Little Beach Street Bakery, by Jenny Colgan (@jennycolgan) – #review @tlcbooktours

About the book, Little Beach Street Bakery

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 31, 2015)

In the bestselling tradition of Jojo Moyes and Jennifer Weiner, Jenny Colgan’s moving, funny, and unforgettable novel tells the story of a heartbroken young woman who turns a new page in her life . . . by becoming a baker in the town of Cornwall.

A quiet seaside resort. An abandoned shop. A small flat. This is what awaits Polly Waterford when she arrives at the Cornish coast, fleeing a ruined relationship.

To keep her mind off her troubles, Polly throws herself into her favorite hobby: making bread. But her relaxing weekend diversion quickly develops into a passion. As she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, each loaf becomes better than the last. Soon, Polly is working her magic with nuts and seeds, chocolate and sugar, and the local honey—courtesy of a handsome beekeeper.

Packed with laughter and emotion, Little Beach Street Bakery is the story of how one woman discovered bright new life where she least expected—a heartwarming, mouthwatering modern-day Chocolat that has already become a massive international bestseller.

Buy, read, and discuss Little Beach Street Bakery

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About the author, Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan is Scottish born and bred, born in Ayrshire in 1972, but currently lives and works in London. After graduating from Edinburgh University, Jenny worked for six years in the health service whist moonlighting as a cartoonist and doing stand-up in the outer fringes of London’s comedy circuit.

Connect with Jenny

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My Thoughts

This cozy little novel was exactly what I needed on an overcast weekend when I was fighting poor sleep patterns and a dawning migraine. It’s funny, engaging, and really makes you wish you lived in a harbor-front flat in an old fishing village.

The protagonist, Polly, has just come through a bad breakup and a bankruptcy when we meet her, and she clearly needs a sea change in more ways than one. Taking the flat in the ramshackle building that once housed a bakery, in a once-thriving town that now barely survives on summer tourism, is her first step of a reawakening that we readers are privileged to watch.

Author Jenny Colgan has a knack for writing snappy dialogue that immediately gives us a sense of who each character is – Polly, Tarnie, Huckle – all have distinct voices. Then she throws in a dash of whimsy (an adopted rescue-puffin) and romance, and mixes it up with a sense of place that allows us to feel the chilly water rise over our feet as the causeway is flooded (a daily occurrence) by the changing tides.

At almost 450 pages, Little Beach Street Bakery is a bit meatier than the average ‘beach read,’ but there’s never a sense of having filler in the story. Every page counts, and every scene matters, and the whole novel is entertaining, engaging, and even a bit heartwarming.

What else can I say? I LOVED this book.

Goes well with A plate of fish and chips and a glass of iced sweet tea.