Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Last night I finished listening to Eli Brown’s Cinnamon and Gunpowder, which my sister highly recommended.  I’ve spent quite some time trying to come up with comparisons that will give you a sense of the plot; my best effort goes something like this.  IF you crossed “The King and I” with “Pirates of the Caribbean”, added elements of  “Star Wars” and Robin Hood, threw in a bit of Joan Aiken’s Nightbirds on Nantucket and something of the character of Fantine from Les Miserables,  and then aired the resulting story on the Food Network, you might end up with something like Eli Brown’s second novel.  It’s a bit odd, a bit bloody, sometimes poignant, and sprinkled with food porn.  What begins as a tale of a captured cook forced to prepare lavish Sunday dinners for an infamous female pirate captain becomes a David vs. Goliath sort of clash, and it surprised, delighted, and moved me.  If you like history, food, or the clashing of two polar opposites, don’t miss this one!