"Is it true that we are what we eat?"
Reviewed by Evie Harris
Posted December 17, 2023
Literature and Fiction | Historical | Fiction Women's Fiction
The year is 1932 and much of England suffers from the Great Depression. Food writer Stella Douglas knows a great deal about cuisine and when she is offered the opportunity to research and write a book about English culinary history she learns much more about food and herself. An unexpected encounter with a rather unusual man changes the tone of her work. Is this the book she really wants to stake her reputation on?
GOOD TASTE by Caroline Scott takes readers on a delightful journey through the English countryside where Stella meets the locals and history comes alive through their sharing recipes and traditions. All the while, Stella is struggling to deal with personal changes as she grieves the loss of her mother and quite probably the loss of her best friend.
Filled with witty dialogue and meaningful conversations, GOOD TASTE is a joy to read. The vivid imagery pulls readers into the story's setting. Stella Douglas is a compelling protagonist who, along with the secondary characters, brings readers an engaging story. Highly recommended.
SUMMARY
With delectable prose, a sharp heroine ahead of her time, and an adventure across the English countryside in search of great food, Good Taste is the perfect historical novel for fans of Dear Mrs. Bird and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
You can tell a lot about a person from what they like to eat…
England in 1932 is in the grip of the Great Depression. Stella Douglas, author of a much-loved but not very successful biography, is a bit depressed herself. When she’s summoned to see her editor in London, she expects her writing career is over before it’s even started.
But much to her surprise, she is being commissioned to write a history of English food. It's to be quintessentially English and intended to lift the sprits of the nation. There's just one problem: a lot of English food is actually quite terrible (and anything good is usually imported from elsewhere).
So Stella travels across England in hopes of discovering a hidden culinary gem. What she discovers is oatcakes and gravy and lots and lots of potatoes. But when her car breaks down midjourney and the dashing and charismatic antiques dealer Freddie springs to her rescue, she is led in a very different direction . . .
Full of wit, life, and—against all odds—delicious food, Good Taste is a story of discovery and one woman’s desire to make her own way as a modern woman.
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