Everyone has heard of Mrs Beeton, right? For those of us of a particular age, there might even have been a copy of 'Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management' lying around at home or at the home of parents, grandparents, whoever... That huge Victorian tome, updated and reprinted regularly, was a Bible to all housekeepers of a certain vintage...and yet the women at the centre of 'The Language of Food' - Eliza Acton - inspired Mrs Beeton and yet is herself mostly unknown.

With its Victorian setting and story about a woman who has been forgotten by history, this book could have been written for me!

At the novel's heart is an unlikely friendship between Eliza Acton and the seventeen year-old maid, Ann Kirby, who she hires to help her write the cookbook demanded by her publisher. Eliza is a poet living in genteel poverty who is determined to bring poetry to recipe books which - to this point - have been pretty dry and basic. Ann is a poor maid with a family who need supporting - and she brings the culinary skills to the partnership that Eliza lacks. Between the two, they create something which kickstarts the cookbook genre in a format we would recognise today (and which Mrs Beeton heavily relied upon for her own writing).

The majority of the book is set in the very early days of Queen Victoria's reign and is told (in alternate chapters) by Eliza and Ann. Both voices are compelling and the reader is soon caught up in the problems that they are facing - Eliza wants to write while her overbearing mother tries to marry her off to secure some wealth for the family while Ann is seeking to escape from the extreme poverty of her background while also helping her family. Ann's story is particularly heartbreaking, especially when the reader can start to piece together her tragedy in a way that her naivety doesn't allow her to realise.

Although the focus is the two women, there is so much more to enjoy in this book. In particular, the weird and wonderful Victorian recipes are pretty fascinating. For me, a fussy eater at the best of times, the prospect of Seasoned Gruel, Buttered Celery on Toast or Smoked Haunch of Badger was intriguing! Each chapter has a different dish as its title - often what Eliza and Ann are cooking, discussing or writing about. I loved the fact that Abbs describes the original recipes and cooking techniques which adds to the authenticity of the setting - I'm not a foodie at all, but this was interesting reading.

Another lovely touch was the use of real people and places - as part of Eliza's richly-imagined world, we meet interesting historical figures such as Lady Judith Montefiore and Alexis Soyer. While not household names now, for a Victorian geek like me they were great additions that added to the vibrancy of Eliza's setting and furthered my picture of early-Victorian life. There was a lot here that had me frantically Googling to split the fact from the fiction - the mark of a great historical novel in my book!

Abbs' writing is beautiful and nuanced - this is the story of a frustrated poet who explores the possibilities of language as much as cookery and it is a pleasure to read.

Overall, I would say this is a joy for fans of historical fiction - especially those who like light shed on forgotten people and stories. This is a book that needs savouring as there is so much to take in, from the glorious descriptions of food to the beauty of the growing relationship between the two women. It isn't fast paced, but it is thoroughly engaging and delightfully written.

This book was captivating from the very start to the very end. It’s entertaining, engaging, and historically very interesting. It’s fascinating to see the lives of two real-life (albeit with artistic license) headstrong women in what was a very heavily male-dominated world.

I was appalled at how the ‘lessers’ of society (the alcoholics, the mentally and physically ill) were treated in the 1800, which in the grand scheme of things, was not that long ago. There’s a lot to moan about regarding the current times we live in, but I do feel grateful that women have more of a position than 200 years ago.

I love reading recipe books and I own about 50 of them, but I’m ashamed to say I had not heard of Eliza Acton (but I had heard of Mrs Beeton, a writer I found out from this book who had stolen some of Eliza’s work and passed it off as her own). If Annabel Abbs’ writing is anything like Eliza’s was, it is then obvious how a recipe book could be written just as beautifully as a poetry book, with as much heart and magic. She makes even the simplest of dishes sound like a feast - something I find difficult to do considering food has to be seen, smelt, tasted to be enjoyed. At times, I forgot I was even reading someone else’s words, it felt like it could have been a history book in its accuracy.

I will do my best to source a copy of Eliza’s cookery book, and take more care and appreciation when reading others, for they all owe a great debt to Miss Eliza Acton.

A beautifully written book, full of the importance of the flavours of food, and how difficult life was for the poor. The contrast of the rich recipes against the stories of the asylum are a reminder of how different families lived during Victorian times. Eliza and Ann had very different experiences but are united by their love of cooking. Both have a number of secrets and I loved how the story flowed, alternating between Eliza and Ann.

My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review. This is the kind of book that is not usually my thing but I ended up loving it. It is the characters that hooked me. Eliza and Ann were so beautifully written that I still miss them after finishing the book. It was a fascinating look at women of that time, their bonds and the differences between their social classes and how that impacted them.

This was a fun read - the prologue set it up to be a darker read, or so I thought. But it explores the relationship between Eliza Acton, who is trying to write her first cookbook much to the chagrin of her awful mother, and her servant Ann. Eliza wrote the first well known cookbook, much of which was plundered by Mrs Beeton. I had vaguely heard of Eliza Action before, and my mum had Mrs Beeton's book but I didn't know that Mrs Beeton plagiarised at least a third of the recipes from Eliza! Cheeky moo. The Language of Food is primarily concerned with the two women as they get to know each other and write the cookbook, and the central relationship is between the two of them, and their respective family issues. However, I would have appreciated more fleshing out of the other relationships in the story as i feel there could have been more to those. The ending was also quite abrupt, so despite the novel capturing a specific moment in time, I wanted more. It's a well written character study, and has the most gorgeous cover.

The Language of Food is a delightful book following the creation of Eliza Acton's cookery book. I wasn't particularly sure about Eliza's flowery language initially, but it made more sense when her character was revealed, and when it was turned to the subject of food. Ann was supremely more interesting, and had the better character arc - her burst of ambition at the end of the book was a wonderful way to leave her.

There wasn't much in way of plot - the characters finish the book in very much the place they are 25% of the way through it, but I don't think the book is lacking for this. The only issue I truly had was that the ending before the epilogue was rather abrupt, particularly when the epilogue revealed the fate of the pair without this being a part of the story.

A nice novel, good for fans of historical fiction, and perfect for food lovers.

Beautifully written, and I was hungry for a large portion of the time when I was reading The Language of Food! I have a bit of a love hate relationship with fiction books featuring real life characters, as I always wonder what the person would think of their portrayal. I didn't know much about Eliza Acton but I thought he portrayal was sympathetic and we'll drawn.

The highlight of this book for me is all the scenes in the kitchen, the recipes, the sensuousness of the description, the heat and the sheer hard work.

Loved it.

The Language of Food is a charming novel about Eliza Acton, pioneering Victorian cookery writer. The story is straightforward, narrated alternately by Eliza and her assistant Ann. But there are threads of poetry throughout - not only lines from Eliza's own poetry collection, but Abbs' descriptions of food, cooking and self-expression also hold their own lyricism.

At times the structure is a little too formulaic, and the characters can be quite trite, but The Language of Food has all the ingredients of an engaging historical novel.

An unlikely pairing: a lady having (recently dashed) aspirations as a writer of poetry and a poor girl having aspirations to become a cook.
Eliza Acton and Ann Kirby are thrown together to attempt writing a cookbook.
Eliza without any knowledge of cookery and Ann without knowledge of writing. Both have a poetic passion for food for their own reasons.
You will most certainly need a bib when you read this story - at times the descriptions are so mouth-watering that you will rush off for some food.
Loosely based on true historical events, this story is as rich as a Christmas pudding. Delish!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I've always been interested in cooking and have several cookery books that I refer to often. As a cook myself it's wonderful to see how these books evolved in the past, especially written by women, a stunning read.

Before we had Mrs Beeton, we had Eliza Acton.

This is the story of how cookery books came into the hands of women and brought them into the kitchen. To have a love for cooking was opened up to everyone and not just the hired cooks or chefs. Eliza Acton transformed the format of writing cookery books by ensuring precision in measurements and scaling down recipes so they are useable for an average family and not just for banquets.

Eliza Acton was a spinster and a poet. She dreamt of having her poetry printed with her name on the front but when she went to meet with a publisher, she was encouraged to give up poetry as it was not seen as ladylike and to write a cookery book. Disheartened, but not discouraged, Eliza soon finds poetry in cooking as she teaches herself to cook. With the aid of Ann Kirby, her kitchen assistant, the two spend the next 10 years revolutionising the world of cookery.

The story is told switching between the two voices of Eliza and Ann as their past and present are brought to life, bringing to the forefront the difference in their social and class differences. However, these stark comparisons between their lives soon become the main ingredient in the writing and testing of the recipes they create together.

This book had me salivating, although some of the recipes described were not to my taste, the way they were written had my tastebuds calling. My love for cooking has been reignited as I am now yearning for the time to get in the kitchen and try new recipes and flavours. I also hadn’t heard of Eliza Acton. Of course, I had heard of Mrs Beeton but to learn that she had plagiarised a lot of her book from Eliza had changed my perception of her and with this wonderful book, Eliza’s story is going to be brought to the forefront once again. Her story is one that needs to be told. She is a woman to be admired for her determination and strength. She never let go of her dream to see her name in print on the cover of her book.

I've been a huge fan of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management since, well, forever. I even have not one but three copies of it. One abridged version from the 1980s, another, old version that belonged to my grandmother and that crumbles to dust if I ever lift it out of its plastic wrapping, and finally a digital version from the Gutenberg Project on my Kindle.

I knew the name Eliza Acton as being that of another cookery writer from around the same era, but that was all. When I saw a novel about her, I thought it was next best thing to a novel about Mrs Beeton, so I was thrilled to receive a review copy from the publisher.

This is a long-winded way to say I was primed to like this novel from the start. But I was astonished by how much I LOVED reading it.

First, as pure story, it is brilliant. The domestic details and the different story threads are gripping and come alive on the page. The narrative of how Eliza finds herself in the kitchens after her father's financial ruin and sudden fall from their social position is fascinating. Eliza faces financial difficulties and professional setbacks with her publisher with determination. It is wonderful to watch her discover her passion and vocation in cooking. Ann lifts herself from miserable poverty through hard work and intelligence, and becomes not just an inspired and gifted help but a muse to Eliza.

This is girl power at its best. Any woman must be thrilled by the independence, intelligence and creativity of these two wonderful women. For me, I just fell in love with them both. It is almost pure fiction of course (little is known about Eliza and the novel is built around the spare facts that are known). She was a poet first and a cook second, but the poetry runs through her cookery writing.

While reading it, I went online to dig out some Eliza Acton recipes from Modern Cookery and was delighted to realise that the lyrical but down-to-earth voice of the novel, which I loved so much, was the same voice as Eliza's own in her original recipes.

Abbs captures Eliza's voice, and the poetry of her style. I savoured every word, every page, every scene. It is so beautifully written. There is a luminous, Vermeer-like quality in the way the novel shines a light on Ann and Eliza in the kitchen, as they lovingly taste, test and study ingredients and dishes. It was a joy to immerse myself in and I wished it would never end.

My only quibble, if I had to find one, would be the lack of actual recipes. The chapters are named according to an ingredient or recipe relevant to the chapter's contents. I would have loved if each chapter had started (or finished) with an actual recipe, quoted directly from the original text. In fact, it's a sign of how engaged I was with this book that not only have I found myself pondering Eliza and Ann's actual lives, I've even found myself imagining the author's discussions with the editor or publisher about whether or not to put actual recipes in the book.... Yeah, I think I got a bit carried away on this one...

It's an understatement to say I'm grateful to have received an ARC in exchange for a review. This was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in the last couple of years, and one of the most memorable. It's bound to be a bestseller.

Finally, the cover and title are marvellous. Perfect for this book.

If you like historical fiction and food, you’ll probably enjoy this book. I thought it was well written, and I was keen to keep picking it up and discover more. I recognise it’s based on a real life but I was surprised at some of the artistic licence in some areas (no spoilers but the interlude with her sister) and then missing from others (what happened to end the friendship that at the beginning felt like a love story?). I enjoyed reading a true story of a groundbreaking independent woman, who virtually invented the modern cookery book, but I didn’t warm to her as a person and bizarrely felt more interested in the second character, Ann, and how society was so unsupportive of people with dementia back then. There were some parts of the book that didn’t quite seem plausible but, all in all, the foodie bits and the relationships between the women made for an OK gentle read.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a love story of food. A fascinating story of Eliza Acton - a brave and independent woman who despite numerous setbacks is determined to write and publish under her own name. Her strength as a character is described really well and I enjoyed the frankness of her discussions with her mother and Mr Arnott.
Her friendship with Ann was wonderful and I loved to see Ann grow in confidence as the cookery book developed between them.

This book HAS to come with a warning. Do not read if hungry or slightly hungry otherwise it will send you to the cake shop quicker than you can say Annabel Abbs. If there are no baked goods within your reach, it could well send you a bit mad.

What a lovely book? Insightful, warm and very interesting to find out about the first lady of baking. Mrs Beaton eh? Well I see her in a new light. This book shows you the real person behind the art of cooking and the idea of a recipe book and is based on true facts. The author has done a very clever job of making a true story come to life with an added sprinkle of literary magic. The ingredients of this book are subtle and all necessary to make this fine feast of a novel. Enough baking analogies I am now off to eat cake. And then more cake. It's what Annabel Abbs would have wanted.

I rather liked this gentle little book which tells the back story of the writing of a historical cookery book believed to be heavily plagiarised by mrs Beaton when she wrote her more famous book later
The author tells the story of the two main authors of this book and their lives before and during the writing of the book .The historical details seem accurate and believable including the abject poverty of the maid characters family .
The book avoids the trap of many historical novels of trying to fit too much of the known historical facts in and because of this reads smoothly and feels like a fictional novel .
I loved the way that the lady writers story is revealed slowly and at one stage I felt that a lesbian back story would be revealed ,this was cleverly done and elucidated her character very well
I enjoyed the book a lot and would recommend to readers who enjoy historical fiction but who need a good deep character description within the story to add reality
I wandered whether we needed the description of the historical facts at the start of the book as they were repeated at the end and I assume there would be enough in the book blurb for the reader to know that the story was based on the lives of real people
I read an early copy of the book on NetGalley Uk the book is published in March 2022

I struggled to get through the book to be honest. I was so excited at the beginning, it's a historical novel, it is based on true facts, it talks about food and women making their way in the world of early 1800 in England. It had great potential! But unfortunately it did not do it for me.
Both Ann and Eliza were supposed to be likeable characters, fighting for something they believed in. I am sorry to say they did not appear like that to me. I actually didn't like them. I don't know why or what it was, but neither of them spoke to me or made me think "wow! That is truly inspiring".
I actually didn't know Eliza Acton was a real person, so reading her personal facts at the end, actually made the book slightly better.
It wasn't all bad, I thoroughly enjoyed the comparison between poetry and food and the way the author talked about food.
I read it, I finished it. Would I read it again? No. Would I recommend it? No.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the copy this e-ARC.

A beautiful, sumptuous book that brings recipes to life and examines Victorian attitudes to mental health, and women. I loved the intense ness of the kitchen and of secrets below the surface of both narratives- Eliza and Anne. I feel a growing need to poach a pear. Thoroughly enjoyable, strongly recommend.

I devoured this book like you would devour a delicious meal!

This book had me gripped from the very beginning. Eliza Acton and Ann Kirby and delightful characters - well written, strong and willful women living in the mid nineteenth century - a time when it wasn’t easy to be unmarried or have aspirations beyond being a wife and mother. Eliza wants to be a poetess, but her publisher instead requests a cookery book. Forced to run a boarding house with her mother after her father loses the family fortune, Eliza decides to do the cooking for their guests as a way of researching her book. When Ann is taken on as a maid to the household, Eliza finds in her a kindred spirit. Someone who wants to escape her poverty-stricken life supervising her drunk father and trying to care for her ailing mother.

This book rattles along at a brilliant pace, and the format of alternating the chapters between Eliza and Ann keeps both sides of the story intimate and poignant. There’s more to this story than just the food, but the descriptions of the flavours and combinations will definitely make you feel a bit peckish each time you pick it up! A great book - moving, thoughtful, feminist, empowering.

Like a fine meal;, this was satisfying, exciting and deliciously intriguing all in one. Loved every page.