The City Baker's Guide to Country Living
by Louise Miller
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"Mix in one part Diane Mott Davidson’s delightful culinary adventures with several tablespoons of Jan Karon’s country living and quirky characters, bake at 350 degrees for one rich and warm romance." —Library JournalA full-hearted novel about a big-city baker who discovers the true meaning of home—and that sometimes the best things are found when you didn’t even know you were looking
When Olivia Rawlings—pastry chef extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club—sets show more not just her flambéed dessert but the entire building alight, she escapes to the most comforting place she can think of—the idyllic town of Guthrie, Vermont, home of Bag Balm, the country’s longest-running contra dance, and her best friend Hannah. But the getaway turns into something more lasting when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, offers Livvy a job. Broke and knowing that her days at the club are numbered, Livvy accepts.
Livvy moves with her larger-than-life, uberenthusiastic dog, Salty, into a sugarhouse on the inn’s property and begins creating her mouthwatering desserts for the residents of Guthrie. She soon uncovers the real reason she has been hired—to help Margaret reclaim the inn’s blue ribbon status at the annual county fair apple pie contest.
With the joys of a fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Livvy soon finds herself immersed in small town life. And when she meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from Seattle to tend his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought.
But then another new arrival takes the community by surprise, and Livvy must decide whether to do what she does best and flee—or stay and finally discover what it means to belong. Olivia Rawlings may finally find out that the life you want may not be the one you expected—it could be even better. show less
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I picked this up thinking it was a cozy romance based on the cover and blurb, but it turned out to be so much more. Our protagonist, Olivia Rawlings, isn't very likable at the beginning. She's a pastry chef at a prestigious club in Boston and having an affair with her much older, married boss. When things go awry, she flees to Guthrie, Vermont and her best friend who gets her a job at an inn in town. Livvy soon finds living in the country much more than she expected, even if her new boss can sometimes be picky.
This is an author who knows baking, old-time bluegrass and gospel, and the countryside of Vermont. I have to admit I'd never heard of banjo thrailing, but I've now watched some videos (it's always good to learn new things). She's show more able to invoke the sounds and smells of all this in her writing, immersing the reader until I could smell apples and cinnamon and hear All the Pretty Little Horses on guitar.
I may be wrong, but one of the things I really loved was that Ms. Miller 'shows' the love between Livvy and Martin, never tells, by using text about felling home in one's arms and how they click together. I don't remember them saving 'I love yous' but it felt right. Livvy grows up, but so does Martin.
The rest of the characters are wonderful, even mean Jane. I hope that Al and Sarah get together, and I love the extended McCracken family. Even Margaret warms up, and I really appreciated her by the end of the book. I can't forget Salty who might be one of the best dogs I ever read. I've now grabbed her next book set in Guthrie and can't wait to see some of these characters again (I hope). show less
This is an author who knows baking, old-time bluegrass and gospel, and the countryside of Vermont. I have to admit I'd never heard of banjo thrailing, but I've now watched some videos (it's always good to learn new things). She's show more able to invoke the sounds and smells of all this in her writing, immersing the reader until I could smell apples and cinnamon and hear All the Pretty Little Horses on guitar.
I may be wrong, but one of the things I really loved was that Ms. Miller 'shows' the love between Livvy and Martin, never tells, by using text about felling home in one's arms and how they click together. I don't remember them saving 'I love yous' but it felt right. Livvy grows up, but so does Martin.
The rest of the characters are wonderful, even mean Jane. I hope that Al and Sarah get together, and I love the extended McCracken family. Even Margaret warms up, and I really appreciated her by the end of the book. I can't forget Salty who might be one of the best dogs I ever read. I've now grabbed her next book set in Guthrie and can't wait to see some of these characters again (I hope). show less
What a joy and pleasure it has been to read Louise Miller’s debut, The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living, especially since I was laid up recovering from knee surgery! From the opening scene involving a flying, flaming Baked Alaska to the last walk through the Vermont woods, this novel kept me entertained, moved, and eager to enjoy every last “crumb,” so lovingly written and shared by the author.
Olivia Rawlings, a talented pastry chef with a penchant for crazy hair color, causes a disaster by dropping her Pistachio Baked Alaska in front of an elite crowd at the Boston Emerson Club where she works, including her married lover, no less. Fleeing the scene, she lands in Guthrie, Vermont, home to her best friend Hannah, who is show more married and expecting. She is offered a temporary job at the nearby Sugar Maple Inn making desserts and, though missing being in a large city where she has always lived, she gradually comes to find life in the country more satisfying than anything she has ever known. With a cast of quirky characters, a realistic examination of small town life, some surprising secrets, and a slow and sweet romance, this novel reveals how a lonely, banjo playing chef learns a lot about herself in the year she spends in Guthrie, and what it means to call a place “home.”A nice respite, in more ways than one, from the literary thrillers I've been reading lately! show less
Olivia Rawlings, a talented pastry chef with a penchant for crazy hair color, causes a disaster by dropping her Pistachio Baked Alaska in front of an elite crowd at the Boston Emerson Club where she works, including her married lover, no less. Fleeing the scene, she lands in Guthrie, Vermont, home to her best friend Hannah, who is show more married and expecting. She is offered a temporary job at the nearby Sugar Maple Inn making desserts and, though missing being in a large city where she has always lived, she gradually comes to find life in the country more satisfying than anything she has ever known. With a cast of quirky characters, a realistic examination of small town life, some surprising secrets, and a slow and sweet romance, this novel reveals how a lonely, banjo playing chef learns a lot about herself in the year she spends in Guthrie, and what it means to call a place “home.”A nice respite, in more ways than one, from the literary thrillers I've been reading lately! show less
Louise Miller is remarkably accomplished in this debut novel about a family-less pastry chef escaping an affair with her boss in Boston, a married man, and landing at the Sugar Maple Inn in Guthrie, Vermont. All of our senses are engaged just by contemplating the premise: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Miller adds the umami ingredient, voice. Her main character, Livvy, has the wit to speak her mind and the cooking talent to go with it. What she doesn’t have before she moves to Vermont are the comforts of a home where people will love her for just who she is.
Romances are written to a formula, and some do it better than others. Miller manages to include every element of a rockin’ romance, including a prudently unconsummated sex scene show more with said boss late in the proceedings that proves her bonafides when it comes to one of the more difficult things to write well: sex. That this is a debut is reason for romance-lovers to celebrate. The story was inventive enough to encourage us to believe that there is more where that came from.
(view spoiler)
Miller herself is a pastry chef in Boston, though she gives Livvy “a splashier career” than her own. In an interview conducted by her publishers, Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, Miller tells us
"Actually, writing a pastry chef character gave me a surprise benefit: it made me more mindful in the kitchen. I found myself paying closer attention to everything I was making—especially to the tasks I can perform without thinking, like making chocolate mousse or crème brulee—wanting to capture all the details."
Truthfully, it would not have bothered me a bit to have a few more clues to successful baking left in. Who isn’t completely obsessed with BBC TV’s The British Baking Show?
"I find that writing about food is a million times more difficult than actually making food. Baking requires precision, and I had to fight the urge to include every step of the process when writing about making dessert. Many of the baking scenes had to be edited several times because they sounded too instructional."
I don’t bake often, but when I do, I want to make sure it turns out. A few more hints to winning techniques wrapped in a romance fondant wouldn’t go astray in this reader’s opinion. Besides, if we learn a few things along the way we may not feel so guilty taking a day or two to read about someone else pursuing their dreams.
When asked why she chose this particular story line, Miller admits that she has always been a city kid:
"I think the allure comes from the fantasy that life will be vastly different—a slower pace, a life more connected to the land and to the seasons, with space to grow a big garden, to own a little piece of land and to know it well. Life in the city requires constant negotiation—with your neighbors, with the people on the subway, in line at the coffee shop, in traffic—part of the attraction is being free from some of those pressures."
Fantasy is a big part of successful romance. The most reassuring thing about this novel was that Livvy and her fellow characters all progress to some kind of personal dream fulfillment in the course of the story. Livvy creates her own family with strong bonds, and her friends manage to wrestle her to the ground long enough for roots to form. She is not finished growing, but we leave knowing she has a solid foundation for a good life and successful career. And that is how we feel about Louise Miller, too.
This is a fine book to escape the summer heat, so rustle up a copy when it comes out August 9, 2016 and settle in for a journey that begins with flambé and ends with homemade apple pie. show less
Romances are written to a formula, and some do it better than others. Miller manages to include every element of a rockin’ romance, including a prudently unconsummated sex scene show more with said boss late in the proceedings that proves her bonafides when it comes to one of the more difficult things to write well: sex. That this is a debut is reason for romance-lovers to celebrate. The story was inventive enough to encourage us to believe that there is more where that came from.
(view spoiler)
Miller herself is a pastry chef in Boston, though she gives Livvy “a splashier career” than her own. In an interview conducted by her publishers, Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, Miller tells us
"Actually, writing a pastry chef character gave me a surprise benefit: it made me more mindful in the kitchen. I found myself paying closer attention to everything I was making—especially to the tasks I can perform without thinking, like making chocolate mousse or crème brulee—wanting to capture all the details."
Truthfully, it would not have bothered me a bit to have a few more clues to successful baking left in. Who isn’t completely obsessed with BBC TV’s The British Baking Show?
"I find that writing about food is a million times more difficult than actually making food. Baking requires precision, and I had to fight the urge to include every step of the process when writing about making dessert. Many of the baking scenes had to be edited several times because they sounded too instructional."
I don’t bake often, but when I do, I want to make sure it turns out. A few more hints to winning techniques wrapped in a romance fondant wouldn’t go astray in this reader’s opinion. Besides, if we learn a few things along the way we may not feel so guilty taking a day or two to read about someone else pursuing their dreams.
When asked why she chose this particular story line, Miller admits that she has always been a city kid:
"I think the allure comes from the fantasy that life will be vastly different—a slower pace, a life more connected to the land and to the seasons, with space to grow a big garden, to own a little piece of land and to know it well. Life in the city requires constant negotiation—with your neighbors, with the people on the subway, in line at the coffee shop, in traffic—part of the attraction is being free from some of those pressures."
Fantasy is a big part of successful romance. The most reassuring thing about this novel was that Livvy and her fellow characters all progress to some kind of personal dream fulfillment in the course of the story. Livvy creates her own family with strong bonds, and her friends manage to wrestle her to the ground long enough for roots to form. She is not finished growing, but we leave knowing she has a solid foundation for a good life and successful career. And that is how we feel about Louise Miller, too.
This is a fine book to escape the summer heat, so rustle up a copy when it comes out August 9, 2016 and settle in for a journey that begins with flambé and ends with homemade apple pie. show less
A charming gem of a book! I initially thought this was going to be a sappy and predictable story, but I was wrong. This novel does have a cozy vibe, but also suspense, secrets, and oh so much food!
After being asked to "take a break" from her current chef position, Livvy takes refuge at her best friend's house in the small town of Guthrie, Vermont and reluctantly accepts a job at The Sugar Maple Inn. It is here she finds that a "family" can be where you find the best people.
Livvy's unreliable (and frustrating!) narrative is well balanced by a cast of wonderful and heartwarming characters. Reminiscent of Gilmore Girls and wonderfully written, this medium paced plot sweeps you into the lives of the friends (and nemesis) in this little show more community and leaves you wishing you could live there too.
If you're looking for a lighthearted read full of personality, this is a book for you. show less
After being asked to "take a break" from her current chef position, Livvy takes refuge at her best friend's house in the small town of Guthrie, Vermont and reluctantly accepts a job at The Sugar Maple Inn. It is here she finds that a "family" can be where you find the best people.
Livvy's unreliable (and frustrating!) narrative is well balanced by a cast of wonderful and heartwarming characters. Reminiscent of Gilmore Girls and wonderfully written, this medium paced plot sweeps you into the lives of the friends (and nemesis) in this little show more community and leaves you wishing you could live there too.
If you're looking for a lighthearted read full of personality, this is a book for you. show less
A quick read that will leave your mouth watering and desperate for a vacation to a bed and breakfast in a small town in Vermont (where they also play a lot of folk tunes). Anyone who loves to read 1.) books filled with delicious-sounding foods and/or 2.) books where women need to escape their lives to find new ones, should pick this one up. I was reminded of the one Dorothea Benton Frank book I read last year. I think her fans would love this story.
(The setting made me think of Gilmore Girls, but that's where those comparisons stop. Maybe time for some GG watching.)
Read if you like Joanne Fluke, Dorothea Benton Frank, and Kitchens of the Great Midwest.
(The setting made me think of Gilmore Girls, but that's where those comparisons stop. Maybe time for some GG watching.)
Read if you like Joanne Fluke, Dorothea Benton Frank, and Kitchens of the Great Midwest.
First things first..this book made me crave apple pie something fierce.
The City Baker's Guide to Country Living is one heartwarming story.
After Olivia accidentally causes a fire at the dinner club she works at in Boston she decides an escape is necessary. She heads to Guthrie, Vermont to visit her friend Hannah. She only intends to stay a few days until Hannah arranges an interview for her at the Sugar Maple Inn. Olivia accepts the job, albeit reluctantly, and it doesn't take long for her to fall in love with the small town.
There are so many wonderful characters in this book. And don't get me started on the desserts. Yum.
Nicely paced and while it has some romance there's so much more to this book than that. Olivia manages to finds show more love, family and most importantly, a home in a place where she least expects it. A small town in Vermont that is nothing like what she's used to ends up providing her with the stability she's always longed for and while she isn't a wholly likable character all the time, you can't help but want her to find her happy ending.
If you're a fan of foodie books I'd highly recommend this one!
*ARC provided by Penguin's First to Read program. show less
The City Baker's Guide to Country Living is one heartwarming story.
After Olivia accidentally causes a fire at the dinner club she works at in Boston she decides an escape is necessary. She heads to Guthrie, Vermont to visit her friend Hannah. She only intends to stay a few days until Hannah arranges an interview for her at the Sugar Maple Inn. Olivia accepts the job, albeit reluctantly, and it doesn't take long for her to fall in love with the small town.
There are so many wonderful characters in this book. And don't get me started on the desserts. Yum.
Nicely paced and while it has some romance there's so much more to this book than that. Olivia manages to finds show more love, family and most importantly, a home in a place where she least expects it. A small town in Vermont that is nothing like what she's used to ends up providing her with the stability she's always longed for and while she isn't a wholly likable character all the time, you can't help but want her to find her happy ending.
If you're a fan of foodie books I'd highly recommend this one!
*ARC provided by Penguin's First to Read program. show less
A debut novel by a Boston bakery chef who took a year off to go to a writing school. Full of mouth-watering descriptions. Simple, predictable story that was fun to read.KIRKUS REVIEWCan a purple-haired pastry chef with a whisk and spatula tattoo on her derriere find happiness baking in rustic Vermont?After 32-year-old Olivia Rawlings, carrying a flamb? dessert, accidentally sets fire to the swank private club in Boston where she works, she flees north to Guthrie, Vermont, where her best friend lives. By unlikely coincidence, there's an opening for a pastry chef at the picturesque Sugar Maple Inn nearby. Although she's a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has been nominated for a James Beard award, Olivia soon falls into show more step with her small-town colleagues, even the inn?s prickly proprietor, Margaret Hurley, whose personality approximates biting ?into a raw cranberry.? Olivia whips up many a frangipane tart as she becomes enmeshed in the small town?s intrigues. She becomes increasingly enamored of Martin McCracken, a laconic Seattle teacher and musician, who grew up in Guthrie but bolted to elude his close-knit family?s smothering grasp and has now returned to help out with the farm since his father has cancer. Olivia, who has some weaknesses when it comes to both alcohol and men, discovers too late that Martin has a fiancee back home in Seattle. By then, Martin?s mother and ailing father have become surrogate parents to Olivia, whose mother abandoned her as a baby. Meanwhile, no one in Guthrie seems to be bothered by Olivia's bizarre hair-color changes (?Manic Panic Atomic Turquoise,? anyone?) and occasionally coarse language (?God, what is up that woman?s butt??). Will Olivia be able to hold on to the elusive Martin? Will she help Margaret win the prestigious annual apple pie competition at the Coventry County Fair? Debut novelist Miller, herself a Boston pastry chef, initially succeeds in making these small-town concerns engaging with her witty writing. But what starts out as homespun charm in the first half of the book becomes treacly in the second.A promising author who doesn?t have the recipe quite right yet. show less
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- Canonical title
- The City Baker's Guide to Country Living
- Original title
- The City Baker's Guide to Country Living: A Novel
- Original publication date
- 2016
- People/Characters
- Olivia Rawlings (Livvy); Hannah Doyle; Margaret Hurley; Martin McCracken; Henry McCracken; Dotty McCracken (show all 16); Tom Carrigan; Alfred; Jameson Whitaker IV; Jane White; Sarah; Sylvie Ford; Jonathan Doyle; Mark McCracken; Ethan McCracken; Emily White
- Important places
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Guthrie, Vermont, USA
- Dedication
- For Elizabeth
- First words
- The night I lit the Emerson Club on fire had been perfect for making meringue.
- Quotations
- It seemed wildly disturbing for your family doctor to be sizing up how good a yard sale there would be when you kicked the bucket, but I kept my mouth closed.
I walked up the porch steps, wondering how I had never noticed how empty a hand could feel by itself. Hugging myself, I turned and watched him melt into the darkness.
"It's good for a man to have a hobby. Keeps him out of your hair."
If there was a patron saint of wealthy, gay chefs, I would burn incense in front of the statue of him every day and drape him in marigolds.
The doctor pulled off her disposable gloves and tossed them in the hazardous-waste bucket. It felt like my insides were dangerous material right now.
I turned and scanned the crowd, looking into all of those hopeful faces like sunflowers turned toward the sun, and realized that I was one of them.
"Starting to worry, Liv?" Alfred asked gently.
I leaned into him. "A little. Sometimes, like when I wake up with leg cramps, or my back aches, this voice inside my head says, You don't even know the meaning of the word ... (show all)pain yet."
"Well, every mother seems to forget all about it once the baby is born."
"Not me. I'm a total lightweight when it comes to pain. I'm planning on holding a grudge."
"You're stuck with me, though. I've decided to hang around." It felt good to say it out loud. Blue ribbon or red, with Martin or without, Guthrie had become what I'd always been looking for: home. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I followed him across the green grass and into the field, the hay high and ready for reaping.
- Blurbers
- Bowen, Brenda; Stradal, J. Ryan; Harbison, Beth; Bauermeister, Erica; Airgood, Ellen; Solomons, Natasha (show all 8); Swyler, Erika; Racculia, Kate
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