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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure what to expect, maybe some sort of " Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" riff (you know, food, WWII,) but "Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook" is something else all together.
Edith Graham spent the war at home in England teaching, taking care of her mother. Now the war is over, and her cousin Leo encourages her to apply to the Control Commission of Germany helping to set up schools. The family has always known that Leo was involved in some sort of intelligence work, and Edith has a task. She is to keep an eye out for Kurt von Stavenow, Leo's old college friend and Edith's former lover.
With food at top of everyone's mind, she chooses recipes as her way to communicate with Dori, her handler in England. England is still under rationing and Europe has no food, so any kind of culinary creativity is appreciated.
Celia Rees does a remarkable job with her post war setting in blasted Lubeck and the stakes in deciding the fates of "former" Nazis. Edith and her colleagues are a fascinating group, fully realized and kick-ass good. The ending is completely satisfying.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
Edith Graham spent the war at home in England teaching, taking care of her mother. Now the war is over, and her cousin Leo encourages her to apply to the Control Commission of Germany helping to set up schools. The family has always known that Leo was involved in some sort of intelligence work, and Edith has a task. She is to keep an eye out for Kurt von Stavenow, Leo's old college friend and Edith's former lover.
With food at top of everyone's mind, she chooses recipes as her way to communicate with Dori, her handler in England. England is still under rationing and Europe has no food, so any kind of culinary creativity is appreciated.
Celia Rees does a remarkable job with her post war setting in blasted Lubeck and the stakes in deciding the fates of "former" Nazis. Edith and her colleagues are a fascinating group, fully realized and kick-ass good. The ending is completely satisfying.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
juliahoh21's review against another edition
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
dkpalmer13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
kawanajane's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant read! First time read for this author for me but thoroughly pleased. The ending was super unexpected but still satisfying, gripped from the start to finish with this one
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the recipes at the start of each chapter. Creative story and I liked that it took place in post WWII Europe. Strong female lead character :) Recommend it.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
5.0
Terrific book. Set mostly in immediately post-WWII West Germany, I was especially interested to read it because that's where and when my mother was born. A hard time and place, but this is a charming and largely heartwarming book, although naturally there are horrors, how could there not be?
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
World War II is done. Edith Graham is single and decides to join the Control Commission for Germany where she will help rebuild the education system from buildings to furniture to teachers to books. This will be a cover as she will be hunting for a doctor who was high in the Nazi regime who she has quite a history with, but what side does she work for and what is the future for this doctor who is accused of doing many horrible things during the war.
For me this book was hard to read. I had such a difficult time figuring out who worked for who when everyone was about to double cross. I wish there had been a map and some chart of who was who or at least their titles because this really stunted my reading of the book.
World War II is done. Edith Graham is single and decides to join the Control Commission for Germany where she will help rebuild the education system from buildings to furniture to teachers to books. This will be a cover as she will be hunting for a doctor who was high in the Nazi regime who she has quite a history with, but what side does she work for and what is the future for this doctor who is accused of doing many horrible things during the war.
For me this book was hard to read. I had such a difficult time figuring out who worked for who when everyone was about to double cross. I wish there had been a map and some chart of who was who or at least their titles because this really stunted my reading of the book.
heather626's review against another edition
4.0
Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees is based on the aftermath of World War 2 and finding Nazi's hiding, holding them accountable for their war crimes. Edith joins British forces and disguises her correspondence as recipes. This is an interesting take on World War 2 and how it effected everyone. Rees does an amazing job describing the torture and absolute disgusting actions taken against the "inferior" community during the war. I will say, most of the recipes did not appeal to my palate but I can appreciate the hardships during this time. I found the background history very interesting and showed me interesting facts that I didn't know.
Overall, the book had a sad historical plot. We know the story but I loved the take on the spies and the way they did their job. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, especially surrounding post-war Germany.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Celia Rees, and HarperCollins- William Morrow Publishing for the advance digital copy of Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook in exchange for my honest opinion.
#MissGrahamsColdWarCookbook #NetGalley
Overall, the book had a sad historical plot. We know the story but I loved the take on the spies and the way they did their job. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, especially surrounding post-war Germany.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Celia Rees, and HarperCollins- William Morrow Publishing for the advance digital copy of Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook in exchange for my honest opinion.
#MissGrahamsColdWarCookbook #NetGalley
kirstiefitz's review against another edition
5.0
Enthralling!
Absolutely could not put this one down. The plot twists were carefully crafted and I never saw the ending coming. SUCH a brilliant book!
Absolutely could not put this one down. The plot twists were carefully crafted and I never saw the ending coming. SUCH a brilliant book!
dogearedandfurry's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting spy story in the immediate aftermath of WW2, trying to track down the von Stavenows who Edith knew before the war, as they proved to be Nazis and involved in the horrific medical testing done to many in the name of “science”. The characters and plot were good, but I did get a little lost with the many characters and who exactly wanted what, between Drummond, McHale, Adams, etc. I definitely cared about the core characters though, as evidenced by my reaction to a certain death…
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.