Sunday, July 31, 2011

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe

Jenny Colgan's Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe explores one girl's highs and lows while establishing her own little bakery in London, England.

Written as a work of fiction, Colgan tells the tale of Issy Randall. Issy, who recently became redundant at her office job, searches for her life's meaning and a way to pay the bills in Colgan's work. Vibrantly colourful characters and a shifting plot-line are introduced throughout the text. Not only do readers learn the intricacies of Issy's personality, but the ins and outs of creating a bakery, too.

I *love* baking, and of course, as an avid baker, I have daydreamed of opening my very own bakery (these thoughts were before I contemplated grad school). However, I never quite thought of all of the work involved - work that Colgan expertly weaves throughout her tale.

At times, it feels as if Colgan is writing a story just about a young Londoner establishing a bakery... a book strictly on a store. And, at these times, I must admit that her work becomes a bit tedious to read. But... Colgan also creates a cute and lighthearted romance.

The only downfall to this book is its ending. I became captured by Colgan's plot and eagerly awaited to read her final pages. I find the ending branched too far away from the plot. I won't spoil the novel, but the ending does not fit Issy's character - a girl who loved and fought for her cafe above everything else.


Bibliographical Reference:
Colgan, Jenny. Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe. London: Sphere, 2011

6 comments:

  1. Thank you for your review!!! If I see this book around I'll surely buy it! I feel so close to the story, even if my dream is not the one of opening a bakery. I live in London and I LOVE cooking. To be honest I thought about it sometimes, but I'd rather wanted to open a small cafe' (in which all kind of food it's served, not just bakery). However, as much as I enjoy cooking, I'd never turn it into a profession. Cooking is a hobby for me and I'm pretty sure that if that became a profession, I'd lose all my interest and I don't want that at all. :)

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  2. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Franny! I agree, making cooking/baking into a profession may lead to a loss of interest... actually, the main character in this book also has to confront the issue.

    I bought the book at a Waterstones in England this April - I'm sure you'll find one there :)

    * Canadian/American readers - it might be a bit harder finding this book at home. I looked at some of our stores and it seems it is a special order item.

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  3. Now I'm really interested to find out what the ending is like! I also love to bake and always dreamed of owning my own bakery as well. Thanks for the review, hopefully I wll be able to find a copy around here.

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  4. That book looks so adorably cute! :) I would really love to read this one, so it's definitely going on the TBR list. Have you heard about The Bake-Off? It's another baking fiction book that sounds great. Thank you for sharing, Ms. C!

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  5. Guess what? I bought it!! :) I found it at Waterstone's in Peterborough and I bought it straight away. I've just started reading it (page 70 or something) and so far I really like it!

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  6. Yayy! I'm glad you found a copy! I'm looking forward to reading your review :):)

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Almost as much as I love coffee.

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