My Fine Fellow
JENNIFER COHEN
Synopsis:
It’s 1830s England, and Culinarians—doyens who consult with society’s elite to create gorgeous food and confections—are the crème de la crème of high society.
Helena Higgins, top of her class at the Royal Academy, has a sharp demeanor and an even sharper palate—and knows stardom awaits her if she can produce greatness in her final year.
Penelope Pickering is going to prove the value of non-European cuisine to all of England. Her contemporaries may scorn her Filipina heritage and her dishes, but with her flawless social graces and culinary talents, Penelope is set to prove them wrong.
Elijah Little has nothing to his name but a truly excellent instinct for flavors. London merchants won’t allow a Jewish boy to own a shop, so he hawks his pasties for a shilling a piece to passersby—but he knows with training he can break into the highest echelon of society.
When Penelope and Helena meet Elijah, a golden opportunity arises: to pull off a project never seen before, and turn Elijah from a street vendor to a gentleman chef.
But Elijah’s transformation will have a greater impact on this trio than they originally realize—and mayhem, unseemly faux pas, and a little romance will all be a part of the delicious recipe.
Content:
Language: a few minor swear words. Some words are used as swears from the 1800s, but I wouldn't consider them swear words now.
Violence: Not present
Sex: A chaste kiss, some romantic pining.
LGBTQ: Not present
My Review:
This was a really quick read. Overall, I was left a little disappointed, but that tends to be how it is with YA directed for a younger audience. It was an enjoyable story, but I wish there had been more depth to it. As you can see from the above, this is also probably the cleanest book on the website! If you're looking for a clean book with lots of descriptions of food, you might consider My Fine Fellow.
On a retelling note, this is somewhat a retelling of My Fair Lady. However, since I have not seen the musical or movie, I can't vouch for how much it follows the storyline. On Goodreads it is marked as a retelling and in the Author's Note, it does touch on the subject a bit.