A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge

Hello, this is my book review, a long awaited book review to be honest. My life has been quite busy and I will touch on that later in another post because right now I have to tell you about this book I just read. It was positively delectable.   

A Table by the Window (A Novel of Family Secrets and Heirloom Recipes) by Hillary Manton Lodge will leave you craving for more. It's the perfect blend of humor, romance, family secrets and actual recipes that will make you wonder "Could I actually make this?" This delicious novel tells of a young woman finding her own independence and identity that isn't centered around pleasing her bigger than life family. If you are a foodie, bookie, or an inbetween this a book you just have to have a taste of.   

What It's About 

Heirloom recipes, family secrets…and a chance for love. 

The youngest heir to a French-Italian restaurant dynasty, food writer Juliette D’Alisa has spent her life negotiating her skill with words and her restaurant aspirations. When her brother Nico offers her a chance to open a restaurant together, she feels torn—does she really have what it takes? Should she risk leaving her journalism career?

After the death of her grandmother, Juliette discovers an antique photograph of a man who looks strikingly like her brother. As the truth behind the picture reveals romance and dark secrets, Juliette struggles to keep the mystery away from her nosy family until she can uncover the whole story. 

Inspired by her grandmother’s evolving story, Juliette resolves to explore the world of online dating. To her surprise, she finds a kindred spirit in Neil McLaren, a handsome immunologist based in Memphis, Tennessee. With a long-distance relationship simmering, Juliette faces life-shifting decisions. How can she possibly choose between a promising culinary life and Neil, a man a world away in more ways than one? And is it possible her Grandmother’s story can help show the way? 
  
My Thoughts  

How many food puns can I make throughout the rest of this review? I plan on making many. 

I devoured this book. The writing, the plot, the well developed characters and their complexities all gave me a taste of something I couldn't get enough of. Around page 30 is when this obsession with finishing this book began for me as the reader. This book felt alive and yet I feel I can't explain that feeling good enough. But after years of watching the Food Channel and being an Anthony Bourdain fanatic this book was this book did it for me. I highly suggest this for those of you who are going through a "reading slump" because this book helped carry me out of that. 

So where do I begin? It's not fair we were only given 320 pages. I want more. It's like going to a party where there is this delicious dessert and you want more but you can only have one piece. This book is the that piece. I am praying Lodge takes pity on her readers and gives us seconds. 

Let's begin with Juliette. This woman was a character I felt I could call a friend if she was in any of my college classes. I mean who wouldn't want to be friends with a chick who can cook amazing French and Italian cuisine. Sometimes it felt like torture reading this book at 1am because I wanted to stuff my face with the decadent foods she would cook and bake when she was stressed out. I liked her for her passion and how she wrestled with what she wanted in her life. There were times where I felt she was a little emotional but if you read the book you kind of understand her emotional roller coaster. What with her grandmother just passing and her mother being diagnosed with cancer, oh don't forget she's single and everyone reminds her of it, so who could blame her? But she gets herself out of that and I appreciated that strength she had.

Neil. Oh Neil. I like intelligent men, especially if they are funny intelligent men. Neil is one of those funny intelligent men. This is the second book I have read where the romantic interests meet through online dating, and with this day and age I feel it natural and less creepy then probably most. I really liked this aspect of the book. I mean they could have meet in her restaurant or they could have had a fender bender, really the list goes one with the repeating ways I have read of how people meet, but online interaction is more relevant today and I liked that element to their relationship. Plus, did I mention Neil is funny. He's really funny.

The other little touches of this book just made it feel homey, like a apple pie or whatever you would consider homey food. Each chapter began with a quote about food, each chapter ended with real recipes (like I'm sure I could cook all the recipes in this book, maybe that could be a cool blog post) and the writing just felt like it was cooked up with love. Like Lodge made this book with the intention of making sure her reader's would enjoy it, just like a chef does for his and or her customers. My only critique of this book was that the Christian aspect was a little lost. Juliette and Neil talked about praying but I never got to see that part of their lives as much as I would have liked.

With the closing of the book, all of the characters are strong and I can't help but wonder how they will continue on in the next book. The intrigue of the mysterious man in the old photo that looks like Juliette's brother and along with his identity and story still lingers. So please Lodge don't make us wait long. 
  
Please Hillary, I want some more. - Oliver Twist

Rating: 4 out of 5 bookshelves 
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

About the Author  

Hillary Manton Lodge's books center on normal people figuring out their lives and wrestling with faith in the Pacific Northwest. In her free time, she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, watching foreign films, and going on motorcycle rides. She and her husband live in Richland, Washington.

 

Link to Hillary's: Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads 

Purchase her novel: Amazon, B&N, ChristianBook

In His Grace, 
Taylor Reid