The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods

 

Last year I listened to The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods and I thought it was an okay read, a tad on the underwhelming side, but okay. That didn't stop my from jumping at the opportunity to read this book the second I saw it on Netgalley. A mysterious bakery in France - yes please. And I am so glad that I did as I really enjoyed this book! 

When Irish woman Edie Lane sees an ad for a job in a bakery in Paris where the only requirements are that the person speaks English and has some experience working in the service industry, she knows this is the job for her! So what if she doesn't know anyone in Paris. It[s Paris, and it will help her get out of the rut she has been in for a while.

Things start to go wrong when she finds out that she isn't going to be working in a bakery on rue de Compiegne in Paris but rather she has accepted a role at the bakery on rue de Paris in Compiegne, about an hour north of Paris by train. So much for living the Paris dream.

When she finally arrives at her destination, she is given a less than warm welcome by the owner of the bakery, Madame Moreau. The one thing that was made very clear is that under no circumstances was Edie to mention the kitchen downstairs where all the baking happened. That area was very much out of bounds to everyone except Madame Moreau and the delivery boy Manu.

Thrown straight into work in the bakery, Edie realises that is going to take some work to get her French up to scratch enough to understanding most of her customers. But while the cafe is busy, there is also a black cloud hanging over it's futures. Developers are buying up all the buildings on the street and they want the bakery too. Maybe this is why Madame Moreau is always so surly, except for when she is serving the customers. Then she is very friendly with everyone except Edie..

As Edie's time in Compiegne continues she gradually begins to make some friends who slowly help bring the charms of the town to the fore. There is Geoff who gives tours of the area, Nicole the hairdresser whose boyfriend is in a band, and then there is Hugo who keeps on turning up. Hugo loves taking photos of old buildings and he and Edie just click straight away, All the while, Edie senses that there is something strange going on in the bakery, a touch of other worldliness, and she needs to work out what it is. 

Sprinkled throughout the story there are small sections which tell the story of Pierre Moreau, who originally founded the bakery, including some of the events in the town during WWII. Some of the actions taken at that time continue to shape the town and relationships even now.  

This is a book that you don't want to read when you are hungry. There are so many delicious sounding foods mentioned that you can almost smell them as you read. And there was a passage that just made me crave a proper French hot chocolate. Or Dutch. Something from that Northern part of Europe. I wouldn't be that fussy.

Inspired by a recipe book that she found in her room, Edie begins to cook some of the recipes, but also to make some of her own concoctions, a mixture of French and Irish flavours, to sell to the locals and tourists alike. 

Music is also very important in this book, often being used as a tool to change the moods of the characters, to inspire memories and to draw people together.

The town of Compiegne has an important place in 20th century history. In a train carriage in the Forest of Compiegne, the Germans signed the armistice which ended WWI. Years later, Hitler made the French sign their own surrender in the same train carriage in the same location. There is also a chateau nearby with links to Napoleon.  I am always drawing a mental map of what our next trip to France might look like, and Compiegne is definitely on the route I have in my head after reading this book. 

It turns out that this isn't a new book. It was originally released around 10 years ago and has been revised and rereleased this year. Either way, I am so glad that I found this book as it brought me a lot of joy as i read it!

I am sharing this review as part of Paris in July, with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story and with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge that I host. 

Rating 4.5/5

Weekly meals

Saturday - Baked Ratatouille with beans
Sunday - Meatballs
Monday - Chicken Parma with chips and broccoli
Tuesday - Sausages, mash, vegies and gravy
Wednesday - Greek Style chicken with smashed potatoes
Thursday - nothing
Friday - Tonkatsu Ramen

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