A Novel of Sweet Tea and Sensibility
by Hillary Manton Lodge
narrated by Kate Handford
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Just released: June 13, 2017
Publisher: WaterBrook
Genre: Romance, Jane Austen theme, Retelling, Recipes, California, Texas
Paperback: 320
Rating: 5
First sentence(s):
San Francisco, CA 2009
"Well, girls," our father began, "it's been a good run. And I'm not saying it won't be again, but we're going to have to… economize."
“Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience - or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.”
― Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
Just a few years after their father’s business scandal shatters their lives, Jane and Celia Woodward find themselves forced out of their San Francisco tea shop. The last thing Jane wants is to leave their beloved shop on Valencia Street, but when Celia insists on a move to Austin, Texas, the sisters pack up their kid sister Margot and Jane’s tea plants, determined to start over yet again.
But life in Austin isn’t all sweet tea and breakfast tacos. Their unusual living situation is challenging and unspoken words begin to fester between Jane and Celia. When Jane meets and falls for up-and-coming musician Sean Willis, the chasm grows deeper.
While Sean seems to charm everyone in his path, one person is immune – retired Marine Captain Callum Beckett. Callum never meant to leave the military, but the twin losses of his father and his left leg have returned him to the place he least expected—Texas.
In this modern spin on the Austen classic, Sense and Sensibility, the Woodward sisters must contend with new ingredients in unfamiliar kitchens, a dash of heartbreak, and the fragile hope that maybe home isn't so far away.
My two-bits:
This definitely captures S&S in a modern setting with lovely characters and gentle romance dramas.
The story starts off in San Francisco (one of my favorite places in the world) and incorporates lots of tea (another favorite). Delicious sweet and savory recipes are interspersed within the story which makes me want to get the print copy to experience the yummy-ness.
Loved learning about Austin, Texas and it's culture including the SXSW scene.
* check out Hillary's Jane Austen week celebration, July 16-21, 2017 (here)
* part of Foodies Read Challenge (here)
* Listened to audiobook version.
