First Line Fridays # 26: “A Table by the Window” by Hillary Manton Lodge

It’s time for a new edition of First Line Fridays hosted by the Hoarding Books blog!

This has been the kind of week requiring some comfort stories. (I had to say goodbye to one of my beloved kitties who was very sick.) SO, I sought out something familiar, easy to read, and cozy in its own way. Hillary Manton Lodge’s “Two Blue Doors” series is just that! A favorite of mine, I started with the middle story, intending to reread just it. Well…. after reading it, most of book 1, and favorite scenes in book 3, I think it’s safe to say I revisited the series.

Here, I’m sharing the first line of A Table by the Window, the book that started it all. The family secrets. The blend of French and Italian cuisine. The restaurant culture, friendships, family banter, and the sweetest long distance romance. If you’re curious, I highly recommend this whole series! (I’ll link my reviews below.)

“I can’t believe she left you the prep table,” my brother Nico groused as he and my oldest brother, Alex, carried the piece up the stairs to my apartment.

Reviews: A Table by the Window | Reservations for Two | Together at the Table

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Your turn! What’s your first line? Do you have a go-to, favorite “comfort” series or book?

Family, a Film, & a French Apple Cake

Sometimes you have a family or culinary experience that’s just so delightful you wish it would last forever. In my case, it was a combination – an evening watching a movie followed by eating a yummy apple cake. It was so great I decided to blog about it 🙂

Last week, I enjoyed watching one of my absolute favorite movies – The Ultimate Gift (2006) – with my grandmother, aunt, and uncle. If you haven’t seen it, you MUST watch it immediately. It’s one of my go-to movies, the kind I love to watch or listen to any time. It is the perfect family movie with a message for everyone – one “take-away” is that life is a gift meant to be shared with others. Plus it has a great cast (Abigail Breslin, James Garner [one of my personal faves], and Drew Fuller).

So, back to my great evening. After watching this with my family, we devoured ate most of a DELICIOUS French Apple Cake with Almonds (Yes, I am a little biased because I baked it myself, but when my uncle wants seconds, you know it’s good). The recipe came from Hillary Manton Lodge’s fabulous novel A Table by the Window, which is full of recipes squeezed in between the chapters of the story (like Nutella mousse, pasta carbonara with leeks and lemon, pine nut couscous, and mini focaccia to name a few). The story alone was one I loved, but these recipes are a fantastic bonus. This apple cake was very moist and just sweet enough — and easy to make. It was the perfect end to an evening making memories and enjoying a movie with my family. I would definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book, if only for the recipes.

By the way, Hillary is featured in August’s Book Fun Magazine with an interview and recipe for the Provencal Lavender and Honey Pound Cake from the novel.

Here’s a pic of my cake. Doesn’t it make you want a piece?

 

Note: I did receive a free copy of this book from the publishers to review (Thank you!), but this post is just a “fun” one I wanted to share, not encouraged/required by the publishers.

Have you seen The Ultimate Gift? What did you think? What’s your family’s favorite movie?

I’d love to hear your comments – they don’t even have to stay on topic! 😉

Review: “A Table by the Window” by Hillary Manton Lodge

The latest book I’ve read is “right up my alley” as some might say. It’s centered on a woman who has grown up in a culinary culture, her parents having owned a restaurant her entire life. (I have that in common – I’ve grown up in my family’s pizzeria.) With the additional elements of ethnic cultures, sibling relationships (rivalries and the closeness that comes with adulthood), and a little romance, this story made for a fun read that made my mouth water more than once.

In A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge, character Juliette D’Alisa leads an interesting life as the baby of a restaurant and food-centered, French-Italian family. With her parents’ well-established restaurant in Portland and her siblings’ work as chefs, culinary instructors, or other foodie careers, Juliette has settled for a coveted position as a food critic and writer for a local newspaper.

When presented with the opportunity to get back in the restaurant business with her brother Nico, Juliette must work out her unsettled feelings about her career path. At the same time, she is uncovering family secrets surrounding her grandmother’s life in France and developing a long-distance romantic relationship.

First of all, let me say I LOVE that Hillary has included several yummy recipes interspersed through the book. These recipes all make an appearance in the story, sometimes focal and sometimes simply mentioned. (I can’t wait for the chance to try some of these. My first experiment will probably be the Red Pepper Pasta.) Along with these recipes, I really enjoyed the foodie culture of the whole story. Also, fun little quotes related to food or cooking are featured at the start of each chapter. I typically enjoy the quote “element” when authors include it in a novel, and this one is no exception 🙂

This story is a little more family drama and a little less romance, but I still liked it. The drama is centered on Juliette’s work with her family and her uncertain career (though it takes a while for Juliette to see this), and the addition of family secrets and mystery is a nice side plot. Who doesn’t love some family genealogy digging? The romance is a bit unconventional (or should I say non-typical) being centered on an online relationship, but it picks up pace toward the middle of the story. Once you get to the end of the story and to Hillary’s acknowledgement section, you see similarities with her love story and the one in the book – that connection makes the story itself feel more real.

Just because I’m saying it’s a “drama” , don’t think it’s all seriousness. There are great bits of humor – especially in Juliette’s exchanges with her lively siblings. It was definitely easy to read. I was eager to see what decisions Juliette would make next (and what recipe would be at the end of that chapter).

One thing I would have liked to have seen more of was Juliette’s faith and how it actively played out in her life. You sees bits of this, but I personally prefer a little bit more from this genre. That’s my only problem with it, and it’s a minor one. This story did have strong themes of the strength of family, pursuing dreams, and wanting to be the person God intends for you to be.

At the end of the story, some things are left partially unresolved, but that’s ok with me because it’s a series! I can’t wait to see what Juliette dares to do next – and what D’Alisa family antics will unfold. I like that it’s a series following one main character. There are too few of these types in this genre. The next book in this “Table for Two” series is Reservations for Two.

Visit Hillary’s website here for more info – and some special book extras, like a quiz and recipes!

Note: Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for a review! I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group through the Blogging for Books program for this review. I was not required to write a positive review.