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  • Miss Eliza's English Kitchen

  • A Novel of Victorian Cookery and Friendship
  • Written by: Annabel Abbs
  • Narrated by: Ell Potter, Bianca Amato
  • Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

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Miss Eliza's English Kitchen

Written by: Annabel Abbs
Narrated by: Ell Potter, Bianca Amato
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Publisher's Summary

Chosen as one of the season's best historical fiction novels by the New York Times

Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick for November!

A Country Living Best Book of Fall!

A Washington Post Best Feel-Good Book of the Year!

In a novel perfect for fans of Hazel Gaynor’s A Memory of Violets and upstairs-downstairs stories, Annabel Abbs, the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, returns with the brilliant real-life story of Eliza Acton and her assistant as they revolutionized British cooking and cookbooks around the world.

Before Mrs. Beeton and well before Julia Child, there was Eliza Acton, who changed the course of cookery writing forever.

England, 1835. London is awash with thrilling new ingredients, from rare spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them. When Eliza Acton is told by her publisher to write a cookery book instead of the poetry she loves, she refuses - until her bankrupt father is forced to flee the country. As a woman, Eliza has few options. Although she’s never set foot in a kitchen, she begins collecting recipes and teaching herself to cook. Much to her surprise, she discovers a talent - and a passion - for the culinary arts.

Eliza hires young, destitute Ann Kirby to assist her. As they cook together, Ann learns about poetry, love, and ambition. The two develop a radical friendship, breaking the boundaries of class while creating new ways of writing recipes. But when Ann discovers a secret in Eliza’s past and finds a voice of her own, their friendship starts to fray.

Based on the true story of the first modern cookery writer, Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen is a spellbinding novel about female friend­ship, the struggle for independence, and the transcendent pleasures and solace of food.

©2021 Annabel Abbs (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Miss Eliza's English Kitchen

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Delicious!

I simply loved this. I wish there was a whole series with the same narrators.

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Loved this book!!! 🥰🥰🥰

So well written and excellent narration. Narration can turn me off of a wonderful story and both melded together beautifully. Such a nice refreshing story. Superb 👏🏻

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    3 out of 5 stars

It's was a bit too long, otherwise entertaining

I liked the back and forth between the two main characters; the premise and story were interesting - just a bit long and drawn out. Overall a good listen.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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A foodie delight

This is a delightful book. Very well narrated. Highly recommend to anyone interested in cooking and history.

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I was there!

Great story and great performance. Made me feel like I was in the kitchen with Anne and Miss Eliza.

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Loved it!

This was such a good book, and the narrators were excellent! Highly recommend. Food descriptions make your mouth water and storyline was really well done, very interesting and opened up a view of life in 1835 for women- the poor and not so poor. How life has changed- thank goodness!

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