Publication Date: February 1, 2014
Mosaic Press
Formats: Ebook, Paperback
Joyce Wayne brings to life the complexities of Victorian life, first in County Devon and then in London’s East End. The ‘big picture’ is about one woman’s life, class conflict, religious intolerance, suspicion and betrayal. The central figure is Cordelia, a strong-minded Jewish woman who is caught between her desire to be true to herself and her need to be accepted by English society.Cordelia Tilley is the daughter of a Jewish mother and an Anglican father. Her mother has groomed her for a life in English society while her father, a tough publican, has shown no tolerance for his wife’s social climbing or the conceits of their perspicacious daughter. Cordelia’s mother dies from typhoid fever, she tries to run the family ‘s establishment, she falls prey to a local industrialist, she gives birth to a son, she is tormented by her husband and his family. Finally, she is rescued by suffragette friends and sets off to start a new life in London.The Cook’s Temptation is about a woman who is unpredictable, both strong and weak willed, both kind and heinous, victim and criminal. It is a genuine Victorian saga, full of detail, twists and turns, memorable scenes, full of drama and pathos.
My Review:
*Received this book from Historical Fiction Virtual Tour for an honest review.
4 stars
I really enjoyed this story mostly because I loved the heroine-Cordelia Tilley. I really enjoyed Cordelia and loved her very humanistic qualities. I could not help but cheer for Cordelia. I loved her strength and her vulnerability. The author did a wonderful job of making the characters feel real and the intrigue keep me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this story. It was a perfect balance of suspense, coming of age and Women Lit!
Praise for The Cook's Temptation
“Joyce Wayne’s debut novel, The Cook's Temptation, has the stately bearing of a nineteenth century novel – the mercilessness of Thomas Hardy, the black allegory of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the tense marriages of George Eliot. It is a story of how people become what you blame them for being.” – Ian Williams, poet and fiction writer, short listed for the 2012 Griffin Poetry Prize
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About the Author
Joyce Wayne has an MA in English literature, has taught journalism at Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, for twenty-five years, and lives in Toronto, Ontario. She was a winner of the Diaspora Dialogues contest for fiction and the Fiona Mee Award for literary journalism. She is the co writer of the documentary film So Far From Home (2010), a film about refugee journalists persecuted for their political views, and various of her other works have been published in Parchment, Golden Horseshoe Anthology, Canadian Voices, and TOK6.
For more information please visit Joyce Wayne's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. She is happy to participate in Books Clubs by phone and Skype.
Virtual Tour & Book Blast Schedule
Monday, June 9
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Tuesday, June 10
Book Blast at Bab's Book Bistro
Guest Post & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, June 11
Book Blast at History From a Woman's Perspective
Thursday, June 12
Book Blast at WTF Are You Reading?
Book Blast at I'd So Rather be Reading
Friday, June 13
Book Blast at Literary Chanteuse
Saturday, June 14
Book Blast at A Bookish Affair
Book Blast at Griperang's Bookmarks
Book Blast at Just One More Chapter
Sunday, June 15
Book Blast at Historical Fiction Obsession
Monday, June 16
Review at Book Nerd
Tuesday, June 17
Review at Seaside Book Corner
Book Blast at Lily Pond Reads
Wednesday, June 18
Interview at From the TBR Pile
Book Blast at Historical Tapestry
Thursday, June 19
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Book Blast at Kelsey's Book Corner
Friday, June 20
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Book Blast at The Mad Reviewer
Saturday, June 21
Book Blast at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Sunday, June 22
Book Blast at Book Lovers Paradise
Book Blast at Historical Fiction Connection
Monday, June 23
Book Blast at History Undressed
Book Blast at CelticLady's Reviews
Tuesday, June 24
Book Blast at Mina's Bookshelf
Book Blast at Peeking Between the Pages
Wednesday, June 25
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views
Book Blast at Broken Teepee
Thursday, June 26
Review at Caroline Wilson Writes
Friday, June 27
Review at Historical Novel Review
Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book
Giveaway
Up for grabs are 3x eBooks of The Cook's Temptation and 3x $10 Amazon Gift Cards! To enter, please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open to US & Canada residents only.
Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on June 27th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on June 28th and notified via email.
Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on June 28th and notified via email.
Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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