The House In The Olive Grove by Emma Cowell

 

The House in the Olive Grove by Emma Cowell.

Published 25th May 2023 by Avon.

From the cover of the book:

Will one week in Greece change their lives for ever?

Chef Maria is running a successful cookery school in her home village of Petalidi, Greece – but she is also running from the secrets of her past.

Food journalist Kayla thought this was going to be just another work trip. But right before she leaves for Greece, she discovers that her whole life is built on a lie.

Jewellery-maker Alessandra has always lived according to her own rules – despite what it has cost her to do so. But she has just had some devastating news.

As these three very different women come together at the house in the olive grove, unlikely friendships blossom and a season of self-discovery begins. Will the sumptuous flavours, sapphire waters and golden sands of Greece give each of them the answers they so desperately seek?

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Renowned chef Maria, once the toast of the New York restaurant scene, has been running her cookery school in her home village of Petalidi, Greece for ten years. She loves communing with her beloved bees in the olive grove, and along with passing on her food wisdom she has a canny knack of helping her clients deal with problems in their personal lives - if only she could find a way to heal her own heartache too.

For the coming week, Maria will be joined by two new clients, who although she does not know it yet, are in sore need of her healing magic. Food writer, and TV personality, Kayla is coming to Petalidi to learn about Greek cuisine for work, but she is weighed down by the secrets she is forced to keep from her adoring public - now made even more of a burden by the break down of her apparently picture perfect marriage. Alessandra, a glamorous and free-spirited jewellery designer from Rome, is not sure what she is looking for in Petalidi, but hopes some time away from her life might help her deal with the devastating news she has received.

As these three very different come together, and cook together, an unlikely friendship grows up between them. A friendship that can help all three come to terms with the knocks life has dealt them, and to help them find the courage to move forward.

I love a story about food, especially one which offers a feast for the senses, and The House in the Olive Grove does that in spades, by bringing alive the taste of Greece against a stunning backdrop - and by throwing in a cast of intriguing female characters, both in our central characters Maria, Kayla and Alessandra, and in the women around them.

Maria, Kayla and Alessandra are very different people, with startlingly different philosophies on life, and yet they are all haunted by their pasts, pressurised by the need to conform to expectation, and troubled by the need to make some hard decisions about their futures. As the story plays out, through the narratives of all three, we learn of their lives, their secrets, and the choices they must make. Maria is the glue that holds everyone together, but she is hiding secrets of her own that she is afraid to confront. This allows Cowell to thread a thoroughly compelling storyline of menace and alienation through an otherwise heartfelt tale, which adds a very unexpected level of depth. 

There are some lovely themes interwoven through the generations of women in this story, especially, loss, fear, alienation, and finding the courage to be yourself. There is something magical about the way food is used to bring everyone together, and I loved the way Cowell mixes in references to Maria's bees throughout to reflect and amplify the themes too. Everything comes together in the most enchanting way, to fill your heart with emotion, and your eyes with tears.

This is such a charming story of female friendship, full of warmth, hope, romance, and tasty Greek treats to tempt your taste buds. Cowell's love of Greece shines through, and I am now yearning to feel the sunshine and swim in those azure waters once more. The perfect escapist summer read!

The House in the Olive Grove by Emma Cowell is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Avon for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Emma lives in Cornwall with her husband, Tony, and their fur baby, a Russian Blue called Papoushka Gerald Cowell. A former actress and BBC presenter Emma has worked in the fundraising division of children’s palliative care for the last decade and is currently Head of Philanthropy for national charity Together for Short Lives. Segueing from being paid to talk for a living into writing was a natural progression, since story telling has been at the heart of her career to date. 

Outside of work, Emma is a keen angler and is attempting to learn Greek to maintain her love affair with the country where she has set her novels. She is yet to achieve a level of proficiency outside of tavernas and bakeries.