Laura Madeleine

An Echo of Scandal is a story rich with detail and a strong sense of place. I thought it was a fantastic read.

It starts with a murder and so it gets off to something of a flying start. Alejandra is a young woman with no back story and no sense of where she comes from. She lives in a brothel but does not want to end up a whore, and so she learns to cook. She manages to survive doing that until the fateful night when the story begins.

Set mostly in Tangier, the story flits between 1928 and 1978 show more in alternating chapters. The later story features Sam Hackett, an American writer looking for inspiration and it is a chance find that gives him the spark he needs to write again. How the two stories are linked starts to gradually unfold in the most engrossing fashion to bewitch and beguile the reader with a tale so incredible and so brilliant.

I adored Laura Madeleine's writing for several reasons. First of all, I loved the cocktail recipes at the beginning of Alejandra's chapters. I love to drink cocktails but don't know much about making them and the mention of jiggers and ponies as units of measurement seemed very authentic and so enticing. Secondly, this is a book that puts a lot of emphasis on food and drink and how they can be used to almost spellbind a person. It's a book full of sensations and I just loved the descriptions of the food that Ale was cooking.

But more than anything, this is an author who is able to create an enchanting story that I found myself pulled back into time and time again. It's by no means an easy life for Ale and later for Sam, and the harshness of life and the sharp contrasts in how people lived are portrayed beautifully, along with the streets of Tangier in both time frames. Each time one character's chapter ended I felt reluctant to leave them, every single time! It's a gorgeously evocative book and I thought it was wonderful. show less

Where the Wild Cherries Grow by Laura Madeleine
Source: Netgalley and Audible purchase
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Yet again, Laura Madeleine has written a book that drew me in and didn’t let go until the very last page! Yeah, between Audible, insomnia, a damn good book, a serious disregard for adulting, I blazed through this book in a single sitting and regret nothing 😊

In 1919, Emeline Vane is in the midst of her own personal war. Though the Great War has ended, Emeline has lost most of her show more family and is on the verge of losing her family home. In a moment of panic, shear desperation really, Emeline abandons her remaining family member, a beloved younger brother, for the south of France and a life beyond her wildest imaginings. The train ride to what is commonly referred to as the end of the world, is both terrifying and liberating for Emeline. In fact, it is during that train ride Emeline meets a kind young man who reminds her, in her new life, she can be anyone she wants to be. With that, Emeline Vane disappears, and Emilie Fischer is born.

From the moment she arrives, Emilie is certain she has found her true home and, in her determination, will work hard, learn all she can from the kind woman who has taken her in, and become an accepted member of the small community she now calls her home. Emilie’s days are filled with hard yet satisfying work, an education beyond her social class, and acceptance she never had at home. She knows, with all confidence she will never return to her old life which means being accepted by the members of the small, tight-knit community. Through food, good food, Emilie is brought into the community, their families, and traditions. With every new experience, every new recipe, Emilie becomes more attached to her new home. That attachment is made all the more real by her growing feelings for a young fisherman, a man who brings more joy to Emilie’s life than she ever could have thought possible.

Fast forward fifty odd years . . . .

Bill Perch is an up and coming solicitor who has been asked to find Emeline Vane. Emeline’s extended family has an opportunity to sell off the old family estate, but before they can do that, they must prove Emeline is, in fact gone for good. What begins as a first case, great opportunity, quickly turns into an obsession that leads Bill, much like Emeline to hop on a train and solve the mystery of the missing woman. What Bill discovers is not just to fate of Emeline, but a life beyond what his family expects and far more exciting than he could have ever imagined.

The Bottom Line: I have always loved a past meets present book, and Where the Wild Cherries Grow absolutely delivers on that front! Emeline is a character you want to like, you want to succeed. From her introduction right on through to the epilogue, I was invested in Emeline’s story and couldn’t stop reading/listening to this book. While Bill’s story is all about revealing Emeline’s life, and is necessary to the overall plot, I found myself breezing through his chapters in order to get to more of Emeline’s story. Beyond the full-bodied characters, Where the Wild Cherries Grow has a rich setting, beautiful though not overwhelming descriptions, and a pacing that is perfectly to suited to the unfolding nature of the plot. There is just enough mystery, just enough romance, just enough of everything to make this a perfect read and certainly an early favorite for 2018! show less

It is 1919, the War now over, the Spanish Flu having run its course and what poses as Emeline's life is in total shambles. Does she acquiesce to the will of her uncle or flee as far away as she can to heal her wounded soul? Fifty years later, a young solicitor is charged with finding the evidence to support accusations of Emeline's ill mental health or her demise in order that the estate she and her now dying brother inherited can be be liquidated by his greedy children. The solicitor, by show more chance, discovers Emeline's diary and is struck by the circumstances in which she found herself. His conscience is heavy. Does he have the strength of character to do the right thing?

This tender story of loss, grief, sorrow, fear, anxiety, love and healing was lovely and well told. The primary character was well developed. However, in my opinion, the secondary character could have stood a bit more development in order that the reader better understood his motivations.

The descriptions of Catalan cooking were rich and savory - thoroughly delighting the senses. The settings were so well described that one could taste the tang of the Mediterranean breeze across one's tongue or feel a shiver as "La Tramontana" blew down from the snow covered mountains. I was transported in time and place through the rich prose of this story. Well done Ms. Madeleine!

I am grateful to author Laura Madeleine, publisher St. Martin's Press and Goodreads First Reads for having provided an advance uncorrected proof of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone. show less

3.5 It is 1919, the war over, but for young Emmaline Vane, her life will never be the same. She has lost much, her grief overwhelming, her Uncle and young brother the only two left. Her Uncle wants to sell the ancestral home, debts to settle, and money so they can start new lives. Worried about the mental state of Emmaline he makes a decision that will set Emmaline on a different path, one far away to the end of the world.

1960, a young solicitor is given the task of proving Emmaline dead. show more This charge will set him on s different path, one in which he surprises even himself. Two timelines, two very different people.

This is a very readable, tenderly written book. Very flavorful descriptives. The setting of part of this is France, the last town before Spain, a town rich in the bounty of the sea. Catalin cooking, it's decriptions and traditions, so mouthwatering, a place that becomes important in Emmalines life.

Would have rated this higher because I did enjoy it, but the characters past, especially the 1969 story. The back story of the young solicitor was not really presented enough for me to understand his motivations, Emmalines story was much more fleshed out. The ending of course ties the two threads together, and although one outcome was expected, there was still much to learn, not previously discovered.

ARC from Netgalley. show less