Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

It has been ages and ages since I have done a book review I am not sure if I even know where to start.  As I write this post I am reflecting to when we did book reports in grade school.  I cannot say they were my favourite assignment to do but I will say I used to love time in the library.  Once a week we would have an hour in the school library to check out books.  Do schools still even have well funded libraries?  We also had the bookmobile come to our school.  It was either Fridays or Thursdays.  That was another favourite time of mine.

As a teenager we had the bookmobile come to our neighborhood.  When I was 14 I got a job there stacking the shelves.  I loved that job.  I would walk down to the bookmobile and just get lost with all the books.  That job led to my undergraduate degree.  I got a babysitting job from a woman who came there-whose husband was a criminologist.  His bookshelves were filled with the best books.  When her baby was asleep I would pull down his books and read away.  Funny how we embark on the paths we take.

Okay back to Vanity Fare (a novel about lattes, literature and love).  How could I resist the offer to review this book when Williams Morrow (an imprint of Harper Collins) offered it to me?  Yes I am a shallow book reader, the cover alone drew me in.  Chocolate chip cookies, old books on the cover, literature and love (I am not a latte person, but a cup of tea would work well with me).

This is the book I took home with me on the plane at Christmas.  It was the perfect read. Molly the main character is faced with major financial challenges after her cheating husband walks out on her and her 6 year old.  Molly finds herself with a job helping Simon  open up a pastry shop.  The job seems perfect for Molly-the pastry shop is to have a literary theme.  Simon has other ideas.

Used to getting all the women he wants Simon is thinks he is the perfect dessert.  Initially Molly is beyond flattered by the hot, sexy green eyed British chef.  This is never the type of man who was attracted to her.  Intimidated by both her own insecurities and Nick, Simon's business partner Molly is not sure whether to devour Simon or abstain.  She cannot risk losing the job and the income it will generate. 

 I devoured the story with all it's delicious and sometimes sour ingredients as Molly starts to discover herself as a newly divorced mother raising a child. 

Caldwell gives her readers a fast paced book, while exposing the harsh realities of many women who find themselves single with a child and no current skills after years of child rearing.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and especially enjoyed Molly's transformation through the various chapters.  While the book does not center on food, I liked the idea of a literary pastry shop and at the end of the book there are also a few recipes. 

My one criticism of the book was the use of the "F" word.  There was no need for it and I am not sure why Caldwell felt the need to interject it in an otherwise wholesome book. 

You should pick this one up.  You will not be disappointed.