The Café on Manor Lane by Amelia Kyazze is a beautifully crafted novel that finds the extraordinary in the everyday, weaving a rich narrative set in the heart of Lewisham.

Kyazze's talent for using simple yet powerful metaphors, such as likening a person to a cup of tea that has stewed too long—once warm and comforting, now cool and bitter—adds emotional depth and nuance to the story.

Her skillful use of language makes the characters and their emotions resonate deeply with readers.

Told from multiple perspectives within a family, the novel offers a layered exploration of relationships, history, and personal growth.

While I appreciated the varied viewpoints, particularly Adey’s unexpected chapters, I found myself wanting more from Amara.

Her chapters were particularly compelling, and I would have loved a deeper dive into her story and what truly made her tick.

Adey’s sections were a pleasant surprise, given that the blurb seemed to suggest the narrative would focus solely on the female members of the family, and his perspective added a fresh dynamic to the family’s history.

One of the standout elements of the book is its setting.

Kyazze brings Lewisham to life in a way that feels both intimate and authentic.

Whether depicting the 1950s or the 2010s, Kyazze avoids historical clichés and instead offers a vivid, realistic portrayal of the area’s evolution over time.

The way she captures key events from the 2010s, particularly those that made headlines, adds another layer of authenticity and relevance to the story.

It’s clear that Kyazze has a deep understanding of Lewisham’s history, and she successfully immerses readers in the streets and atmosphere of the borough across multiple decades.

While the book excels in many areas, one minor critique is the pacing toward the end.

The conclusion felt a bit abrupt, and I found myself wishing for a few more chapters to tie up certain narrative threads more fully.

Perhaps this is due to reading the e-book version and not realising how close I was to the end, but it left me wanting a bit more closure—especially from Amara’s perspective and more from Bella and Adey’s experiences in the 1970s.

Overall, The Café on Manor Lane is a deeply engaging and evocative novel, with Kyazze’s writing style drawing readers into the lives of her well-developed characters.

It’s a book that leaves you wanting more, not because it’s lacking, but because the world and the people Kyazze has created are so captivating.

If you enjoy stories with rich family dynamics, historical depth, and a strong sense of place, this is a book you won't want to miss.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a wonderful read, I love the characters so much, it was such an engaging story I didn’t want to put this down, a fantastic piece of escapism, perfect to read anytime

The cafe on Manor Lane has been welcoming people for over 60 years, from all sorts of backgrounds, regardless of age, race or nationality, all are welcome. It’s a safe, friendly place.

This wonderful read tells the story of three generations of women living in London and all experiencing the wonders of the city at different times, but also challenged by a place which can be cruel to those how are different.

A compelling read of friendship, troubles and hope in a cruel world.

I read this in early August 2024, unfortunately I’m sad that some things just don’t change with time, but hope for a future where we can all be more accepting of each other.

"I don't fit in with any crowd."
"Me neither. I'll be your crowd, if you want."

This book was such a joy to read! The author found beauty in the everyday and created a story deeply connected to Lewisham’s people.

I loved how the story was told from different family members’ perspectives, though I wish we got more from Amara. Her chapters were super interesting, and I wanted to dive deeper into her thoughts and experiences. Adey’s parts were a nice surprise since I thought the book would focus only on the women in the family.

Kyazze has a knack for using metaphors in a simple but powerful way. One that really stuck with me was comparing someone to a cup of tea that had steeped too long—once warm and comforting, but now cool and bitter.

I felt like I was walking through the streets of Lewisham as I read. Kyazze really knew what she was doing. I especially loved the parts set in most recent years as I remember them. She did a great job bringing these events to life.

When I finished it I kept thinking I wish there was more of it. It felt like something was missing. Regardless, I thought this was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed Kyazze’s writing style and empathized with these wonderful characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed how evocative this book was. Lovely writing that uses metaphor really well and creates strong visual imagery for the reader.
I enjoyed the story being told from multiple perspectives within the family, especially as the characters are very likeable and engaging. It is also told over different time zones which then come together really well. I wish it had been a bit longer!

A gentle novel with an underlying serious theme about racism. Bella, her daughter Amara, and her granddaughter Gina all share a connection via the cafe but more importantly via their "otherness." This is muted, however, through the generosity of other members of the community. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I loved the story, loved the characters and how everything was so well described and bought to life but the ending was so abrupt that it took me by surprise and I felt like I was left hanging

The Cafe on Manor Lane by Amelia Kyazze is an interesting read. Set in London across the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, it focuses on three women of the same family, all of whom are outsiders in some way. French Jew Bella, found safety in London during the war and has lived there alone and detached. When she meets and marries a Nigerian doctor her otherness is increased and passed on to their daughter Amara. She flees London for sanctuary in the Caribbean, leaving behind her daughter Gina, a day-dreaming artist.

The backdrop of racism is lightly drawn but has profound consequences for each of the women. Their stories are engrossing but I feel the book is uneven and imbalanced. The author, I think, has tried to cram too much in and has, thus, left dangling ends and extraneous characters. I think this would have worked very well as a trilogy. However, I'd recommend you read it.

What a lovely read. This is a glorious book with an uplifting message. Although covering race riots in London it is a gentle tale of family & friends over 3 generations. The characters are believable & the reader is able to care about them as they are so well written. I would like to find out more about them.

Amelia Kyazze's "The Café on Manor Lane" is a heartwarming tale of community, love, and new beginnings. Charming characters and a cozy setting make it an enchanting, feel-good read.

THIS BOOK GIVES ME HOPE! It was so beautiful and so powerful! The impact of community in this book is amazing! The time zones, all of it the mixture of diversity!! I mean this is beautiful “!

I found this an unsettling book as it took a while to understand where the story was going. The book covers a couple of time zones : Bella’s earlier life and then her granddaughter, Gina’s adolescent years. Suddenly the story comes together and it becomes a very clever novel. Intricate, moving and at times sad as we get to know the individual characters, their background and loves. Set mostly in Lewisham, we encounter the riots from different periods, both bringing the community of mixed race together as one of friendship.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers OneMore Chapter for this APC

I really enjoyed this novel - three women all linked by the cafe - Bella, a Jewish refugee, Amara her daughter and Gina, her granddaughter. Bella meets Adey in London and they settle in Lewisham, London. Life is hard for them as outsiders but they forge links in the local community. Amara - asthmatic - struggled with living in England and fled to Jamaica. Here she forges a new life for herself before becoming pregnant and returning home. She is unable to mother her daughter who is left in England to be brought up by her grandmother.

Gina works in the cafe - a haunt of her grandparents - and is finding her voice and passions.

The book deals with the realities of racism in the 50s, 60s, 70s and touches on more recent events.

Hard to read at times but overall hopeful and uplifting.

I felt the ending was a bit sudden - I would have liked to know more about the family.

THIS BOOK IS SO CUTE. It is told in 3 different time periods, from 3 different points of view. This adds real depth to the characters and story line. The story and situation is very unique - not the same old trope. Just all elements of this book are done extremely well. I adored it!

I really enjoyed this book. It was very easy to read and I was hooked from the beginning. And it was very well researched.

Not my usual go to type of book but I’m glad I got an ARC of this, thank you! It was just cozy enough for me!

3.5*

The café on manor lane, this for me was a palette cleanser. There is nothing to say that would discredit this book.

The contents of which involve a Jamaican/ Parisian Jewish heritage along with other lead mentions from Spain and Eastern Europe. Set within the streets of London all ties lead back to the café situated on manor lane.

The usual dual timezones is not my favourite within books however this is a presence and ties in nicely to the story telling and settings in this book keeping a heartwarming focus on the family ties.

There is certainly elements of domestic abuse mentioned within the book which could be viewed as a trigger warning, and a bountiful amount of racism which our characters faced during the earlier years in historic London.

I found this to be educational within the realms of reading that is something that I have not previously come into contact with.

I feel I would love to have a book solely on the life of Bella. She certainly has several moments of stories that are captured in this book however a history of her youth would peak my attention.

As with other views I too feel this ended suddenly which was unexpected.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

This was a really lovely book to read, the author found the beautiful in the everyday and created a rich narrative firmly rooted in Lewisham. Kyazze has a talent for using metaphor simply but to great effect, one that particularly stood out to me was comparing someone to a cup of tea that had stewed too long, they had been warm and comforting, now cool and bitter.

I enjoyed the story being told from multiple perspectives within the family, though I would have liked to have heard more from Amara, her chapters were really interesting and I would have liked to hear more about what happened and what made her tick. Adey's sections were a really lovely surprise as I had thought from the blurb that the perspective would remain solely with the female members of the family.

The setting was beautifully done, I truly felt like I spent my time reading this book walking the streets of Lewisham. I have read a few books recently that have similarly attempted to describe the same area at different points in time and this is one of the most successful ones I've read. It felt like Kyazze really knew what Lewisham was like in the 50s , 60s, 70s and 2010s, and did not rely on historical stereotyping and assumptions about a homogenous culture in past decades. In particular I really enjoyed the events depicted in the 2010s, as I remember them happening and think this book really brought the reality of what happened to the fore for those of us who did not live in the area and only saw it on the news.

My only negative about this book is that I think there should have been more of it. I really loved the chapters we had, but as I mentioned above I would have really liked to have had more from Amara's perspective, maybe more from Bella and Adey from the 70s as well. I found the ending a little sudden, this might be because I was reading this as an e-book and hadn't realised quite how close I was to the end of the book, but I would have liked maybe a chapter or two more at the end.

Overall I think this was a really great book , I really enjoyed Kyazze's writing style, I found the characters interesting and engaging and could only ask for more.

Ovall, a decent read but not my usual go-to cozy up with a book moment. Happy I gave it a chance! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!