Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I tried a few times but even though I eventually finished the book I can't say that it was the most engaging story.

What a charming read this was - I think you have to appreciate good food to get the full enjoyment from this story. Julien and his father have a vey close relationship while Julien is young but when he wants to follow in his father's footsteps as a chef their relationship becomes very difficult. Henri wants Julien to succeed in education and have a career that is, in his opinion, more fulfilling and that does not consume his life as being a chef has, to the detriment of his relationships. for him. Henri has not been honest with himself or his family and that confuses and alienates Julien.
A lovely touch at the end of the book is the simple recipes that are laid out
Many thanks to Netgalley/Jacky Durand/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own..

Totally not what I expected, but all the better for it. A beautiful book about love, love for family and love for food. The descriptions of cooking and recipes are sumptuous and the back story of the narrator’s father and mother is beautifully written. Lovely and different and well worth reading.

This book just made me want food but in a good way! If you're after a mouth-watering read about family, food and emotions then this is the book for you.

Given that The Little French Recipe Book was translated from French, it still reads well and it did come across with a French flair. Some parts I did have to look up, but it was more to find out what the food was as they were traditional French cuisine.

All in all, it was a fun and comforting read that I would highly recommend.

The Little French Recipe Book by Jacky Durand

I kept hoping whilst reading this book but it remained very much a chore. I hoped that it would improve and be the book that I hoped it would. Alas that didn’t happen. This book did not improve & I’m sure though many would be enthralled by it , it just wasn’t to my style/taste so didn’t hold my interest so tended to read without registering it.

Sorry - very disappointing.

This was a lovely, heartbreaking book. I loved the descriptions, the hidden plot, the reveals. Everything about this book was gorgeous and interesting!

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This is a perfect feast of a book. It explores father and son relationships, maternal abandonment and a passion for food. For those who love France, and /or French cooking this is a book I'm sure you will enjoy. If you're not that into food, it will absolutely grind your gears and be a real an annoyance. There is food and cooking at every turn in this book. Of course there are relationships, love, sadness and much more. It's beautiful and I Ioved it. I appreciate its not a book for everyone, but it is a book that I will hold dear. I will definitely read again a d will recommend to friends.

This was a very sad story based around cooking. Some interesting characters and very down to earth but it didn't inspire me.

A beautiful story of a father and sons relationship. I really enjoyed this book and didn’t race through it like I do many books, but read slowly to really enjoy the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I struggled to get into The Little French Recipe Book. I found it boring and I quickly lost interest in it. So much so that I couldn’t finish it and gave up on it. Sorry not for me.

Rich, scrumptious, bittersweet, The Little French Recipe Book is a wonderful novel dipped in a mix of nostalgia, love, and secrets.

For every Francophile out there this is the book for you with the added bonus of some wonderful French recipes and a beautiful story too. The story is mainly about a father and his son and the ambitions they both had which were very different and as the story unfolds you can see the strain it put on their relationship. Really easy to read and very absorbing.

2 Stars

Not what I was expecting.

I wanted to like this book. I tried to follow the storyline and find out whether the son would uncover the truth about his mother, but reading is for pleasure, not boredom or irritation, and that’s how I felt reading this book.

Please don’t let my negativity put you off reading the novel. Maybe I’m getting too cynical as each day ages me. Many people have loved it giving it five-star ratings, and I’m delighted they have, it’s just not my kind of book.

Rony

Elite Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I loved the premise of the book and only finished the book as I was given a copy for an honest review. Took a while to really get into the book and started it a couple of times.

The book wasn’t really for me, I’m not sure that it delivers the connection it was trying to convey between father and son. Nice food imagery though.

I received this book from net galley in exchange for an honest review. I think i was drawn by the idea of recipes and although there are recipes at the back of the book they are not really the essence of the book.

This book is very well written. It has a cadence that allows you to feel that you are part of the life being described. I think this book's real essence is in the sense of "being" in the kitchen and at one with the cooking. I liked the interaction between father and son and thought the author really captured the father's desire that his son should have more. I felt it could have been fleshed out a little more. It was over too soon for me

If you want a delightful diversion from life’s difficulties, then look no further. This beautiful, memoir style book will transport you to France with a cast of colourful characters and mouth-watering recipes. It begins with Julien, son of Henri, an esteemed baker and chef, as he sits by his dying father’s bedside, reminiscing about the past they have shared.

This is part love story and part recipe book, with its vivid descriptions of delicious dinners and other meals. We see how being a French bistro restaurant owner’s son shapes Julien’s life and approach to food as well. As a small boy, he watches his father preparing food with increasing passion and awe, mixed with frustration sometimes, because he longs to participate and be as good a chef as his father is.

Henri, though happy to teach his son by word of mouth and physical demonstration, declines to write his recipes down even though his wife bought him a red, leather-bound book for that purpose. But he has other hopes and plans for his son’s future career. His own charred and scarred hands are testament enough to the sheer hard graft involved in running a successful bistro.

When Julien’s mother, Helene, unexpectedly leaves them bereft, Henri is even more adamant that his son should follow a different career path, go to college and train as an engineer. There follows a period of frustration and friction between them, until Julien concedes, yet continues learning how to be a better chef, much to Henri’s chagrin, when he finds out. Although he is secretly proud of his son’s abilities.

This is a tender, engaging read, with descriptions of meals and recipes providing an added layer of interest and intrigue. The story swings back and forth between the hospital bed scenario and an account of how father and son have related to one another over the years up to the present moment. It serves up joy and satisfies the senses like the heartwarming meal it is for readers to digest. Highly recommended.

Not for me, this one. It wasn’t as engaging as I’d hoped and I struggled to retain interest which is a shame as I’d liked the premise.

3,5 stars

I recommend this book to everyone who loves cooking, family, and French culture.

Julien spent his life watching and cooking with his father, a loving yet hardened man, who recently passed away. The story revolves around Julien's memories of his father and their complicated relationship, as well as his search for his mother who left them when he was a small child.

This story not only feels French but makes the reader long for a time in French history that no longer exists.

My only complaint is that the book is a bit non-eventual, not much happens except Julien's experiences growing up.

All and all, a short and yet sweet story about a father and his son.

Beautiful. A wonderful story about the relationship between a father and son. The father is a chef and the descriptions of food are mouth watering. He has his secrets in life and in his cooking. This story is a gem and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.