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Angelotti Chronicles #2
The Prodigal Daughter
Angelica Angelotti has grown up in her parents' Italian food business. Now she is using her cooking talent to strike out on her own, moving to Paris to go to culinary school.
There, among the excitement and wild emotion of the student barricades, she falls in love with her charismatic but unreliable cousin, Mario - a manic-depressive 10 years older than her whom her mother had sacked from their restaurant.
Navigating a blossoming career, from the Savoy hotel pastry kitchen to the world of food writing and presenting, alongside an increasingly toxic marriage eventually proves impossible. Angelica has to leave Mario and makes the decision to move back to Gloucestershire to help her other cousin, Silvano, with a new branch of the family business - reopening the Frampton Arms as a restaurant.
As they get to know each other better, Angelica realises her she fell in love with the wrong brother. But when Mario reappears, determined to win her back, and as other jealous relatives plot the downfall of the Frampton Arms, will Angelica be able to hold on to her business and the man she loves?
There, among the excitement and wild emotion of the student barricades, she falls in love with her charismatic but unreliable cousin, Mario - a manic-depressive 10 years older than her whom her mother had sacked from their restaurant.
Navigating a blossoming career, from the Savoy hotel pastry kitchen to the world of food writing and presenting, alongside an increasingly toxic marriage eventually proves impossible. Angelica has to leave Mario and makes the decision to move back to Gloucestershire to help her other cousin, Silvano, with a new branch of the family business - reopening the Frampton Arms as a restaurant.
As they get to know each other better, Angelica realises her she fell in love with the wrong brother. But when Mario reappears, determined to win her back, and as other jealous relatives plot the downfall of the Frampton Arms, will Angelica be able to hold on to her business and the man she loves?
400 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 14, 2018
This is apparently book 2 of a series though nothing on the cover of mine indicated this was the case. However it is easy enough to read as a stand-alone novel. Angelica Angelotti has grown up in the family restaurant business run by her Italian father Giovanni and his English wife Laura. But Angelica wants more than just cooking Italian food and being part of the family business. She also wants to branch out and learn to cook French food. In an effort to get her away from Mario, her cousin, and an unsuitable romance, her parents agree she can go to the cooking school in Paris. To her parents’ dismay, that plan backfires in more ways than one.
I’m not a foodie person and got tired of the descriptions of various dishes and details of the décor of restaurants etc. The story was okay though fairly predictable and I never warmed to any of the characters particularly which meant I didn’t care enough about them. In the end I found myself skimming just to get to the end. This is my second book by this author and I suspect we are just not a good match, so I will not be tempted to read any more.
Those who are interested in food may find this a more interesting read than I did.
I’m not a foodie person and got tired of the descriptions of various dishes and details of the décor of restaurants etc. The story was okay though fairly predictable and I never warmed to any of the characters particularly which meant I didn’t care enough about them. In the end I found myself skimming just to get to the end. This is my second book by this author and I suspect we are just not a good match, so I will not be tempted to read any more.
Those who are interested in food may find this a more interesting read than I did.
December 22, 2017
I couldn't wait to read this, having read the first book in the trilogy. It's not quite as strong as the first in the series, but it's still an unputdownable read with characters you really care about.
May 4, 2018
The cover of this book didn't mention that it was Book 2 of a trilogy. Perhaps it's one of those trilogies which simply don't work as stand-alone books. I was certainly put off by the very first chapter, which introduced a whole cast of characters so quickly, it was hard to keep track of who was who.
Prue Leith obviously knows a great deal about how to run food businesses. Those aspects of the book were good - but I felt it was at the expense of the characters. I didn't find any of the characters engaging and didn't care tuppence about any of them. Didn't finish it.
Prue Leith obviously knows a great deal about how to run food businesses. Those aspects of the book were good - but I felt it was at the expense of the characters. I didn't find any of the characters engaging and didn't care tuppence about any of them. Didn't finish it.
April 24, 2022
3.5 stars. I didn’t realise that this was book 2 in a trilogy but it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read the first book as this seemed to be a standalone story. As expected in a book by Prue Leith there were lots of references to food and cooking - yes I know the story was about the set up and running of restaurants and other food outlets! This book was not predictable - which I liked. Principally it’s the story of Angelica as she starts working in her parents’ restaurant and then trains in Paris and her subsequent life and work.
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July 25, 2019at first I thought I'd not get through this-too chatty . A change of style for me! It did hook me in though -I wanted to find out what happened next. I really enjoyed the food descriptions.
A light story but enjoyable of a family dynasty in restaurants.
A light story but enjoyable of a family dynasty in restaurants.
January 30, 2021
The second book in the trilogy and another great read. I’ve started on the final book and it’s drawn me in just as much as the previous two. Prue has written about what she knows which is what makes it so enjoyable.
January 6, 2018
I didn't realise this was the 2nd in a trilogy but it can stand alone however it was very predictable and I found myself skipping chunks. I doubt that I will read the other two books
February 2, 2019
Good second instalment.
July 12, 2019
Continuing the Angelotti family saga.
May 13, 2020
Ended up skimming through the book when I got halfway because I just got bored.
February 13, 2022
An enjoyable and light everyday read. I enjoyed the continuation of Laura's story and the food references often made my mouth water but the ending was unfortunately so predictable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2022
I enjoyed the detailed description in this book, however at times the plot seemed to not be going anywhere and only got interesting towards the end as the book was finishing. Despite this, I really liked the characters and wanted there to be more description about their personalities instead of endless Italian/French recipes that most people are not familiar with.
February 21, 2026
Lovely read and a quick page turner with references to Italian and French cooking set in a restaurant business world with a background of family and romance
September 23, 2019
The second book in the set of the Angelotti Chronicles which I enjoyed as I did the first on The House at Chorlton.
October 6, 2016
More 3.5 than 4 for me.
This is Book Two in the Food of Love Trilogy, but as I hadn't read the first one I can reliably say this can be read as a stand-alone. The book essentially tells the story of Angelica as she makes her way room from cloakroom attendant in the family restaurant to top caterer and telly chef. Of course it's not plain sailing, and love and life challenges inevitably rock the boat along the way. In addition we are also kept up to date with the happenings in the wider family (and it's quite a large and not always like-able family).
While I enjoyed this book I have to say for me it fell into two halves. The first half which concentrated on the younger Angelica, her years in Paris with the unstable Mario and her foray into her first restaurant job had me hooked. I especially loved the Paris period, where she lived in a tiny apartment in Montmartre. It had a curious mix of Bohemian charm with pavement cafes and bars running alongside the political and economic changes that resulted in the student riots. I liked that Angelica was a trailblazer for women in the very masculine if not chauvinistic world of restaurant and hotel kitchens.
The second half of the book slowed a little for me, and I sometimes felt that as Angelica progressed her career there was too much information. As we are reading about an area in which for once the author is an expert in the field, that is perhaps to be expected. For me it sometimes read more like a memoir than fiction. However, I appreciate that for others this would be a plus, but I would occasionally have preferred fewer facts. None of this though detracts from my wanting to continue to read what happened next.
This is a book that foodies and lovers of family sagas especially will love.
This is Book Two in the Food of Love Trilogy, but as I hadn't read the first one I can reliably say this can be read as a stand-alone. The book essentially tells the story of Angelica as she makes her way room from cloakroom attendant in the family restaurant to top caterer and telly chef. Of course it's not plain sailing, and love and life challenges inevitably rock the boat along the way. In addition we are also kept up to date with the happenings in the wider family (and it's quite a large and not always like-able family).
While I enjoyed this book I have to say for me it fell into two halves. The first half which concentrated on the younger Angelica, her years in Paris with the unstable Mario and her foray into her first restaurant job had me hooked. I especially loved the Paris period, where she lived in a tiny apartment in Montmartre. It had a curious mix of Bohemian charm with pavement cafes and bars running alongside the political and economic changes that resulted in the student riots. I liked that Angelica was a trailblazer for women in the very masculine if not chauvinistic world of restaurant and hotel kitchens.
The second half of the book slowed a little for me, and I sometimes felt that as Angelica progressed her career there was too much information. As we are reading about an area in which for once the author is an expert in the field, that is perhaps to be expected. For me it sometimes read more like a memoir than fiction. However, I appreciate that for others this would be a plus, but I would occasionally have preferred fewer facts. None of this though detracts from my wanting to continue to read what happened next.
This is a book that foodies and lovers of family sagas especially will love.
November 11, 2016
The Prodigal Daughter is the second in Prue Leith's Food of Love trilogy, which started with The Food of Love: Laura's Story. It can be read as a standalone but I think you would miss a lot of the background if you did that. This latest offering follows Laura's daughter, Angelica Angelotti, who is a budding chef in the late 1960s. We see her fall in love with a charming but unpredictable man, go to cookery school in Paris, work at The Savoy and then run a village inn whilst following a career in TV and food writing.
I am a fan of Prue Leith's writing, having read several of her other books. She doesn't always write about food but in this book she has written about what she knows best and I really enjoyed it. She clearly used her own experiences to write about Angelica's TV and food writing and I suspect that some of the things that happen in the book are Leith's own anecdotes or ones that she has heard about.
There are lots of descriptions of food, both menus and preparation, which was something that I relished (!) and I loved reading about the various restaurants that feature in the story.
It was lovely to meet the Angelottis and their extended family again. I thought Angelica was a feisty force of nature, although she did seem to be good at everything she turned her hand to! This is a book that I looked forward to picking up. It's a good old-fashioned family saga and I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy which will hopefully be published in the autumn of next year, particularly as this one ended very abruptly and left me hanging somewhat!
The Prodigal Daughter is an engaging read with some likeable characters and fascinating settings. I'd recommend it if you like reading books where food is almost a character in its own right.
I am a fan of Prue Leith's writing, having read several of her other books. She doesn't always write about food but in this book she has written about what she knows best and I really enjoyed it. She clearly used her own experiences to write about Angelica's TV and food writing and I suspect that some of the things that happen in the book are Leith's own anecdotes or ones that she has heard about.
There are lots of descriptions of food, both menus and preparation, which was something that I relished (!) and I loved reading about the various restaurants that feature in the story.
It was lovely to meet the Angelottis and their extended family again. I thought Angelica was a feisty force of nature, although she did seem to be good at everything she turned her hand to! This is a book that I looked forward to picking up. It's a good old-fashioned family saga and I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy which will hopefully be published in the autumn of next year, particularly as this one ended very abruptly and left me hanging somewhat!
The Prodigal Daughter is an engaging read with some likeable characters and fascinating settings. I'd recommend it if you like reading books where food is almost a character in its own right.
September 12, 2016
The Angelotti family are going from strength to strength - their latest venture, Giovanni's, is a roaring success and Laura and Giovanni are working flat out - what they would really like is their daughter Angelica to help run the business. Angelica however has other ideas and much as she loves Italian cooking she really wants to learn to be a French chef. Her father Giovanni is against her going to Paris to a top cookery school until she appears to be getting too close to her feckless cousin Mario and then he is keen to see her as far out of the way as possible
Unbeknown to her family however Mario follows her out there and there are great descriptions of Paris in the 1968 era of the student riots. Totally in love with each other they rent a top floor flat with a great view of Paris and live a manic life - but is everything as it seems with Mario and will Angelica start to regret the relationship, especially when she returns to England and gets a job at the Savoy - unheard of for a woman in those times!
A great story, second in the series, with a lovely storyline including all the recipes and descriptions of food....don't read it when you are hungry! There are some great characters (not all good Jane has no redeeming features!) and I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next book
Unbeknown to her family however Mario follows her out there and there are great descriptions of Paris in the 1968 era of the student riots. Totally in love with each other they rent a top floor flat with a great view of Paris and live a manic life - but is everything as it seems with Mario and will Angelica start to regret the relationship, especially when she returns to England and gets a job at the Savoy - unheard of for a woman in those times!
A great story, second in the series, with a lovely storyline including all the recipes and descriptions of food....don't read it when you are hungry! There are some great characters (not all good Jane has no redeeming features!) and I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next book
October 17, 2016
I got this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I didn't realise that this was Part 2 of a series till I was almost near the end of the book, so the story does stand reasonably well by itself. The large cast of characters is a bit confusing, especially since there are several key female characters and you wonder which one is the titular prodigal. But the story progresses largely along one character's life so you don't wonder for too long.
The combination of food writing and storytelling was interesting if a tad jerky in places. I did think that the food bits had been written first with a story fitted around it or even a story written and food mentions tacked on where possible. The two could have melded together better. I think there actually weren't even that many recipes in the entire book. Instead there were suggested variations on (presumably) known English cooking. Not being British, I had to look up some of the words like kedgeree but these were interesting detours from the story.
The story itself is a bit obvious in that you already know how it's going to turn out. Still, the characters were likeable enough to make me want to stay and see it through to the end. Will I read another book in this series? Yes, I think I will, which should tell you this is definitely a good read for anyone who likes reading about food and people.
I didn't realise that this was Part 2 of a series till I was almost near the end of the book, so the story does stand reasonably well by itself. The large cast of characters is a bit confusing, especially since there are several key female characters and you wonder which one is the titular prodigal. But the story progresses largely along one character's life so you don't wonder for too long.
The combination of food writing and storytelling was interesting if a tad jerky in places. I did think that the food bits had been written first with a story fitted around it or even a story written and food mentions tacked on where possible. The two could have melded together better. I think there actually weren't even that many recipes in the entire book. Instead there were suggested variations on (presumably) known English cooking. Not being British, I had to look up some of the words like kedgeree but these were interesting detours from the story.
The story itself is a bit obvious in that you already know how it's going to turn out. Still, the characters were likeable enough to make me want to stay and see it through to the end. Will I read another book in this series? Yes, I think I will, which should tell you this is definitely a good read for anyone who likes reading about food and people.
November 6, 2016
The Angelotti family enjoys the success of their restaurants and deli but like every family they have their problems. Laura and Giovanni still think about the son they gave up for adoption twenty years earlier, while their daughter Angelica dreams of becoming a great chef and wants to study French cuisine in Paris. Her parents agree to send her there to keep her away from the bad influence of her cousin Mario but he follows her to Paris. But Mario’s changes of mood and depression break their love story and Angelica focuses more and more on her career. All the women in the books are described as strong and determined characters, especially Angelica. She is headstrong, she knows what she wants and she goes and get it. Although at the beginning I thought she was so in love with Mario that she would do anything he wanted, she proved to be her own person who makes her own decision. Description of delicious Italian and French dishes made my mouth water and the description of Paris in the 1960s is very evocative. A brilliant and captivating novel about family, marriage, love and about make it on your own.
September 25, 2016
Laura and Giovanni's restaurants are a huge success and as they're opening yet another one, they would love daughter Angelica to help run it. The Prodigal Daughter is the 2nd in the trilogy The Food of Love. Even though I didn't read the 1st, I got enough of the gist of Laura's story to effortlessly get into Angelica's.
Despite his misgivings, Giovanni reluctantly allows Angelica to study French cooking in Paris, despite the family's Italian roots. In Paris she falls in love, and despite that looming disaster, ends up with a lucrative career in the media back in London, with a television cooking show and a newspaper column.
Being a vegetarian, I did not drool over the food the way I presume most readers would, but I enjoyed the book and the interesting peek into the world of restaurants.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.
Despite his misgivings, Giovanni reluctantly allows Angelica to study French cooking in Paris, despite the family's Italian roots. In Paris she falls in love, and despite that looming disaster, ends up with a lucrative career in the media back in London, with a television cooking show and a newspaper column.
Being a vegetarian, I did not drool over the food the way I presume most readers would, but I enjoyed the book and the interesting peek into the world of restaurants.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.
October 6, 2016
I am amazed to discover this is second in a trilogy. Admirably - and unlike a lot of series - there is no harking back to previous novels and this reads beautifully as a stand-alone read.
Prue Leith is as good at writing as she is at cooking; this book has a wonderful cast of characters and the cooking tidbits enhance the story and it would be hard to guess that a food is the author's main interest.
If you enjoy a really good, well-written family saga this is a must read - you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended.
I received an arc of this book from Net Galley for my honest and unbiased review.
Prue Leith is as good at writing as she is at cooking; this book has a wonderful cast of characters and the cooking tidbits enhance the story and it would be hard to guess that a food is the author's main interest.
If you enjoy a really good, well-written family saga this is a must read - you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended.
I received an arc of this book from Net Galley for my honest and unbiased review.
October 25, 2019
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for letting me review this book
I thought the cover of this book was so pretty, it reminded me of “The Secret Garden”
It really was a lovely story even though I haven’t read the first book, I soon understood who was who. The characters were likeable too. The only thing that worries me is my waistline after reading this book as the food descriptions really had me drooling and wanting to reach for the all things edible.
I thought the cover of this book was so pretty, it reminded me of “The Secret Garden”
It really was a lovely story even though I haven’t read the first book, I soon understood who was who. The characters were likeable too. The only thing that worries me is my waistline after reading this book as the food descriptions really had me drooling and wanting to reach for the all things edible.
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January 16, 2019Enjoyed the second book of the trilogy now just waiting for the third one to come out !
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