To be read: Elza's Kitchen

 

    "For years, Elza has managed to get by. She has her own little restaurant in the Hungarian city of Delibab, cooking quality versions of her country's classics and serving them with a smile. But lately her smile has become tired, she is weary of cooking for the same customers and the loveless affair with her sous-chef is now an irritation.

    With her country in a state of transition from communism to capitalism, Elza embarks upon her own change. She decides to woo The Critic, one of the harshest, most powerful culinary columnists in Europe. But as relationships in the kitchen sour, the food threatens to turn with them, and not even Elza's strained composure can prevent the chaos that seems fated to engulf her.

    Serving up all the heat, sensual delights and rich atmosphere of the restaurant itself, Elza's Kitchen is a wonderful celebration of culture and cuisine. Resisting the comfortable pattern of her old life, Elza finds that true joy - and love - can be hidden in the most surprising of places."

    Marc Fitten's second novel - Valeria's Last Stand was his first - sounds just the thing for a lazy evening with something to nibble on, perhaps, or to have to hand in the kitchen while you stand and stir a risotto. It's not just the content which appeals, as I like that cover, too; and speaking of exteriors, here's an amusing post on what might result were designers to use stock photos for book jackets.

Comments

[Dark Puss]

Stock photographs? Yes it was an amusing post but it shows a curious lack of appreciation for what is actually out there. There are some fabulous stock pictures, all it takes is some effort and an appropriate designer's eye to make good use of them. Given some of the poor covers with "bespoke" photographs I'm not convinced!

PS I'm sure I'm being really stupid here, but what did you mean by Marc Fitten's second novel - Valeria's Last Stand was his first?

[Cornflower]

I think the post to which I linked was commenting less on the quality of stock photographs than on the inappropriateness of the results (in terms of potential book jacket usage) which come up in response to a search using a favourite book title - as the post suggests, I tried it myself and got very mixed results.
Elza's Kitchen is Marc Fitten's second novel, Valeria's Last Stand being his first.

[Dark Puss]

Ah I read the post differently. Thank you for answering my second question too!

[Alex in Leeds]

I've added this to my wishlist after seeing Claire at The Captive Reader mention it and link to this post. I spent a whole fabulous summer exploring Hungary a decade ago and came away loving the country so this sounds wonderful. :)

[Simon Savidge]

This sounds right up my street at the moment as I have been looking for books with a foodie aspect for a new blog I will be starting with the other half on cooking and baking. I want to have foodie books on their too and maybe even a foodie monthly book club read, which this would be ideal for.