Miss Eliza's English Kitchen: A Novel of Victorian Cookery and Friendship

by Annabel Abbs

Overview

One of the Season's Best Historical Fiction Novels by the New York Times!

Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick for November!

A Country Living Best Book of Fall!

A Washington Post Best Feel-Good Book of the Year!

In a novel perfect for fans of Hazel Gaynor’s A Memory of Violets and upstairs-downstairs stories, Annabel Abbs, the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, returns with the brilliant real-life story of Eliza Acton and her assistant as they revolutionized British cooking and cookbooks around the world.

Before Mrs. Beeton and well before Julia Child, there was Eliza Acton, who changed the course of cookery writing forever.

England, 1835. London is awash with thrilling new ingredients, from rare spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them. When Eliza Acton is told by her publisher to write a cookery book instead of the poetry she loves, she refuses—until her bankrupt father is forced to flee the country. As a woman, Eliza has few options. Although she’s never set foot in a kitchen, she begins collecting recipes and teaching herself to cook. Much to her surprise she discovers a talent – and a passion – for the culinary arts.

Eliza hires young, destitute Ann Kirby to assist her. As they cook together, Ann learns about poetry, love and ambition. The two develop a radical friendship, breaking the boundaries of class while creating new ways of writing recipes. But when Ann discovers a secret in Eliza’s past, and finds a voice of her own, their friendship starts to fray.

Based on the true story of the first modern cookery writer, Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen is a spellbinding novel about female friend­ship, the struggle for independence, and the transcendent pleasures and solace of food.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063066465
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	64,810
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Annabel Abbs grew up in Wales and Sussex, with stints in Dorset, Bristol and Hereford. She has a degree in English Literature from the University of East Anglia and a Masters in Marketing from the University of Kingston. After fifteen years running a consultancy, she took a career break to bring up her four children, before returning to her first love, literature.

Her debut novel, The Joyce Girl, won the 2015 Impress Prize for New Writing and the 2015 Spotlight First Novel Award, and was longlisted for the 2015 Caledonia Novel Award and the 2015 Bath Novel Award. Her short stories and journalism have appeared in various places including Mslexia, The Guardian, The Irish Times, Weekend Australian Review, Elle, The Author, The Daily Telegraph, Psychologies and the Huffington Post. She has been profiled in Writing Magazine, Sussex Life, Next NZ, Litro and Female First. Her blog, www.kaleandcocoa.com, was featured in the Daily Telegraph in August 2015 and May 2016.

She lives in London and Sussex with her family and an old labrador. Annabel tweets (sporadically) on books, writing and the arts at @annabelabbs.

Editorial Reviews

"In Miss Eliza's English Kitchen, Abbs serves up a brilliantly imagined tale in which Eliza Acton finally gets the recognition she deserves. A feast for the senses, rich with the flavors of Victorian England, I prepared every dish with Eliza and Ann and devoured every page. A literary—and culinary—triumph!" — Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of When We Were Young & Brave

"I love Abbs’ writing and the extraordinary, hidden stories she unearths. Eliza Acton is her best discovery yet." — Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project

"An effervescent novel, bursting with delectable language and elegant details about cookbook writer, Eliza Acton. Don’t miss this intimate glimpse into the early English kitchens and snapshot of food history." — Sara Dahmen, author of Copper Iron and Clay: A Smith’s Journey

“A sumptuous banquet of a book that nourished me and satisfied me just as Eliza Acton’s meals would have... I adored it.” — Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child

"Wonderful...Abbs is such a good story teller. She catches period atmosphere and character so well." — Vanessa Nicolson, author of Have You Been Good

“In Miss Eliza's English Kitchen, we learn of the bankruptcy that forced Eliza into genteel poverty and her father into clandestine exile, of Ann’s desperate attempts to cope with a ne’er-do-well father and a mentally ill mother... Eliza and Ann take turns narrating, but at all times food is foremost.”
— New York Times Book Review

“An empowering read about the woman who changed cookbooks forever … It’s a story of independence and resilience that also celebrates the legitimacy of the culinary arts.” — Good Housekeeping

"Desperate to get your Downton Abbey fix and love a good historical fiction read that's inspired by a true story? Miss Eliza's English Kitchen is just what you need." — Country Living

“Beautifully written by bestselling author Annabel Abbs, this engrossing novel tells the tale of real-life poet and feminist Eliza Acton, who was well-known for her poetry, but less so for her major innovations in food and recipe writing.” — Organic Spa Magazine

“Abbs chooses the brilliant tactic of giving both Eliza and Ann equal time as point-of-view characters in this novel; because their voices are so distinct, and because they occupy such different classes, we get a portrait of Victorian domestic life that is both encompassing and finely detailed…” — Historical Novels Society, "Editor's Choice"

“A fascinating, long overdue tribute to the unconventional Eliza Acton, the woman who revolutionized the English cookbook. Ann’s and Eliza’s drives for independence is inspiring, and their passion for cooking will awaken readers’ inner chef.” — Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

An empowering read about the woman who changed cookbooks forever … It’s a story of independence and resilience that also celebrates the legitimacy of the culinary arts.

Good Housekeeping

"Wonderful...Abbs is such a good story teller. She catches period atmosphere and character so well."

Vanessa Nicolson

"Desperate to get your Downton Abbey fix and love a good historical fiction read that's inspired by a true story? Miss Eliza's English Kitchen is just what you need."

Country Living

"In Miss Eliza's English Kitchen, Abbs serves up a brilliantly imagined tale in which Eliza Acton finally gets the recognition she deserves. A feast for the senses, rich with the flavors of Victorian England, I prepared every dish with Eliza and Ann and devoured every page. A literary—and culinary—triumph!"

Hazel Gaynor

A sumptuous banquet of a book that nourished me and satisfied me just as Eliza Acton’s meals would have... I adored it.

Polly Crosby

In Miss Eliza's English Kitchen, we learn of the bankruptcy that forced Eliza into genteel poverty and her father into clandestine exile, of Ann’s desperate attempts to cope with a ne’er-do-well father and a mentally ill mother... Eliza and Ann take turns narrating, but at all times food is foremost.”

New York Times Book Review

"I love Abbs’ writing and the extraordinary, hidden stories she unearths. Eliza Acton is her best discovery yet."

Clare Pooley

Abbs chooses the brilliant tactic of giving both Eliza and Ann equal time as point-of-view characters in this novel; because their voices are so distinct, and because they occupy such different classes, we get a portrait of Victorian domestic life that is both encompassing and finely detailed…

Historical Novels Society

Beautifully written by bestselling author Annabel Abbs, this engrossing novel tells the tale of real-life poet and feminist Eliza Acton, who was well-known for her poetry, but less so for her major innovations in food and recipe writing.

Organic Spa Magazine

"An effervescent novel, bursting with delectable language and elegant details about cookbook writer, Eliza Acton. Don’t miss this intimate glimpse into the early English kitchens and snapshot of food history."

Sara Dahmen

A captivating debut about love, creativity, and living in the shadow of a genius. Abbs recreates the extraordinary story of Lucia—James Joyce’s daughter and gifted dancer in her own right—in language as sensuous and richly alive as Lucia’s dancing.

Louise Treger

"Brings to life 1920s Paris excitingly and beautifully...I loved Lucia's character."

Natasha Lester

"Annabel Abb's novel about James Joyce's daughter is an unforgettable and daring look at a time and place when everything seems possible...This is a rich, gorgeous novel of the Jazz Age and a woman's struggle to escape the boundaries imposed by the men in her life. A must-read!"

Jeanne Mackin

Abbs has found a gripping and little-known story at the heart of one of the 20th century’s most astonishing creative moments, researched it deeply, and brought the extraordinary Joyce family and their circle in 1920s Paris to richly imagined life.

Emma Darwin

Here is Lucia Joyce, vibrant, passionate and alive, telling her own story. Profoundly moved by Lucia’s tragic life, Abbs has crafted a moving tale of thwarted ambition and personal tragedy.

Mary Talbot

"A mesmerizing story with characters that leap off the page. Brilliantly written and so authentically imagined it left me wiping my tears...A masterpiece!"

Lyn G. Farrell

"A mesmerizing story with characters that leap off the page. Brilliantly written and so authentically imagined it left me wiping my tears...A masterpiece!" %COMM_CONTRIB%Lyn G. Farrell

★ 09/01/2021

Poet Eliza Acton is initially insulted by the suggestion that she write a cookery book. She refuses to entertain such a notion, until her father faces bankruptcy. Suddenly, organizing recipes and creating culinary delights are her only options. To aid her in this endeavor, she hires Ann Kirby, a woman living in desperate poverty. The two women, though from vastly different backgrounds, forge an unlikely friendship as they work tirelessly on Eliza's recipe book. Told from the dual perspectives of Eliza and Ann, this novel, based on actual events, chronicles the challenges they face due to gender and class; family pressures and obligations; and their hopes and dreams. Eliza's recipe format, the first of its kind, is still used today. With Eliza's writing skills and Ann's organic talent for cooking, the women made a formidable team. Eliza broke barriers and has been a model for many future English authors and cooks alike. VERDICT Abbs (The Joyce Girl) has written a fascinating, long overdue tribute to the unconventional Eliza Acton, the woman who revolutionized the English cookbook. Ann's and Eliza's drives for independence is inspiring, and their passion for cooking will awaken readers' inner chef.—Julie Whiteley, Stephenville, TX

Library Journal