100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

Cordelia Tilley grew up in the English countryside, cooking with he mother at the Devil's Stone Inn.  Her mother, a French Jew has passed on to Cordelia the love and ability to cook French Cuisine as well as some Jewish customs, which are still not welcome in Victorian England.  Cordelia sees herself as the future cook at the Inn.  However, when a typhoid epidemic sweeps through, Cordelia and her mother become ill.  Cordelia survives and continues to carry out cooking for the Inn, when more and more people fall ill after eating at the Inn, people begin to suspect Cordelia as the cause.  To escape the blame, Cordelia agrees to marry Frederick Wendice, a higher class, well-off, industrialist from London.  Cordelia believes that she will be able to climb the social ladder and fulfill the dream of running her own kitchen.  Her husband has other, more heinous plans for Cordelia though. 

A story of delicious revenge...I didn't really know what to expect with this book, but I am very glad that I read it.   A curious tale with many hidden layers and unseen twists, I became entwined within Cordelia's tale.  Through her struggles, Cordelia became a character that I connected with and wanted to see come out on top, no matter through what means she reached her goal.  She is strong-willed and determined, although she does not always make the best choices in life.  Through emotionally packed writing, Joyce Wayne sucked me in.  I wanted to see Cordelia come out on top even if it was not by the best means.  There were many wonderful quotes throughout, but here were a few that really spoke to me:
                             "I, alone, am responsible for my welfare, for I am the only one who can rain down havoc on Frederick Wendice's head-and in one way or the other-that is exactly what I intend to do."
                       "After today, I will no longer need to be concerned with frocks sewn with hard bustles or billowing sleeves or tiny waists which make me gasp for breath.  After tonight's dinner, I will choose to exist outside the realm of  what is fashionable and what is not.  I will do as I please, dress as I please, cook as I please.  If I get away with it...anythng is possible."
Along with the strange Frederick Wendice and the intriguing Polly, Cordelia's story is absolutely absorbing. This book took on many issues of the time.  I enjoy learning about history in my historical fiction and this novel took on not only the typhoid epidemic and medical treatment at the time, but also the treatment of those of Jewish Heritage in Victorian England and the treatment of women, some of which was reminiscent of The Yellow Wallpaper.