I was conflicted which recipe to make for this book. There were not many recipes that coincided with the setting (that I could find online). I tried Oxford (where I found several) and some smaller places on the River Thames. I then decided to go with the time period – Victorian time period. This recipe was super easy to make and really, really good. HOWEVER, I think I would try adding more flour to the recipe to see if they will keep shape a little better. I would also like to add extra flour and roll the dough in order to cut out cookies. And yes, I just happened to have cooking lavender at home (which is just excellent in bread/cookie recipes).
For the book…
This was an interesting book – very interesting. Not sure where to start so will just dive in…
First, it took me longer than normal to read this book. It took about three weeks to read the first half the book and about a week to read the last half. I think, though, I have just been overwhelmed at school which is why it was a little harder to read. Also, the first half is building the characters and the plot, and with me being exhausted from teaching, I wasn’t much into reading at night.
Saying that, once you get to the second half of the book, it reads quicker. You can see how the individual parts begin to form the overall story. I love how you only know the characters in the first half but begin to learn WHO they are (their stories) as you progress in the novel. I do like how she wrote the book. I read some reviews how some hated it; I thought it was very creative. I am also pretty good about figuring out book endings but not this one. I literally could not figure out any of it which is why the last half was engaging to me.
I will say, though, the ending was just strange – NOT the ending of the story but the random sex scene towards the end. It didn’t fit the story. It wasn’t graphic but just out of place. No where else in the novel had similar scenes. It was like “BAM!” – sex scene in one paragraph.
Anyway, I do think this would be a great book club book. First, there is some accountability to make you finish it. You can’t assume the entire book is like the first half. The plot has to be built. Second, there are lots of great discussion points I think you can discuss. Sadly, I have no one to discuss this book with… Sigh…so, on to my next book suggested by Setterfield on her Twitter page – The Phoenix of Florence. Happy Reading!
Diane Setterfield’s official website
