FICTION

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living

Pamela Dorman: Viking. Aug. 2016. 340p. ISBN 9781101981207. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781101981221. F
COPY ISBN
"Flambéed" is an apt description of both Olivia's career and personal life. The pastry chef for a four-star Boston dinner club flees in the aftermath of a meringue pie mishap. Worse yet, she's been jilted and humiliated by the club's president after she is exposed as his side interest. Nursing a wounded ego and a serious craving for a slice of key lime, Olivia lands in Guthrie, VT, home of her longtime best friend, where she astounds herself by accepting a job at the local inn. An embittered spinster and county fair ribbon winner who lost the only thing that really mattered, a wise elderly banjo player, and Martin, a charming, bespectacled man with a checkered history of ditching town, all school Olivia in the art of small-town living.
VERDICT Mix in one part Diane Mott Davidson's delightful culinary adventures with several tablespoons of Jan Karon's country living and quirky characters, bake at 350 degrees for one rich and warm romance. Fans of Jeanne Ray and Judith Ryan Hendricks will enjoy this lighthearted love story that's as homey as a slice of prized crumb apple pie.
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