11 January 2016

Review #315: The Confectioner's Tale by Laura Madeline



My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”

----Kahlil Gibran
 

Laura Madeleine, an English author, pens her debut novel, The Confectioner's Tale that portrays the story of a young man falling for a famous pastry shop's owner's daughter that blossoms into something forbidden, meanwhile, somewhere 80 years later, a PhD student discovers an old photograph of a pastry shop in Paris in her recently deceased grandfather's treasure, that takes her back in time to solve a beguiling mystery surrounding that forbidden love story of that young man.






Synopsis:

At the famous Patisserie Clermont in Paris, 1909, a chance encounter with the owner's daughter has given one young man a glimpse into a life he never knew existed: of sweet cream and melted chocolate, golden caramel and powdered sugar, of pastry light as air.

But it is not just the art of confectionery that holds him captive, and soon a forbidden love affair begins.

Almost eighty years later, an academic discovers a hidden photograph of her grandfather as a young man with two people she has never seen before. Scrawled on the back of the picture are the words 'Forgive me'. Unable to resist the mystery behind it, she begins to unravel the story of two star-crossed lovers and one irrevocable betrayal.


Petra Stevenson is determined to protect her deceased grandfather's reputation from the hands of his biographer who is digging dirt on Petra's late grandfather's untold past when he used to live in Paris in the year 1910. Petra, on the other hand, jumps into a race with the biographer to get her hands on her late grandfather's secrets from the past before him, that leads her into the life of a young man, named Gui du Frere, who landed up a job at a famous pastry shop in Paris, where he met and fell in love with the owner's beautiful daughter that finally developed into a forbidden love story of those times.

The story revolves between two timelines- 1988 and 1910. The present reflects the legwork of Petra trying to unravel her late grandfather's past and protect him from public humiliation, and the past reflects the story of a young railway laborer named Gui du Frere, who is trying hard to make a decent living despite aiming high for a successful married life with his beloved, Mademoiselle Jeanne Clermont. The shift from one timeline to another is done quite ideally by the author. There is a bit of mystery element in the story line which could have been portrayed with finesse and twists, rather than thus spreading it out in front of the readers.

The writing style of the author is crisp with an articulate narrative style that changes from one timeline to another. The mystery behind the scandal could have been portrayed in a much better way, since it became bit predictable near the end. But the story is quite captivating to read since given the fact that the story takes place in the early 20th century Paris. The readers can easily delve themselves into the heart of the story as the story progresses with a moderate pace.

The characters are well developed and the demeanor of the main character, Gui, is very impressive and leaves a mark in the minds of the readers after the end of the story. The author has projected the story of Gui with so much heart-felt emotions, that the readers can easily contemplate with his pain and along with the story the hearts of readers yearn for Gui's fight for love. On the other hand, Petra's character could not create a lasting impression, moreover, her story is not portrayed with much depth.

The backdrop of Paris is captured vividly by the author, especially for painting the time of an early 20th century Paris, by not only highlighting the culture of those times, the streets, the people and the language. The story is like a time machine, that not only transports back to Paris but also takes the readers to a late 20th century England. The food plays a huge role in the story since it is centered around a pastry shop in Paris. The delicious pastries mentioned in the story are bound to make the readers hungry for not only food but also with an alluring and compassionate love story.

In short, the story is enthralling yet evocative filled with deep emotions and delicious pastries.

Verdict: A timeless read for all the historical fiction readers.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Laura Madeleine , for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
After a childhood spent acting professionally and training at a theatre school, Laura Madeleine changed her mind, and went to study English Literature at Newnham College, Cambridge. She now writes fiction, as well as recipes, and was formerly the resident cake baker for Domestic Sluttery. She lives in Bristol, but can often be found visiting her family in Devon, eating cheese and getting up to mischief with her sister, fantasy author Lucy Hounsom.
Visit her here


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