind of novel you simply love, it’s the kind of novel that returns the favor, loves you back.

The writing, oh the writing… it’s delicious. You can smell whatever is being confectioned; you can taste its flavor and feel its rich textures. These moments seem to be highlighted by Louise Miller’s clever change in pace. When Olivia is baking, no matter how complicated and/or chaotic the recipe is, everything seems to slow down as flour becomes snow. There’s palpable peace as Olivia walks into her private little world, her safe haven. You can feel her love, her passion, her dedication… just like when you watch Martin playing the fiddle through Olivia’s eyes, how you hear him through her very skin.

This novel is so sweet, so deliciously tender. It’s like a whisper, It’s going to be okay, love. Here, have a seat and a slice. Take a load off, a deep breath. You can do this.

Imagine you have inherited the recipe of your favorite pie. You find yourself alone, craving the comfort you have known it to always deliver. You have never tried baking it yourself, you never had to. You feel the need to have it, though, and there is no one to ask to do it for you – and so you try. You bring the ingredients to the counter and you start mixing them together, following the recipe and the familiar voice that murmurs the instructions through it. You seem to have created a little storm around you, but for a moment you don’t care. It’s ready to go in the oven. Doubt starts to creep in as you put it in. You let it eat at you for a moment before deciding on dealing with the before annoying mess that has now become a welcoming distraction. Your heart skips a beat at the sound of the timer. You watch it carefully as it cools off, thinking of everything and nothing. Then you take the first bite. You close your eyes and you can’t help but smile. It’s like coming back home.

That is how I would describe reading this book: trying to bring a recipe to life while dealing with the grief of having lost its original maker, the fear of disappointment and then… at last, hope, fulfillment, happiness.

You can tell that Louise Miller loves what she does. Not only is it evident in Olivia, it becomes obvious as it embodies the array of other characters – Margaret, Henry and Dotty being my favorite ones – that end up converting into family. I couldn’t be more grateful that Louise Miller decided to share this story – a well-deserved blue ribbon for you!

Do I feel stuffed? To be honest, I could have another slice. And another. And perhaps just one more for the way back to reality.

ARC provided by Pamela Dorman Books via NetGalley.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Apple pie, Sugar Maple Inn, countryside Vermont....a charming, curl-up with coffee on the couch delight!

[Morana Mazor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaže se da ne treba suditi knjigu po koricama...ali, isto se kaže i da iznimke potvrđuju pravila pa, ako uzmemo u obzir te dvije izreke onda je ova knjiga iznimka koja potvrđuje pravilo jer je prilično lako možemo prosuditi po koricama tj. naslovnici.
Meni se, priznajem, svidjela čim sam vidjela najavu; ta nježna plava boja, ozračje tople kuhinje i , naravno, naslov, sve to zajedno djelovalo je tako ugodno i privlačno da sam u tom trenutku znala da ću je čitati.
I sada kada sam je pročitala mogu sa zadovoljstvom ustvrditi da nije iznevjerila moja očekivanja. Dobila sam upravo ono čemu sam se nadala čak i malo više od toga; laganu, šarmantnu priču ukomponiranu u idilično, seosko okruženje, a sve to prožeto mirisima raznih pita, kolača i torti budući da je glavna junakinja, Olivia-Livvy, vrhunska slastičarka.
Na samom početku romana, Livvy živi u radi u Bostonu no, nakon vrlo nezgodne situacije koju izazove u restoranu u kojem radi, seli se u ruralno mjestašce u Vermontu gdje joj živi najbolja prijateljica Beth i tako započinje njezin život na selu...
Poglavlja u knjizi obilježena su po mjesecima u godini, a autorica nam prekrasno opisuje promjene godišnjih doba u kojima je, znamo, puno ljepše uživati na selu nego na betonu gradskog asfalta.
Pa tako čujemo kako nam pucketa lišće pod nogama tijekom jeseni, možemo osjetiti studen zime kako nas štipa za nos i obraze dok se vozimo na saonicama po snijegu...uz opise prirode tu su i prikladna jela i slastice za pojedina doba godine, a sve to zajedno daje ovoj knjizi posebnu atmosferu.
A dok mi uživamo u izmjenama godišnjih doba, naša junakinja Livvy otkriva tajne života na selu; radi u kuhinji pansiona, seli sa, zajedno sa svojim psom, u malu kućicu na imanju, počinje svirati benjo u lokanom bendu tako da osim mirisa hrane i slastica, priču prožimaju i zvukovi muzike i plesa.. Naravno, pojavljuje se i Martin, jer taj život na selu bio baš toliko idiličan da tu nema i nekog zgodnog frajera koji zaokuplja pažnju naše cure.. ;)
Njihov odnos, kako to obično biva, ima nekih uspona i padova, nekih skrivenih pa otkrivenih tajni, ali sve je to lijepo osmišljeno i napisano tako da nam ti klišeji baš i ne smetaju.
Kuhinja i kuhanje protežu se kroz ovu šarmantnu knjigu već od naslovnice pa kroz cijelu priču i baš je zato  mogu usporediti sa pripremanjem nekog (ne baš zahtjevnog) kolača po prvi puta; dakle, imamo sve potrebne sastojke (nju, njega, idilično okruženje) koje pomiješamo (početak radnje); onda je tu pokoja poteškoća i strah da to neće dobro ispasti (zaplet) te na kraju zadovoljstvo i ispunjenje jer je sve ispalo i bolje no što smo se nadali (rasplet i happy end).
Naravno da se ovaj "recept" može primijeniti i na druge romane, ali u ovom je slučaju baš apsolutno prikladan jer nas ova knjiga, tijekom i nakon čitanja ispunjava osjećajem ugode i utjehe baš kao i topla pita s jabukama, palačinke s čokoladom ili bilo koja, vama omiljena, slastica.
Napomena: ne čitati na prazan želudac..! :)  Želim vam ugodno čitanje i dobar tek!

[Cindy Burnett (Thoughts from a Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I loved this book from beginning to end! The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living is chock full of fabulous characters and great story lines – I did not want it to end. I would love to spend some time in Guthrie, Vermont at the Sugar Maple Inn with Margaret, Al and Olivia eating all of the wonderful food that Louise Miller writes about in this great novel. Miller also throws in banjos and fiddles and some contra dances, and a great story about finding one’s own version of family emerges. I did tear up some so have Kleenex handy! I truly loved this book, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley, First to Read, Penguin, and Louise Miller for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Khrystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дуже мила, затишна книжка з ароматом свіжоспеченого яблучного пирога. Comfort reading для тих випадків, якщо треба щось легке для душі.
Головна героїня, кондитерка Олівія — трішки незграбна, з кольоровим волоссям, зовсім неідеальних параметрів, але дуже справжня (був лише один нюанс, який мене персонально бентежив — це її стосунки з одруженим чоловіком).
Пишаюся перекладом від моєї подруги Марічки та гарнезним виданням від видавництва Старого Лева.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com

This was a really fantastic book to listen to, I’m sure it was just as delightful to read, but there was something special about the audio version of The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living. The narrator was amazing, she really brought the characters to life and I can still clearly hear her melodic and pleasant voice in my head days after finishing the book.

My favorite part about this book was the gorgeous descriptions of the food that Livvy made. Louise Miller is a pastry chef and her knowledge was so very apparent as she went into great detail about several of the recipes Livvy makes and the combination of the lovely descriptions and Marie’s soothing voice was a magical combination for me.

The characterization was fantastic, Livvy was extremely well developed as was Margaret, her new boss at the Sugar Maple Inn. Dottie is Margaret’s best friend and Hannah is Livvy’s and both of them were well drawn as well. It follows Livvy’s life over the course of a year and is broken down into sections by season and by the end, I felt like I had really come to know and admire Livvy. She’s really quirky, a true individual who dies her hair every color of the rainbow depending on her mood and she plays the banjo.

This was a warm, cozy read that made me smile, but there were also tender, sad scenes that touched me as well. Miller infused plenty of humor, small town charm, and heartfelt moments into a charming story about starting fresh and learning to depend on someone besides yourself.

[Darka · Rating 4 out of 5]

типова історія про жінку з великого міста, яка переїжджає у місто маленьке, але знаходить там відповіді на всі питання свого життя і велику любов. бонусом йде дуже багато випічки.

[Chessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to 5.

This is the perfect cozy foodie small town romance. Seriously, delicious food + banjos + small town shenanigans? In New England?!?!? I feel like this book was written for me. My heart felt warm every time I read it, and I looked forward to getting back to it every time. If you like Gilmore Girls (and who doesn't like Gilmore Girls?!?), definitely check this one out!

The characters drive the bus here, but it's certainly not just a character study. Loved the New England setting - the sugarbush, grange halls, taverns and the Inn - perfect. Oliva's love of music and food just shines through, and you can't help be swept along in her passions.

The ending felt a teeny bit rushed, but it's my only real complaint (other than a few missed copy edits - missed quotation marks a couple times and a misspelling).

Reading this has made me desperate to dust off my banjo, revisit my home state of NH, bake apple pie, and find the local contra dance society here in MT. So, you know, totally freaking awesome.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Britany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly the type of book I needed to wrap up my reading year. It's sweet, cheery, filled with recipes to make my mouth water, and pure brain candy.

Olivia "Livvy" Rawlings is a pastry chef at a prestigious club in Boston when her dessert lights on fire and burns the building down. She does what she does best-runs away. She heads to Guthrie, VT to hide out with her bestie Hannah and takes a job at the Sugar Maple Inn (YES, this inn is everything you want it to be). She lives in the sugar house out back and wins over all the crotchety characters, dyes her hair crazy colors to go along with her moods, and bakes the most delicious sounding desserts. Of course there is a love story that goes along with this one, and while at times this was unrealistic and eye roll-y, but at this point in the year I just went with it.

Nothing crazy original here, but a nice, quick, cozy book to curl up with in front of a winter fire with a baked treat and a steaming cup of cocoa.

[Olena Skolozdra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Як можна вмістити стільки любові, тепла і затишку в одній історії?💔
Ну і переклад - дуже і дуже смачний)

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a reason I don't usually read books deemed as 'chick lit' because they tend to be more chick than lit as in mostly mooning over boys and other cliche behaviors that make me despise my own gender at times.

I picked up The City Baker's Guide to Country Living because I love to eat, knowing full well what I was getting myself into so I have no one to blame but myself for not liking this book.

In my defense, I love to eat. Mostly carbs and sweets.

The good!: SWEETS GLORIOUS SWEETS!!! (Sung to the tune of Oliver! The Musical's famous 'Food, Glorious Food' number.)

Delish descriptions of pastries and sweets, my two favorite food groups in the world!!!

The bad :(:

1. Olivia Rawlings aka Livvy (even her nickname is annoying!), an irritating thirty-year old woman I didn't much like who has serious Freudian daddy issues and not just because she's banging her old geezer employer

2. Moving to a small town in Vermont where everybody knows your business and sort of slut shames you when the inhabitants realize you're from the big city with a reputation

3. The archetypes of standard cliche characters are all here; the gruff but caring older woman with a secret, the kind best friend who knows all the secrets, the evil arch enemy who started the secrets, the good man who can't commit and has a secret or two, the belief that country living means getting married, having lots of babies and settling down to grow fat as a hog in her small town nestled far away from the evil trappings of city life.

4. The drama of small town living and the foibles of miscommunication such as when Olivia discovers her man candy has a fiancee and she turns tail and runs out of town.

Of course she does because that's what a grown woman does! No, let's not call him out and demand an answer.

That's not when a mature, intelligent woman does. No, a woman in a chick lit book runs straight out of town and cries like a whiny baby.

5. She gets pregnant (of course she does!). Yeah, I know, I know, I had sex ed too like all of you guys. I know it only takes one time but the pregnancy just adds that one final touch to chick lit degradation.

6. Once she gets pregnant, she wonders if she will even be a good mother because her mother abandoned her.

Boo hoo, mommy abandonment issues, the old 'how can I be a good mother when I never had one' sob story.

Let me tell you, girly, lots of us come from broken house and single parent families and we all did okay. Most of us have done better with even less.

7. Her friend and chef, Alfred, tries to do right by her by offering marriage to make her an 'honest' woman. All together now...awwwww. How gallant.

Did I just time travel back to the 1950s?

The real ugly <:‑|:

1. Olivia Rawlings is a great baker but a bad friend. How bad?

We are talking about a grown ass woman who ditches her BFF Hannah on Thanksgiving to attend a dinner where her man candy is going to be, a man she barely knows after two months???

Girl Code Rule #1: You do not ever EVER diss a girlfriend for a man. EVER.

I don't care if George Clooney and Chris Evans is naked in your bed and the menage a trois you've been waiting for is finally happening, if your BFF needs you, you go!

2. Olivia is unprofessional.

After discovering her man candy has a fiancee she ditches her job and leaves her boss, Margaret, in the lurch with no explanation and hides out like she's Bonnie without her Clyde.

I don't care how upset you are or how much your heart is breaking. You're a f**king adult, not 10! You don't disappear with no note, no call, no communication to your boss, much less your best friend!

Were you eaten by zombies? Did a squadron of malevolent birds attack you like a character in a Hitchcock film? Did they rip your lips off?

Pick up a phone and call Hannah, you blithering idiot!

It's the least you can do for acting like an immature jackass. I mean, seriously, are you a man? Jeez.

3. Run straight into the arms of your former lover because nothing beats a broken heart like getting it on with your married ex-bf.

Sure, you don't go through with it because you end up weeping your little eyeballs out. Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?

Sigh. I'm bored. Freud, do you want to take this?

4. Olivia Rawlings, an only child with deceased parents, is seeking a sprawling family of her own. I sympathize with the loneliness and the need to feel like you belong somewhere.

But that doesn't mean giving up your identity, your sense of worth as an individual and a woman and moving to the boondocks and getting married solves all your problems.

Well, maybe it does in chick lit rom-com world but not in the real world. Look at Brangelina.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Якщо чесно, я не очікувала, що мені так сподобається. Книжка захоплює вже з першого речення - “The night I lit the Emerson Club on fire had been perfect for making meringue”, і перетворюється у затишну, теплу розповідь, де події відбуваються восени і взимку у Вермонті, у маленькому містечку схожому на Старз Холлоу з Дівчаток Гілмор. У книжці є багато випікань яблучних пирогів та інших десертів, гра на банджо і дульсиметрі, сюжет доволі передбачуваний (ну бо ж чік флік), але з загадками і неочікуваними поворотами, які тримають в напрузі до кінця.

Головна героїня дотепна, дещо пухкенька (як і має бути кондитерка!), харизматична і дивакувата, але їй віриш і за неї вболіваєш (на відміну від Тіффі з Flatshare, яка hot but doesn't realize she's hot). Другорядні персонажі живі і добре прописані, більшість з них до кінця книжки стає начі рідні. Описи природи дуже кінематографічні, так, що хочеться в Вермонт вже й негайно! Загалом, книжка має дуже сильний Gilmore Girls vibe, тому якщо полюєте за таким в літературі - цей роман вам сподобається.

Окреме дякую Єлені, що порекомендувала почитати! Книга тверда 4-ка, але ставлю 5/5 - бо хочу підняти їй рейтинг ^_^
Fun fact - це дебютний роман авторки, яка сама живе неподалік Вермонту (в Бостоні), є кондитером і грає на банджо. Можливо саме тому книга вийшла така душевна.