Chicklit Club
 

NEW RELEASE

   

The Cake Shop in the Garden (2015)

 

Fay Merryweather has her hands full. Not only is she proprietress of the cake shop she runs in her mother's canal-side home, she's also a full-time carer for her mother, who is bedridden, albeit self-imposed, and is constantly shouting out for Fay. And then there's her sister Edie. Self-centred, spoilt and sullen, Edie is Fay's opposite and takes advantage of her good nature, despite being halfway across the world in New York. Thank goodness for Fay's steady, dependable partner, Anthony - he may not float her boat exactly but at least he's there for her, except lately when he's consumed with work, golf, or his bell-ringing ensemble, the Village Belles! Fay's right-hand woman, the brusque yet loyal Latvian, Lija, and regular customer Stan are perhaps the only two people who Fay can turn to. But when Danny Wilde turns up on his canal boat The Dreamcatcher, Fay may finally have the opportunity to put herself first for once, but can she break the habit of a lifetime? Carole Matthews has hit on a real gem here with the idea of a canal-boat setting. It's quirky and original and offers a refreshing perspective on the great British countryside ideal. Although the glorious weather she depicts is perhaps rather hopeful for a British summer, she paints an idyllic picture of this little-seen visage of England and will make you want to jump aboard, or at least walk the canal paths searching out your very own cake shop in the garden. As characters go, Fay is something of a pushover, but it hardly seems fair to denigrate her simply for being too nice! She may be the central character but the book is made by the great cast of other characters, both good and bad, and to some extent it is Lija and Stan that are this book's heart. It would be great to return to the cake shop with Lija and Stan central stage. Fay's mum Marjorie and sister Edie are the darkness to Lija and Stan's light and I really liked the portrait of families. Happy families this certainly is not. It was great that Matthews saw this through with Marjorie, although this did leave a lot of questions unanswered and to some extent it felt like this needed more attention. Unfortunately Edie's about-face at the end of the book just seem too forced and happy-ever-after and somewhat undoes all of the fresh and honest depictions of a less-than-perfect family dynamic up until that point. Both Edie and Marjorie aren't given enough depth and do come across somewhat as bad-guy caricatures, and there's something of the pantomime spirit to this novel, with its inflated villains, unconventional fairy godmother, Cinderella heroine and of course the dashing prince charming. But we all love a good fairy tale after all.(JC)

 
 
 

The Cake Shop in the Garden, by Carole Matthews, is about a woman having to face the prospect of giving up the thing she loves the most. The summary says: "Fay Merryweather runs her cake shop from her beautiful garden. She whips up airy sponges and scrumptious scones, while her customers enjoy the lovely blossoms and gorgeous blooms. Looking after the cake shop, the garden and her cantankerous mother means Fay is always busy but she accepts her responsibilities because if she doesn't do all this, who will? Then Danny Wilde walks into her life and makes Fay question every decision she's ever made. When a sudden tragedy strikes, Fay's entire world is thrown off balance even further and she doesn't know which way to turn. Can Fay find the strength to make a life-changing decision - even if it means giving up the thing she loves the most? Life, love and family are about to collide in The Cake Shop in the Garden." The Cake Shop in the Garden is out in January 2015.

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