The novel is based on the history of Miss Eliza Acton, credited with authoring the first modern day cookbook which included an ingredients list, precise measurements, and precise instructions. Acton considered herself a poet. When he father went bankcrupt and her next volume of poetry was rejected by her publisher and the publisher suggested she write a cookery book, although she was first insulted, she warmed to the idea and spent the next ten years working on her first book, Modern Cookery for Private Families. All this held true in the novel. But in the fictionalized version, Eliza hired Ann as her skullery maid who eventually became her partner in working on the cookbook.
Because of the employer/servant relationship, both Eliza and Ann kept many secrets from each other. It caused them to misunderstand exactly who the other was, so although they did become close, they never really crossed the threshold into what I would consider real friendship.
Eliza held the secrets of her financial situation and her past. While Ann kept secrets about her family life and present circumstances. The reader knows most of the secrets early on... although the one secret that the author revealed much later was one that I predicted incorrectly for a very long time.
The descriptive language used in the novel made my mouth water at times. It made me want to rush back into my kitchen from my walk and experiment with recipes that I could then share with someone... anyone. (I love thinking about food - and eating food - and creating dishes - but at this point in life, the idea of having to prepare something over and over again until perfection is not my idea of a good time. I don't enjoy the act of cooking enough these days. In my younger years, it would have been a dream!)
The audiobook was read by two different narrators, alternating chapters from both Eliza and Ann's perspective. It was entertaining, informative and delectable and I highly recommend.
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