Title: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
Author: Jenny Colgan
Genre: Romance/Chick-lit
Date Published: 04/14/11
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Date Read: 06/24/1015
Rating: ✯✯✯✯ 4/5 stars
Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
is the first book I've read by Jenny Colgan and I must say that I'm
glad I decided to take a gamble on a new author! This book is the
epitome of "chick lit" with its rom-com type vibes and endearing female
main character named Issy, who faces obstacle after obstacle in life and love, yet
manages to persevere. There are elements of family, romance, and
self-actualization that make the characters' stories such realistic
portrayals of both the most difficult and most rewarding aspects of
adulthood and life in general.
While I really enjoyed and valued those aspects of Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, my absolute favorite thing about it was Issy's grandfather Joe. Joe's entire world revolved around loving Issy and running his successful bakeries, but he has to move into a group home due to the devastating disease known as Alzheimer's. Issy visits him often and as the disease progresses, his moments of lucidity become fewer and farther in-between. Joe is encouraged by the nursing staff at the home to write down his recipes for Issy and he sends them to her in the sweetest letters with helpful hints and advice that can be applied to both living and baking. It is easy to see while reading the recipes, which ones were written on good days versus bad days... As a nurse who primarily provides care to the geriatric population, the character of Grampa Joe both broke and warmed my heart, simultaneously.
Another interesting, yet not so sentimental aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the differences in the British characters' versus American attitudes regarding food and health. I am from a small town in the Midwestern United States, and let me tell you that fried food and concentrated sweets are not uncommon components of the diets of pretty well everyone I know. It was interesting to me that Issy had so many people who were downright hateful to her for running a "sweets shop", as it was not vegan and her goods contained real sugar. This would not happen around here--again, I know this is why we're overweight--but I wonder if the behaviors and mindsets of the characters in this book really represent the British people. I had heard once that in the U.K., it is considered abuse/neglect if you have an obese child. This is seen in Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe as one of the characters receives an official letter requiring her to attend nutritional counseling as her toddler was obese. Interestingly, when doing a little research on this topic, I found an interesting article from a UK news source The Guardian, in which it is discussed that in June 2014, the Norfolk police arrested the parents of an obese child, as they suspected the child was being neglected: Read the article here.
While I really enjoyed and valued those aspects of Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, my absolute favorite thing about it was Issy's grandfather Joe. Joe's entire world revolved around loving Issy and running his successful bakeries, but he has to move into a group home due to the devastating disease known as Alzheimer's. Issy visits him often and as the disease progresses, his moments of lucidity become fewer and farther in-between. Joe is encouraged by the nursing staff at the home to write down his recipes for Issy and he sends them to her in the sweetest letters with helpful hints and advice that can be applied to both living and baking. It is easy to see while reading the recipes, which ones were written on good days versus bad days... As a nurse who primarily provides care to the geriatric population, the character of Grampa Joe both broke and warmed my heart, simultaneously.
Another interesting, yet not so sentimental aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the differences in the British characters' versus American attitudes regarding food and health. I am from a small town in the Midwestern United States, and let me tell you that fried food and concentrated sweets are not uncommon components of the diets of pretty well everyone I know. It was interesting to me that Issy had so many people who were downright hateful to her for running a "sweets shop", as it was not vegan and her goods contained real sugar. This would not happen around here--again, I know this is why we're overweight--but I wonder if the behaviors and mindsets of the characters in this book really represent the British people. I had heard once that in the U.K., it is considered abuse/neglect if you have an obese child. This is seen in Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe as one of the characters receives an official letter requiring her to attend nutritional counseling as her toddler was obese. Interestingly, when doing a little research on this topic, I found an interesting article from a UK news source The Guardian, in which it is discussed that in June 2014, the Norfolk police arrested the parents of an obese child, as they suspected the child was being neglected: Read the article here.
The article provides other examples of similar situations in England, where children were taken away from their parents due to obesity.
Anyway, although I may have complicated things further than a book about
a cupcake cafe was meant to be complicated (sorry, that's just how my brain works), the bottom line is that it
was a very enjoyable read. It is obvious that Jenny Colgan is passionate about
baking and that love was shown in every word. I can't imagine reading this book without it making you desperate to put on an apron and get into the kitchen! I happen to have a bit of a baking addiction myself, so I was especially susceptible to Colgan's descriptions of the satisfaction Issy felt when watching someone bite into one of her cakes. I love to bake for my friends and I'm often asked for the recipes of the goodies I bring in to work and to family functions. In the spirit of Issy from Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, I thought I would share with you all a couple of cupcake recipes I've tried that were huge successes in putting smiles on hungry faces.
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| Hot Chocolate-Brownie Cupcakes from Kraft |
These are absolutely delicious! The frosting is great on plain chocolate cupcakes as well!
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| Cherry Coke Cupcakes from AllRecipes.com |
These Cherry Coke cupcakes are fantastic! I use the "Country Cherry" pie filling and it makes these way better than using the plain cherry filling, in my opinion!
Happy reading (and baking)!
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