Just in time to finish up Women’s History Month, here’s a historical fiction novel that follows four British women as they cope with food rationing, grief, and societal pressures during World War II.

I’ve had an ARC (Advance Reader’s Copy) of The Kitchen Front on my Kindle for years now, and just never got around to it. Cooking the Books has once again knocked another book off my TBR (To Be Read) mountain. I just wished I enjoyed it more.

I’m in the minority here. TKF has a 3.97 star rating on Goodreads and a 4.4 star rating on Amazon. The novel details the lives of four British women from varying backgrounds as they compete for a spot on a radio program during World War II. Rationing was in effect at this time, and the book opens with the weekly allotment for one adult. A stick of margarine, half a stick of butter, three pints of milk, one cup of sugar…very different from the way we eat today. The radio program, based on an actual one, helped women stretch out their rations with creative (sometimes very creative) recipes. I enjoyed this look at an aspect of the war that I hadn’t seen written about before, especially in the crowded field of WWII novels. Unfortunately, that was about all I liked.

Overall, I found the book to be flat, predictable, and breezy. I am all for breezy books that give your mind a break, but that’s not how this one is advertised. The characters do a lot of speaking out loud; the author definitely does a lot more telling as opposed to showing. Perhaps because I didn’t enjoy it, I also found myself nitpicking. A character says he wasn’t aware that another was in the contest, then on the next page asks why the efforts to sabotage her had failed. A barn owl hoots instead of screams. Little things that should have been caught by the editor. Without giving away spoilers, a major life-changing decision is flip-flopped in the span of three pages. This just wasn’t the book for me, but as I said, it is the book for a lot of people.

There are a number of starter, main course, and dessert recipes featured in the book from historic sources, all of which adhere to the Ministry of Food rationing to various degrees. Unsurprisingly, there was an active black market for ingredients, and those who could afford them didn’t go without. Many of the recipes offer a lot of flexibility, which is to be expected when working with limited ingredients. For various reasons, I declined to attempt The Ministry of Food’s Sheep’s Head Roll or Chef James’s Whale Meat and Mushroom Pie. Instead, I made Audrey’s Fruit Scones. I vaguely remember making scones 20 years ago. This recipe contains a lot less sugar than modern recipes and produces a…perfectly adequate vehicle for getting butter and/or jam to your mouth. The apricot flavor was good, with comments that it ‘could use more apricot, less scone’ but other than that? Eh. A coworker said ‘mostly good, a little bland – but aren’t all scones?’. It does produce an incredibly wet, sticky dough; if you think you’ve got enough flour on your surface, think again.

Scones: 2.5/5 (based on all opinions)

Book: 1/5 (based on my opinion)

This review originally posted at: https://galesburglibrary.org/11028-2/

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A truly original story line is often hard to find. The Kitchen Front is like nothing I haveevr read before.....and I read alot. Jennifer Ryan has done an excellent job of taking this reader back to those hard times when the war was not going in British favor. The British people have endured so many hardships and given until it hurts. As a morale booster, this radio station sponsors a cooking contest, but when food rations have tightened so much, preparing a winning dish is not just a trip to the kitchen. So the contest becomes a character in the story line too.
The characters revolve around four women. These women all have life choices that drive their decision to compete. All have VERY different life styles and goals. In their minds, winning this contest is a must.
Again, this story line is unique. The manner in which Ms Ryan spins the tale kept me reading much longer than I thought when I picked up the book. It's a definite " share with the girls" book for me.

The idea of Top Chef and World War II sounds bizarre, but it works in this loosely based story of cooking in ration based England. It is the story of four women who begin as competitors, but end up as fast friends against all odds. It is there personal stories though that are so compelling (the food does not sound that great to me), that drives the story--a widow, an abused "Lady", a pregnant non-married chef, and a young cook just starting out. The combination of the women and how they end up together is so fascinating and how they interact and help each other is what makes the story so beautiful. Even if you are not a "foodie" person, this book is still a delight.

I was very intrigued by this premise. I hadn't read a WWII book before that focused on the food shortage, it definitely piqued my interest. I really wanted to love this story, I had a hard time following the story. Following 4 characters was too much, I would've preferred 1 or 2 povs over 4.

This is an interesting novel about culinary history and life during wartime. It's especially interesting to read about food rationing and government programs to help families cope with the foods available to them. It's a little melodramatic and sentimental, but mostly enjoyable.

A wonderful historical novel full of strong women. Women who must put aside conflict and their own dreams to succeed and find love.

I loved Ryan's THE SPIES OF SHILLING LANE, so I was all in for another of her novels. I've heard nothing but good things about THE KITCHEN FRONT and it's easy to see why. It's an uplifting, heartwarming book. The women at its center are sympathetic, likable, and root-worthy. I loved watching their friendship develop over the course of the story. Although the plot is predictable, there was enough going on in the tale to keep me reading. The emphasis on rationing also made me really admire all those WWII home cooks and professional chefs who had to use some major ingenuity to make food palatable! While most books about food made me hungry, this one kind of did the opposite. LOL.

If I could, I would give the novel 4 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

I loved the way that women of varying degrees of enmity came together AND the way the contest turned out. The best work by this author imho.

I have read and loved everything by Jennifer Ryan. I always recommend her books to people who enjoyed The Guernsey Literary book. She always has such an amazing cast of characters and great historical setting based on something that actually happened. This time it was a cooking contest that aired on BBC radio. The contestants were supposed to make the most of the items available with rationing or in their victory gardens. I always find myself completely transported back to WWII with Ms. Ryan's books. A very true and genuine story, thoroughly enjoyed it to the heartwarming end.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan is set in World War II England in a small village outside of London. There are food shortages and rationing which makes it a challenge to cook meals. The radio station would like a cohost for a cooking show which will help listeners use their food rations to make healthy meals for their families. They decide to have a cooking contest to hopefully find a cohost for the show. The story is based on a real cooking competition for a BBC radio program during WWII.

This is the story of four different women who are competing in the contest. Through alternating chapters, the reader gets to know each of these strong women and the adversity each of them face.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It gave a different perspective of World War II – showing how the war affected those left behind on the home front and the challenges they faced. I highly recommend this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with a advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun story and a nice addition to WWII historical fiction. While I felt it started out a little slow, it picked up fairly quickly.

First sentence: A glorious spring morning poured its golden splendor through the tall kitchen window as a whirlwind of boys raced in, shooting at each other in a reconstruction of Dunkirk.

Premise/plot: Mrs. Audrey Landon, Lady Gwendoline Strickland, Miss Nell Brown, and Miss Zelda Dupont are the four contestants in a local cooking contest. The winner will earn a spot hosting the BBC program The Kitchen Front which focuses on how to cook making the best use of rations. The cooking contests will take place over three months--one contest day per month--an appetizer, main course, and dessert.

The novel is narrated by all four contestants. Audrey is a widow raising her sons; Lady Gwendoline is Audrey's sister trapped in a physically abusive marriage; Nell is an assistant to Lady Gwendoline's manor cook; Zelda Dupont is a professional chef, a Londoner (down on her luck) who is working in a factory. All have their own personal reasons for "needing" to win.

My thoughts: I liked this one. I wanted to love, love, love it. I didn't quite. But it was still an enjoyable enough read. It was predictable in a sweet way. There was drama in the first half, not so much in the second half. Everything did seem to resolve quickly and effortlessly--bit by bit. By the end, there was no conflict whatsoever left. Which I don't mind actually. I don't look for conflict-driven (drama-driven) storytelling. But the characterization wasn't strong enough perhaps to carry the weight alone...in my opinion.

Still, I love the war-time setting (on the home front), the celebration of friendship, and the focus on how food can bring us together.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I am a huge fan of WWII historical fiction books. This was a unique view through the cooking contest held by the Kitchen Front, an actual BBC radio program that was broadcast during WWII. The story revolves around four women who are very different and come from unique situations. I enjoyed how the competition between the ladies turns into a friendship. There are delightful and well-developed female characters. And as you travel through the pages, you experience how the war impacts each of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was just the Historical Fiction that I needed this year! A different take on the same war. A unique perspective and a story I didn't know I needed. Loved this one and will be recommending for historical fiction fans who want something to mix up the genre!

All the books I have read about WWII have been about fictional spies and characters in the war. I really enjoyed this book because it sticks out from all the others. Food rationing and learning to feed ones family during the war must have been incredibly difficult for housewives left behind. The four friends in this book endured their own heartbreaks and each off their stories grabbed at me. All the different recipes were interesting also!

4 very different women enter a cooking contest during World War II in England. As they compete they learn about themselves and eah other. A story of women making their way in a world turn apart by war and finding something they never expected.

This historical fiction is a great focus of the women left home during war and demonstrates what they were able to accomplish through limited means. Through the BBC's contest "The Kitchen Front", contestants competed with rationed items to make starters, meals and desserts. Using their creativeness and resourcefulness, these women stayed strong and made ends meet. Ryan does more than talk about cooking. She highlights bigger and more serious topics such as plights of the unwed mother, fear and the realism of receiving the dreaded telegram, POWs, depression and death. If you love to read about WWII then pick this one up. Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and Jennifer Ryan for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I leave The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan, having learned yet a new aspect of the history of World War II on the home front. I also leave it inspired by the courage and strength of women in trying circumstances who rise above their challenges to meet life and who do it in a supportive, uplifting way. A feel good story of war if such a thing is possible.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/09/the-kitchen-front.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

I love reading about the experiences of ordinary people during WWII. This was a pleasant story of women and a radio show which really showcased what the citizens of London went through - both the deprivations and the shared solidarity. This is the second book I’ve read by Jennifer Ryan, and although she’s not particularly hard hitting, her books do a nice job of placing the reader in a different time and place.