This is the magical tale of Edith Lane, who sets off to find her fortune in the beautiful city of Paris.
Fortune, however, is a fickle thing and Edith ends up working in a vintage bakery in the positively antique town of Compiègne.
Escaping heartache and singledom in Ireland, Edith discovers that the bakery on Rue De Paris is not exactly what it seems and that some ghosts from the past are harder to escape than others. A heart-warming story that is sure to appeal to all of the senses, The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris is a mouth-watering journey of love, liberty and la vie en rose.
My Review
I did French for O level (and almost A level but we won’t go there) and I found that I understood almost all the French in the book. Useful and surprising, but not essential. Mostly it’s translated or hinted at in the text.
I’m a huge fan of the author and this book was gorgeous, with a lot of love, a bit of ghostly haunting and old secrets. I adored the characters of Edith, Hugo, Madame Moreau, Nicole and all the others from Compiègne. Even the customers of the bakery are fascinating.
But this is not just a tale about an old bakery with a love element thrown in. It’s also a dual-timeline story about war and injustice, prejudice and hope.
Edith Lane has left her single life in Ireland to take up a job as assistant manager at a bakery on the Rue de Paris. Believing it to be situated in Paris itself, she is confused to discover that it’s actually in a small town named Compiègne, north of the city. It’s a town with a history and links to the atrocities of Word War Two. And that is where the book became more layered and interesting. The bakery is struggling to survive, but can Edith help Madame Moreau and her grandson save it?
I listened once again on Audible (because I love the Irish narrators) and look forward to more from this author.
About the Author
Evie Woods is the pseudonym of Evie Gaughan, bestselling author of The Story Collector, The Heirloom and The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris. Living on the West Coast of Ireland, Evie escapes the inclement weather by writing her stories in a converted attic, where she dreams of underfloor heating. Her books tread the intriguing line between the everyday and the otherworldly, revealing the magic that exists in our ordinary lives.
