Historical

The Language of Food

The Language of Food

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  • Create Date：2022-04-28 09:53:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Annabel Abbs
  • ISBN：1398502227
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Summary

Eliza Acton， despite having never before boiled an egg， became one of the world’s most successful cookery writers， revolutionizing cooking and cookbooks around the world。 Her story is fascinating， uplifting and truly inspiring。

Told in alternate voices by the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl， and with recipes that leap to life from the page， The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs is the most thought-provoking and page-turning historical novel you’ll read this year， exploring the enduring struggle for female freedom， the power of female friendship， the creativity and quiet joy of cooking and the poetry of food， all while bringing Eliza Action out of the archives and back into the public eye。

England 1837。 Eliza Acton is a poet who dreams of seeing her words in print。 But when she takes her new manuscript to a publisher， she’s told that ‘poetry is not the business of a lady’。 Instead， they want her to write a cookery book。 England is awash with exciting new ingredients， from spices to exotic fruits。 That’s what readers really want from women。

Eliza leaves the offices appalled。 But when her father is forced to flee the country for bankruptcy， she has no choice but to consider the proposal。 Never having cooked before in her life， she is determined to learn and to discover， if she can， the poetry in recipe writing。 To assist her， she hires seventeen-year-old Ann Kirby， the impoverished daughter of a war-crippled father and a mother with dementia。

Over the course of ten years， Eliza and Ann developed an unusual friendship – one that crossed social classes and divides – and， together， they broke the mould of traditional cookbooks and changed the course of cookery writing forever。

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Reviews

Anne ，

Absolutely charming and engrossing for such a simple story。 The detailed descriptions of the foods， along with the sights and smells that poor Ann is unused to is so well done and the reveals of the story happen in such a subtle and natural way that they almost take you by surprise。

Susan Brown ，

Very fun book to read。 The author is brilliant in her descriptions of food and how it is "poetic on the palate"。 I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn how to cook to get a basic understanding of how food should make you feel。 Very fun book to read。 The author is brilliant in her descriptions of food and how it is "poetic on the palate"。 I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn how to cook to get a basic understanding of how food should make you feel。 。。。more

Diana Caliendo ，

It's a quick read and had a lot of interesting historical tidbits。 I look forward to checking out her prior writings。 It's a quick read and had a lot of interesting historical tidbits。 I look forward to checking out her prior writings。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs ~ "Two women on a mission to put poetry on a plate" is a wonderful fictional story set in England， 1835 based on the true story of Britain's first domestic goddess， Eliza Acton， cookery writer， playright and poet。The Language of Food is an easy to read and very interesting story telling the Life of Eliza Acton and her hired kitchen helper， Ann Kirby as they discover and entertain each other with their unusual dishes。In doing so， they delve into the world of c The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs ~ "Two women on a mission to put poetry on a plate" is a wonderful fictional story set in England， 1835 based on the true story of Britain's first domestic goddess， Eliza Acton， cookery writer， playright and poet。The Language of Food is an easy to read and very interesting story telling the Life of Eliza Acton and her hired kitchen helper， Ann Kirby as they discover and entertain each other with their unusual dishes。In doing so， they delve into the world of cooking and recipe writing which is more than enough to tantalise the tastebuds！The cover is beautiful， the writing exceptional and each chapter and section nicely illustrated with a cooking utensil ~ telling the tale and story of each dish Eliza and Ann create。It's also about life and staying true to yourself， fulfilling your dreams and being as independent as you can possibly be。 。。。more

Jeanne Puckett ，

Exactly what I hoped for in this book！ Good narration， strong characters， and food！！！

Jeilen ，

Las partes de la cocina si me gustó，el resto un poco flojo。

Sarah Coller ，

There's so much that I loved about this story but I think， overall， it fell a little short of its full potential。 I started out feeling thankful that I'd stumbled on a rare historical fiction that wasn't contrived and full of smarminess---and I think it maintained that spirit to the end。 Thank you， Author！ I loved the atmosphere， as well as the attention to the interesting details coupled with avoidance of too much description of inconsequential things。 I loved that there was so much allusion to There's so much that I loved about this story but I think， overall， it fell a little short of its full potential。 I started out feeling thankful that I'd stumbled on a rare historical fiction that wasn't contrived and full of smarminess---and I think it maintained that spirit to the end。 Thank you， Author！ I loved the atmosphere， as well as the attention to the interesting details coupled with avoidance of too much description of inconsequential things。 I loved that there was so much allusion to real people and events that I spent an hour， and plan to spend longer， going through the suggested authors and reading list at the back of the book。 I love it that Eliza Acton's original cookery book can be downloaded and printed---it's currently collecting on my printer tray---all 740ish pages of it。There was a lot I struggled with， though。 Since this book is about culinary arts， let me compare it to a delicacy。 One may imagine a unique and beautifully executed story with all the special things that make it come together marvelously—one may even collect most of the ingredients to make it mix superbly。 But if one tweaks an important element in the wrong way， the whole thing tastes a little off。 One big issue was my difficulty with the supporting characters。 Hatty starts off sort of bossy and keeps saying Ann must obey everything she says…but that doesn’t actually happen and the next lengthy scene concerning Hatty has her sympathizing with Ann and being kind。 In the end， Hatty really never plays any significant part and the story could have been told just as well without her。 Eliza's mother switches from kind to difficult to compassionate to snobby to hatefully revengeful in turns—I guess her one consistency is ridiculousness。 Mr。 Arnott seems intrigued by Eliza’s interest in how spices are used in cooking—even comments that it makes her unique and one gets the impression this is what attracts him to her; yet thereafter he makes it clear he expects her to be an ordinary Victorian ornamental wife。 The whole thing with Eliza's sister， Mary， was completely unbelievable。 Even the short time with the French chef is weird—he and Eliza butt heads but the next morning he suddenly has a change of heart and she’s suddenly lusting after him？ All these shifts in character and story line might be ok if fleshed out a bit， but instead it just leaves me sad that this repetitive lack of character development mars an otherwise charming and well-written story。 So many of these supporting characters are completely inconsequential。 The alluding to Eliza’s past goes on too long and random tragic events are thrown in with no foreshadowing。 Sometimes really major events， like Eliza's breakup or the ending of Ann and Eliza’s friendship， are alluded to and then just skipped over like afterthoughts。 Interesting “plot twists” are revealed far too late to be interesting。 The seasoned reader has already discerned them。 It's all just such a weird way to tell what could be a memorable story。My opinion is probably not a popular one but I think Eliza acted selfishly to give up motherhood to chase her own interests。 “Maybe I was not meant for motherhood，" she says。 Why？ Because she has interests， hobbies， and dreams？ So do I but God made me a mother—-so I fulfill that first and fit in the other things as I can。 As someone whose mother left her family to go chasing greener pastures， this hits hard and leaves a bad taste。 I lost a lot of respect for her there and I hope that's not her true story。Ann’s memories of earlier days with her mother before the dementia made me sad。 An attentive mother is priceless。 I hope I don’t leave my children too soon。The most memorable quote from this story was from a poem by Miss Letitia Elizabeth Landon called "The Widow's Mite": "Few save the poor feel for the poor: The rich know not how hard it is to be of needful food"I'm planning to save this in my collection---and start adding to my antique cookery book collection much more regularly！ 。。。more

Marlene ，

Good historical fiction。

libelumm ，

Przepiękna historia， napisana w przepiękny sposób ❤️

Debra ，

Based on the life of Eliza Acton， poet， playwright and cookbook author。 Eliza a spinster， along with her mother， become boarding house operators after Eliza’s father becomes bankrupt and flees to save face。 Disenchanted with a cookbook she takes up to save money on servants， she hires a candidate brought to her by the local vicar。 Ann Kirby， young and impoverished takes keenly to the hard work and kind attention she receives after working side by side with Eliza， they set out to write a better c Based on the life of Eliza Acton， poet， playwright and cookbook author。 Eliza a spinster， along with her mother， become boarding house operators after Eliza’s father becomes bankrupt and flees to save face。 Disenchanted with a cookbook she takes up to save money on servants， she hires a candidate brought to her by the local vicar。 Ann Kirby， young and impoverished takes keenly to the hard work and kind attention she receives after working side by side with Eliza， they set out to write a better cookery book。 Interesting look into the lives of Victorian ladies and how households and kitchens were run。 。。。more

Begoña Alonso ，

Se inspira en la vida real de Eliza Acton， considerada la primera autora moderna de libros de recetas y está ambientado en la época victoriana。 Resulta muy fácil de leer y entretenido， con muchos detalles y un enorme cuidado y exquisitez en la descripción de ingredientes， instrucciones y platos， y también con algún que otro giro en el argumento。 Lo que menos me ha gustado es que abre varias líneas argumentales que no continúa o que podría haber explorado un poco más。

Terri ，

I loved this book。 The book was based on Eliza Acton’s life taken from the few facts that are known。 Her poetry and her cookbooks。 It is just delightful。 It is made to be savored like a wonderful meal with exotic flavors。 Don’t miss this book

Diana （Lady Red） ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Eliza es lo que en la época victoriana se considera una solterona。 Con 36 años， no tiene intenciones de casarse。 Vive en una familia acomodada， rodeada de libros。 Con un poemario publicado， le gustaría dedicarse de lleno a la escritura y poder ser autosuficiente y no depender de un matrimonio。 Pero un día la vida de su familia se ve envuelta en el escándalo， su padre ha perdido todo el dinero y se ven en bancarrota。 El padre tiene que huir a Francia y fingir que ha muerto， sus hermanas solteras Eliza es lo que en la época victoriana se considera una solterona。 Con 36 años， no tiene intenciones de casarse。 Vive en una familia acomodada， rodeada de libros。 Con un poemario publicado， le gustaría dedicarse de lleno a la escritura y poder ser autosuficiente y no depender de un matrimonio。 Pero un día la vida de su familia se ve envuelta en el escándalo， su padre ha perdido todo el dinero y se ven en bancarrota。 El padre tiene que huir a Francia y fingir que ha muerto， sus hermanas solteras tienen que servir como institutrices de familias acomodadas y su hermano tiene que buscar fortuna en Mauricio， pero su madre y ella tienen que alquilar una casa de huéspedes para poder subsistir。Todo es complicado en la vida de Ann Kirby。 Con una madre loca de remate， un padre inválido y alcohólico que perdió una pierna en la guerra contra Napoleón y un hermano que trabaja de mozo de cocina en un club de caballeros de Londres， vive en la más absoluta de las pobrezas。 Pero el reverendo del lugar y su esposa， le consiguen un puesto de trabajo en una casa de huéspedes de Tonbridge。 Es entonces donde los caminos de la señorita Eliza Acton y Ann Kirby se juntan y entablan una amistad más allá de el de señora y criada。 El sueño de Eliza es ser poetisa， pero lo tiene que relegar a escribir un libro de cocina。 El sueño de Ann es ser cocinera y ambos sueños se juntan entre sartenes， harina ， anguilas y cayena。 El tema principal es el libro de cocina que tardan diez años en escribir， pero de trasfondo hay una gran denuncia social hacia el hecho de obligación que una mujer tiene de buscar marido y no conseguir sus verdaderos sueños si no quiere estar relegada a la humillación publica。 Además se tocan temas delicados como son la demencia senil， la pobreza，  ilegitimidad de tener hijos fuera del matrimonio。 Muchos datos se han perdido de Eliza Acton， quien al no estar casada y ser una solterona， no ha quedado mucho más que su libro de cocina que escribió junto a Ann Kirby que apenas se conoce nada。 Un libro que me ha fascinado y emocionado cuando tocaba temas como el de la enfermedad de la madre de Ann y no poder cuidarla como es debido， y el empoderamiento de la mujer， que en esa época tenias que estar casada o ser viuda para hacer lo que más o menos quisieras。 Si que en algunas cosas de la historia parecía que todo sucedía muy rápido， pero sabiendo después lo que realmente se sabe de las protagonistas， entiendo que sucediera así。 Un libro que recomiendo si te gusta la época victoriana y la cocina。 Podía oler y saborear cada plato y especia que se describe en el libro。 Me ha encantado。 。。。more

Courtney ，

This book turned out to be completely something other than what I expected and such an utter delight。And also like， out here making me really hungry。 Eliza Acton， a woman of some means fallen upon hard times， and Ann Kirby， a woman of absolutely no means and living a life of miserable property， come together in a kitchen to write a cookery book and impact each others lives。I was already half way through reading this before I realised that this book was based on real people and a real cookery boo This book turned out to be completely something other than what I expected and such an utter delight。And also like， out here making me really hungry。 Eliza Acton， a woman of some means fallen upon hard times， and Ann Kirby， a woman of absolutely no means and living a life of miserable property， come together in a kitchen to write a cookery book and impact each others lives。I was already half way through reading this before I realised that this book was based on real people and a real cookery book。 Eliza Acton and Ann Kirby revolutionised the recipe book and set it onto the path that make the modern cookbook to be what it is today， included the precise list of measurements for your ingredients。 Author Annabel Abbs has taken what little is known about these two women and woven a fascinating story of female friendship， determination and food。 The novel alternates between both women's perspectives， most of Ann's family entirely fictional but yet completely realistic for the time， there is fascinating parallels between these women who could be less alike and yet both are being crushed under the expectations of society at the time and both refuse to capitulate to those expectations。This was a lovely read。 A novel that literally leaves you salivating with such beautiful descriptions of food and flavour。 。。。more

Nora ，

Overall Rating: 4。5/5 （rounded up to 5）Summary: A fictionalised account of the life of poet and writer Eliza Acton， widely acknowledged to be Britain’s first cookery writer， The Language of Food tells the story of how she came to be a cookery writer whilst battling the societal norms of Victorian England as she sought to pave her own way of living， much to the consternation of her mother。 While Eliza was initially reluctant to write a cookbook， she soon embraced the idea （firstly out of necessit Overall Rating: 4。5/5 （rounded up to 5）Summary: A fictionalised account of the life of poet and writer Eliza Acton， widely acknowledged to be Britain’s first cookery writer， The Language of Food tells the story of how she came to be a cookery writer whilst battling the societal norms of Victorian England as she sought to pave her own way of living， much to the consternation of her mother。 While Eliza was initially reluctant to write a cookbook， she soon embraced the idea （firstly out of necessity to bring income for her family） and began to realise how poetry and the culinary arts work well together， and there is beauty in both those things。 Over the course of a decade， and together with her assistant， Ann Kirby; a precocious teenager from an impoverished family， Eliza and Ann aimed to write a cookbook for middle and upper-class English households where the recipes were not only exact and accurate， but flavourful as well。 Told from both Eliza’s and Ann’s points of view， The Language of Food details Eliza’s and Ann’s personal struggles as they both work hand-in-hand in making a life of their own in a world that does not allow them to。Thoughts: For me， a marker of good historical fiction is that the story inspires you to learn more about the subject matter at hand， and that is the case of Annabel Abbs’ The Language of Food; and the author has included a list of recommended reading for those of us who would like to know more about Eliza Acton and/or the history of food in Britain。Annabel Abbs has captured the essence of Victorian England well here， particularly the difficulties faced by women in wanting to forge their own lives， whether they were in the upper or lower classes。 While Eliza wanted to publish first her poetry， and then her cookbook， in her own name， her mother was appalled by this notion， bemoaning she was bringing shame to the family by doing so。 Ann， too， was shamed for her mother’s mental illness， and her ambitions of working professionally in a kitchen was scoffed at by her own brother。 This idea of shame （and how the Victorians dealt with it – out of sight， out of mind） is also woven delicately throughout， and how it is often the women who paid the price。 Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the centring of Ann Kirby’s story in tandem with Eliza’s; too often in historical fiction the stories of servants/ the “lower classes” are neglected; so， to have Ann’s （and her family’s） story being told with such care was wonderful to read。 Ann is easily my favourite character – mature beyond her years， intelligent and loyal。 Stylistically， I liked how each chapter is titled after a recipe， assuming these are real recipes from Eliza Acton’s Modern Cookery for Private Families。 The writing also flows beautifully， and the author’s depictions of each dish being developed was a feast for the （imaginary） senses！ Many thanks to the author， publishers and Netgalley for an ARC （in spite of this belated review！）。 。。。more

Erin ，

An interesting book if you enjoy the fictionalization of real people。 The story flowed well and was enjoyable to read。

Renee C。 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting because it is loosely based on true life。The meat of the story was crammed in at the end of the book。 The writing style seemed fractured。

Serena ，

Such an interesting and unusual story based on the real Eliza Acton， an aspiring poet and cookbook author in the mid 1800’s。 So many wonderful descriptions of the food and kitchens of the period， the extreme poverty， the limited options for women and independent thinkers。 The sense of time and place is vividly apparent in this absorbing historical novel。

（Lonestarlibrarian） Keddy Ann Outlaw ，

A delightful Victorian-era historical novel。 As with many British creations be they dramas or novels， class differences are on full display — the upstairs/downstairs paradigm， if you will。 The narrow limitations women at this time had for their choices in life are quite sad， yet challenged here by an aristocratic woman。， Miss Eliza， whose family has lost its fortune， causing her to try her hand at cookery。 Her helper Ann is from a much lower background， so poor her shoes are worn thin， her borro A delightful Victorian-era historical novel。 As with many British creations be they dramas or novels， class differences are on full display — the upstairs/downstairs paradigm， if you will。 The narrow limitations women at this time had for their choices in life are quite sad， yet challenged here by an aristocratic woman。， Miss Eliza， whose family has lost its fortune， causing her to try her hand at cookery。 Her helper Ann is from a much lower background， so poor her shoes are worn thin， her borrowed dress drooping and oversized， her stomach often empty。 This unlikely pair make magic in the kitchen as Miss Eliza sets out to write a cookbook with concise instructions。 It is thought to be improper for an upper class woman to set her foot into the kitchen， but Miss Eliza forges on， dedicated to her muse。 I implore a muse because Miss Eliza is also a poet， and for her， poetry and food intermix and combine as she forges forward with her unlikely project。 Based on many true facts of the real Miss Eliza… 。。。more

Carol Strickland ，

Well written， characters very well established。 Delightful descriptions of creating dishes。 Based on a true story about a pioneer cookbook writer who first made recipes both accurate and eloquently presented。 One realizes the obstacles faced by females in those days who weren’t interested in the marriage mart。 The protagonist began as a poet， but the only thing she was encouraged to write for publication was a cookery book。

Chandra ，

3。5 stars。 It was enjoyable but there were definitely some unanswered questions。 It is interesting to use historical fiction to bring to life these people that history has forgotten or skipped。

Sabrina Milanesi ，

Seleziona lingua​▼Sinossi。 Inghilterra， 1835。 Eliza Acton spera che la sua nuova raccolta di poesie la conduca al successo。 I sogni di gloria， però， si infrangono contro l’oltraggioso rifiuto dell’editore， Mr Longman， che la invita a dedicarsi a un libro di ricette – del resto i lettori non si aspettano altro da una donna。 Eliza s’indigna: in casa degli Acton la cucina riguarda solo la servitú。 Ma quando suo padre， sull’orlo della bancarotta， si dà alla fuga， quell’assurda proposta si rivela Seleziona lingua​▼Sinossi。 Inghilterra， 1835。 Eliza Acton spera che la sua nuova raccolta di poesie la conduca al successo。 I sogni di gloria， però， si infrangono contro l’oltraggioso rifiuto dell’editore， Mr Longman， che la invita a dedicarsi a un libro di ricette – del resto i lettori non si aspettano altro da una donna。 Eliza s’indigna: in casa degli Acton la cucina riguarda solo la servitú。 Ma quando suo padre， sull’orlo della bancarotta， si dà alla fuga， quell’assurda proposta si rivela l’unico modo per sopravvivere。 Eliza allora impara a conoscere i segreti di pentole e fornelli e， con l’aiuto della giovane Ann， finisce per scoprire che in ogni ricetta riuscita c’è sempre un pizzico di poesia。 E di amore。La Abbs ha creato due personaggi perfettamente riusciti che non si possono non amare。 Eliza va controcorrente， contro il giudizio della madre e della società， non sembra interessata a crearsi una famiglia perché ciò significherebbe tradire il suo sogno e la sua persona。 Ann è una ragazza povera， con una madre affetta da problemi mentali e un padre alcolizzato。 Lavorare con Miss Eliza che la tratta come un’amica è per lei fonte di gioia e orgoglio。La cucina inglese di Miss Eliza è un romanzo ricco di sentimenti， profumi e sapori， è un romanzo che va assaporato e gustato fino a sentirsi sazi。 Ma personalmente è co。e se fine pasto mi mancasse il ☕️。 。。。more

Brandly ，

I really enjoyed this story this book until the end。 It was as if the author got tired of writing and came up with a quick ending。 It’s a shame because the characters are so interesting。

Kate ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The descriptions of food where lovely however the actual plot and important plot points were skipped over and not delved into。 Miss Eliza’s secret love child？ Nah。 Ann’s mother’s death and relation to the minister？ Oh well。 Two women who were treated like historical women， skipped over and barely an importance in the end。

Scheggia ，

Recensione completa su Scheggia tra le pagine Il libro di Annabel Abbs， La cucina inglese di Miss Eliza， mi ha particolarmente annoiata， tanto da doverlo mettere da parte qualche giorno e dedicarmi ad altro， per evitare il blocco del lettore。La trama mi ha subito incuriosita tantissimo e mi aspettavo un libro in grado di combinare storia e cucina in modo sapiente， invece ho trovato davvero troppa cucina， un continuo assaporare， pontificare su piatti prelibati， ingredienti deliziosi， profumati， t Recensione completa su Scheggia tra le pagine Il libro di Annabel Abbs， La cucina inglese di Miss Eliza， mi ha particolarmente annoiata， tanto da doverlo mettere da parte qualche giorno e dedicarmi ad altro， per evitare il blocco del lettore。La trama mi ha subito incuriosita tantissimo e mi aspettavo un libro in grado di combinare storia e cucina in modo sapiente， invece ho trovato davvero troppa cucina， un continuo assaporare， pontificare su piatti prelibati， ingredienti deliziosi， profumati， tanto da farmi venire voglia di toast！C’è da dire che nel libro succede poco e niente: l’evento che porta Eliza in cucina è evidente dalla trama， mentre già nelle prime pagine viene spiegato quale situazione condurrà Ann al servizio di Mrs e Miss Acton。 Tra le due， Ann è quella con la storia più interessante e con qualche vicenda in più， anche se niente di eclatante; non si approfondisce mai molto， inoltre l’avere i POV tra Eliza e Ann ha tolto la possibilità al lettore di sapere qualcosa in più。Sono davvero pochi i momenti che ho trovato interessanti e purtroppo questo tipo di racconto non è riuscito a stimolare la mia curiosità。Pagina dopo pagina ho atteso un guizzo， qualcosa che mi invogliasse a divorarle， e invece ho girato sempre per inerzia， per concludere comunque il libro。 。。。more

Ewelina ，

Bardzo mocne 4。7Na blogu znajdziecie tekst o wyjątkowej powieści - https://spacerwsrodslow。blogspot。com/。。。。 Wyjątkowej z kilku powodów:1。 Opowiada o prawdziwej postaci， bo Eliza Acton istniała naprawdę i napisała książkę kucharską， która zrewolucjonizowała gotowanie。2。 Mimo poruszanych trudnych tematów jest lekka i wspaniale się czyta。3。 Pokazuje siłę kobiet w czasach， gdy bycie damą nie było wcale łatwe， a co dopiero bycie starą panną。4。 Sprawia， że kucharzenie staje się czystą poezją。5。 Jest Bardzo mocne 4。7Na blogu znajdziecie tekst o wyjątkowej powieści - https://spacerwsrodslow。blogspot。com/。。。。 Wyjątkowej z kilku powodów:1。 Opowiada o prawdziwej postaci， bo Eliza Acton istniała naprawdę i napisała książkę kucharską， która zrewolucjonizowała gotowanie。2。 Mimo poruszanych trudnych tematów jest lekka i wspaniale się czyta。3。 Pokazuje siłę kobiet w czasach， gdy bycie damą nie było wcale łatwe， a co dopiero bycie starą panną。4。 Sprawia， że kucharzenie staje się czystą poezją。5。 Jest napisana pięknym， bardzo sugestywnym językiem， dzięki któremu aż czuć zapachy tych wszystkich ziół i potraw。6。 Pozwala zapomnieć o całym świecie na zewnątrz i żyć tym， co rozgrywa się na stronach。7。 Inspiruje do tego， by się nie poddawać i zawsze mieć własne zdanie。Podsumowując "Sekret panny Elizy" Annabel Abbs to doskonała powieść dla miłośników prawdziwych historii， koneserów języka i fanów gotowania oraz dobrej literatury。 。。。more

Rachael McDiarmid ，

I do love my historical fiction and this one was interesting and enjoyable。 It’s set in Victorian England and is the story of Eliza Acton - a poet who dreams of seeing her words in print - and Ann Kirby - the impoverished daughter of a crippled father and a mother in the asylum。 It is a book about the struggles of women in that era and the friendships of women。 Oh， and food！ Very tender book with lovely writing and well written characters。 I enjoyed it indeed …

Jill ，

A novel about real people - I didn't learn as much as I'd hoped （not sure what I had hoped to learn） and the fictional drama seemed a bit contrived， but it was a pretty fun read。 A novel about real people - I didn't learn as much as I'd hoped （not sure what I had hoped to learn） and the fictional drama seemed a bit contrived， but it was a pretty fun read。 。。。more

Denise ，

So interesting to read about the evolution of cookbooks。 Loved the development of Ms。 Acton & Ann。 Life was so judgmental and harsh。 Early pioneers of strong women

Lisa ，

I totally loved this book！ The story of Eliza Acton， whose family was reduced to running a boarding house by her father's mis-investments， and Ann Kirby whose mother is deep in dementia and father had lost a leg fighting for king and country。 The local reverend has Ann's mother removed to an insane asylum and promises to give her father a job while arranging for Ann to serve as Eliza's kitchen maid in the Acton boarding house。 Eliza is given the idea to write a cookery book is suggested by a pub I totally loved this book！ The story of Eliza Acton， whose family was reduced to running a boarding house by her father's mis-investments， and Ann Kirby whose mother is deep in dementia and father had lost a leg fighting for king and country。 The local reverend has Ann's mother removed to an insane asylum and promises to give her father a job while arranging for Ann to serve as Eliza's kitchen maid in the Acton boarding house。 Eliza is given the idea to write a cookery book is suggested by a publisher who turns down her poetry manuscript， save her family， and give the English something other than French recipes or overcooked dishes to be served at their tables。 Eliza's mother's idea of saving the family's honor is for Eliza to get out of the kitchen， marry a rich man， restore the family's fortune so her sisters no longer need to work as governesses。 Eliza has other ideas and though Eliza and Ann become close they're keeping secrets from one another 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Language of Food

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Language of Food&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Language of Food&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0