The Kitchen Front

Jennifer Ryan — 2021

From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir comes an unforgettable novel of a BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition and the four women who enter for a chance to better their lives. Two years into World War II, Britain is feeling her losses: The Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is holding a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the competition would present a crucial chance to change their lives. For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For a lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession. These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together only serve to break it apart?

Reviews

Ruby Huber@rubyread

Nov 17, 2021

This was a fun read, loved the concept and the characters and the FOOD we love a food book but sometimessssss the writing felt a bit idk lackluster? I found most of the ending to be painfully corny, felt like things wrapped up too neat and tidy and perfect but in another way nice to read a book about life during war that isn’t so painful because not everything is horrible all the time! What a concept. Anyway, it was a delight but not a new fave like I hoped.

erin s@sirissacgluten

Nov 2, 2021

The Kitchen Front is a wonderful work of WWII historical fiction. I don’t usually read books set in this period (they make me sad), but I enjoyed this food-centric perspective a lot! Four women enter a cooking competition to bring hope and creativity to a ration-weary British public: Audrey, a grieving war widow frantically running a baking business out of her crumbling home; Gwendoline, a haughty Lady trying to prove herself; Nell, a timid cook toiling in the downstairs of Lady Gwendoline’s estate, and Zelda, a talented chef determined to hide her scandalous pregnancy. The four start as rivals, but the challenges they face together bring them closer than they could’ve imagined. 4/5: A very solid work of historical fiction that includes real wartime recipes and an array of strong, complex women. I think book clubs would love this, as well as longtime fans of WWII stories and those that don’t usually read them! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Danica Holdaway@dholdy

Oct 29, 2021

Interesting perspective of WWII England and the women at home dealing with rations. I enjoyed the character development, but the dialogue...why was it so bad? Cheesy, predictable ending, which is totally fine, but I literally found myself skipping the conversations because they felt so canned.