Review: The Kitchen Front

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dianne's review

Dec 23, 2020  

really liked it

bookshelves: 2020, galleys-arcs, netgalley

 Trigger warnings:

Abuse, both mental and physical.

Death

Depression

As the book's synopsis says -this is a book set in England during the second year of WWII. Even in the country, conditions are frightening. Food rationing, among other things, is making things difficult for nearly everyone.  (note that I said "nearly everyone"!)

Four vastly different women, two of them sisters, enter a contest for a radio show.   These ladies need to prove that they can cook and help housewives make nutritious and delicious meals out of the meager rations they are allowed and what they can forage.

This is a heartwarming novel of how the women adapt and become friends and then family.  This book can be a bit depressing and even infuriating at times, but it all works out for everyone in the end.

This was an emotional read for me; I found myself sorrowful and depressed at times and crying at others. But all this quickly changed as the idea of 'girl power' took over. However, I am so glad that I read this as it gave me an excellent view of what life was like for England's housewives at this time.  I was also able to get a lot of great recipes since this book is filled with them.  I am still making recipes that I got from my grandmother that she used during the USA's rationing!

*ARC supplied by the publisher, NetGalley, and the author.

SYNOPSIS: "In a new World War II-set story from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front - based on the actual BBC program of the same name - as well as a chance to better their lives.

Two years into WW2, 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 putting on 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 contest presents 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 the 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--evebn if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart?"