A Recipe for Disaster in France by Evie Woods
by Julie A. Sellers
Bon jour, Radio Readers. I’m Julie A. Sellers for the HPPR Radio Readers Book Club.
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods combines magical realism with a cozy mystery in a novel that explores themes of grief, regret, progress, community, and love.
When waitress Edie Lane responds to a help wanted ad to work as an assistant manager in a bakery in Paris, she is certain the experience will help her gain perspective after the loss of her mother to cystic fibrosis. Should it concern her that she was offered the job right away, despite not being fluent in French? Perhaps, but the ad specifically states, “English required.” So, Edie leaves her native Ireland and embraces the new opportunity regardless of any misgivings. Once in Paris, Evie discovers that the bakery is not in the French capital but rather, on Rue de Paris—Paris Street, in the town of Compiègne. This is not the only time a better grasp of French might have helped her.
Evie’s difficulties don’t end there. She discovers her new boss at the boulangerie, Madame Moreau, to be incredibly reserved, and Edie feels she never measures up to her expectations. Add to that the fact that Evie has never met the baker, who works before dawn in the basement, and something just feels off. Her discovery of an old handwritten recipe book under a floorboard in her tiny apartment on the upper story of the bakery is another revelation. Among the recipes is one for hot chocolate that uses a special ingredient Edie finds tucked away in the kitchen. When she makes it for herself and others, the results are truly magical.
Edie becomes acquainted with the local patrons and the history of the bakery and town, and also the dashingly handsome Hugo Chadwick. Still, she has not met the baker, and her curiosity leads her to investigate. What she discovers unearths ghosts from the bakery’s, the town’s, and the nation’s past, stretching back to the Second World War. Other secrets place Edie’s budding relationship with Hugo in peril when she learns of his involvement in a development that threatens the bakery. Edie’s emotional investment in the bakery, the family who owns it, and the community challenge her to take leaps of faith in her own abilities and life goals.
This novel is a simple, heart-warming tale. The descriptions of baked goods and meals are truly mouth-watering. The reader wishes the full content of the recipe book Edie finds were included at the end to savor the recipes along with the text. The novel makes the reader’s mouth water and sets one’s imagination to dreaming of booking a trip to France. The conflicts and storyline are enjoyable, and in the end, what begins as Edie herself labels “a recipe for disaster” ends up in a deliciously cozy story, perfect as a summer read.
I’m Julie A. Sellers for HPPR Radio Reader’s Book Club.
