Set during World War ll in the English. Countryside, The Kitchen Front brings together the lives of four women who enter a cooking contest in hopes of winning a spot on a BBC program. Each woman has her own reasons: Audrey who is a war widow, needs the money. Gwendolyn, Audreys sister needs the affirmation, Zelda, who wants to be head chef at a London restaurant and Nell, who is trying to put her shyness aside and follow the advice of her mentor, Mrs. Quince.
At the outset, these women are not friends. But through a series of circumstances they couldn’t have foreseen, they come to rely on each other. Ultimately, they come to cherish each other and the friendships they have forged.
Friendship is a gift that we can all give to each other and receive in return. The Kitchen Front is a gift we give to ourselves - a heartwarming tale of the value of friends.

Writing: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4/5

Warm-hearted, home-front WWII story about the way people (in this case mostly women) pull together in times of hardship. Based on the real life “Kitchen Front” radio cookery program which was designed to help its listeners make the most of wartime food rations — this is the tale of a competition to find a new, female, co-presenter for the BBC show. Four women in sleepy Fenley Village take up the challenge: Audrey, widowed mother of three trying to eke by with a home baking business; her estranged sister Gwendoline, married to the Lord of Fenley Hall and possessor of Audrey’s crippling mortgage; Nell, undercook at Fenley Hall and terrified of the outside world; and Zelda, a London chef bombed out of her kitchen and sent to the Fenley Pie refectory to work bringing a surprise with her. Alternating between their four voices we get the backstories, recipes, and current challenges (plenty of drama there!) while we follow their inspiring journey from fierce competitors to best friends using will, determination, and compassion to overcoming terrible adversity.

Definitely an upbeat story along with impressive food and food preparation descriptions (though I am only interested in eating food so I kind of skimmed those bits). This is one of those books where human initiative solves problems with the help of some luck and overly-easy good results, but it’s a nice, buoyant glimpse into a world with some obvious parallels to approaches to the problems of today.

A look inside the WW2 kitchens across England. A cooking contest commences and a menagerie of characters come forth with their ration books to be declared the winner. You are quickly drawn into each characters' lives as they struggle to cook and live during such turbulent times.

This novel set in a small English village during WWII instantly drew me in. In involves four women who are competing in a cooking contest for the prize of being a co-presenter on the BBC radio programme "The Kitchen Front". Their task is to come up with tasty, innovative recipes that use the often scarce ingredients that are available to the average housewife during the war. Each woman has her own reasons for wanting to win, but the contest ends up bringing them together in a satisfying way and they all come to realize their individual strengths. Throughout the book, several recipes are included, many of which appealed to me. All in all, this is a heartwarming, cozy read which I think readers of Jennifer Ryan's previous novel "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" will like or those who enjoyed the "Home Front" TV and book series or "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". Thank you to Netgalley who provided me an ARC ebook edition of this lovely novel.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan take place in the village of Finley outside of London during WWII. The War Office decides to have a cooking contest and the winner will be given a spot of the BBC radio show, The Kitchen Front, as a co-host. The contestants must come up with a recipe using foods that can be gotten locally or from the ration coupons each family gets. It's to help local housewives learn how to use these ingredients in healthy meals during food rationing. Four local women enter the contest, Audrey, her sister, Lady Gwendoline, Zelda, and Nell. The chapters alternate between the contestants, sometimes including their recipe. As the contest progresses the four contestants becomes more than just opponents. This is a delicious read about friendship and family. You will devour every page. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical tale of four women during WWII and the friendship they developed. It is about community and merging together to survive. It is a story I will long remember.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What an excellent book! It combined two of my favorite things, history and cooking. I was fascinated with the dynamics between the characters. It made me sad that the two sisters had the relationship that they did, but it made it even more believable.

I loved “The Kitchen Front”. I truly did not want the book to end. The novel is set in a small village near London during WWII. A time of devastation due to bombing, death of loved ones and severe rationing. A time when women were the main caretakers of their village, their families and the workforce. Four very different women use their culinary skills to compete for a position on the BBC radio program “The Kitchen Front”. This program was a government attempt to show how women could feed their families during times of severe food rationing. I was honestly amazed at how severe the rationing was and the lengths these women went to to achieve some sense of normalcy and maximize feeding their families using what ever was available. Many of the chapters end with a copy of the recipes prepared. Although this book could have been depressing, on the whole it was an uplifting story of friendship, devotion and working together for the common good. This is the third book I have read by Jennifer Ryan. I highly recommend all of them.

A wonderful tale that begins as a culinary contest among four women in the time period of WWII using only what is available with rations. They all four are very competive so there are some intense moments. The story includes the recipes that they make for the contest.
As time passes one will see the growth that these various women gain. They learn from each other in adversarial situations, death, and friendship.
Jennifer Ryan has written a beautiful story of a difficult time.

During one of the most darkest times in the history of the world, Jennifer Ryan has written an uplifting book about the power of resilience and friendship. Four women from different walks of life come together during World War II in England for a cooking competition. This show is aired as an informative and creative session to help housewives prepare nutritious meals while stretching their rations, budgets and the availability of needed ingredients. These women were at odds with one another but through hard work and determination they were able to forge ahead. Another interesting aspect of the war! #TheKitchenFront #JenniferRyan #NetGalley

If you loved Chilbury Ladies' Choir, than you will love this. When I found out Ryan was going to write another book. I was so excited. This book has a similar tone to the Chilbury Ladies' Choir. The Kitchen Front is set during WWII and is about four women competing for a spot on a cooking program. I really liked the premise and found this to be a pageturner.

If you are a historical fiction fan, than you'll eat this one up, literally!

A wonderful historical fiction novel that takes place in a small village in England, 1942, during World War II. Ryan is also the author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Spies of Shilling Lane.
This small village has faced rationing, food shortages, financial issues, stress, loss of family members and sacrifices by the entire village. In what the War Office sees as a brilliant idea, they need a woman to be the spokeswoman for their cooking show. A contest is organized by Radio BBC's cooking show and four women are chosen to compete in three rounds of cooking, using recipes that will teach people how to deal with all the shortages and recipe substitutions. One woman wants recognition, another freedom. Another wants to learn the best ways to feed a family and another wants their qualifications as a chef recognized. Organized by chapters, we learn more about these four women and what propels and sustains them. Each chapter includes an authentic, historical recipe from the World War II era.
The author was able to make this story seem so real, and how very difficult it was for the people of England. Food shortages, bombs dropping, trying to make sure children received their education. Just a great all around story. The Author's Note gave further information about the radio show and the recipes used during that trying time.

"...A positively uplifting read that is as soothing as a warm cup of Earl Grey on a gloomy morning..." - full review to appear in BookList.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan is an excellent historical fiction novel that takes place within Fenley, a small village a few miles away from London in 1942 during WWII.

Within this small village, most are affected one way or another concerning rationing, food shortages, financial changes, loss, sacrifices, and stress. The War Office decides that the radio show, The Kitchen Front, needs an addition of a female voice to help with the ratings and recommendations. A contest takes place in which four women that are deemed “professional cooks” compete for a chance at that coveted spot and all that position contains. For one woman, it is recognition and acceptance, for another it is financial saving, for another it is a chance at freedom, and for another it is for the chance to live up to their potential.

Each woman desperately wants this chance and with each alternating chapter, we get a glimpse into each woman’s story: Zelda, Audrey, Nell, and Gwendoline. Each have their reasons, their complicated pasts, hopes, dreams, flaws, strengths, and fears. I loved being able to be a part of each character to see their perspective throughout the story.

I like how the parts were divided into Rounds 1-3 in reference to the competition. I also like the authentic and historically accurate recipes that were used on the show and in homes in England during this time. To say that some were unique is quite the understatement.

At first things are cutthroat, ugly at times, and desperate, however I love how the author was able to add unifying obstacles into the story to help each character self-reflect, evolve, change, and join forces for the greater good. I always love when characters are able to grow in a story. I also enjoyed the positive ending and the Author’s Note giving factual information regarding the BBC show and the recipes.

A great historical fiction book that was surprisingly lighter and uplifting despite its heavy backdrop. A great read that flew by before I knew it.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/23/21.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in return for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book. First off, I'm a sucker for WWII stories, that involve the regular people at home, trying to manage during the war. Second, just like her previous two books, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Spies of Shilling Lane, this book involves characters who have their own flaws, but who learn and grown throughout the book. Third, maybe it's just the right book at the right time, but I really enjoyed reading a book that was somewhat uplifting - people coping with difficulties and problems, but, through working hard and caring about other people, survive and even thrive, with love and friendships.

The book revolves around a cooking contest, the winner of which will be a co-host of a BBC radio show, The Kitchen Front. The idea is to make palatable and preferably delicious food within the constraints of rationing and unavailability of many things. Audrey is a war widow, trying to support her three sons, by baking pies to sell. Meanwhile, she maintains a large garden for food, forages for things like mushrooms, and keeps hens and bees to augment her supplies with eggs and honey. Her estranged sister, Gwendoline, is the "lady of the manor," with her own secret problems. Nell is the kitchen maid at the manor, an orphan who has learned to cook from the motherly cook, Mrs. Quince, who has become a fabulous and creative cook, and is beginning to realize her own strengths. Zelda is a former head chef at a bombed out London restaurant, whose ambition to return to being a head chef may be ruined by the fact that she's pregnant, about to become an unwed mother.

The four contestants begin as rivals, but circumstances bring them together. As they grow, their relationships develop and they each become stronger as a result. In this, as in her previous books, Ms. Ryan celebrates the strength of women and their friendships - and I really enjoyed it!

4.5

A heartwarming novel set at the home front in England during WW II, it features four women, two sisters whose paths sharply diverged, a kitchen helper and maid, and a trained chef who reinvented herself after a tough beginning.

Each woman has her goals and outlook, which clash at the beginning even before the four, all cooks, compete for a chance at a radio show, which would bring in badly needed money for one sister, and would mean prestige for the other. The latter two have more mixed motives, but as the novel develops, everything changes, bringing them all together.

The men in the story tend to be a bit more black-and-white, but not unbelievable. You meet types like them in far too many period biographies, memoirs, and letters. Anyway the focus is on the women, and that story is most satisfying.

For those into cooking, there are recipes that I assume are period correct. They certainly take the exigencies of rationing into consideration, which gives the novel that resonance of the real. That and the characters' reactions to the sporadic planes flying overhead: friend or enemy?

Ryan is especially good with describing grief, adding a layer of poignancy to precious friendships.

My only complaint--and I hope it's fixed in the final draft--was the distraction of incorrect nomenclature for a knight and his wife. As both characters appear often, that incorrect appellation was there a lot. But these are e-arcs, so maybe that and a few other typos will get smoothed out before February. Hope so--the book deserves to look as good as it can. It really left me smiling.

Beautifully crafted, Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, illustrates the hardships of those left behind in WWII Britain. While the story centers on four competitors in a cooking competition, the book is far more than a story about the competition. The book is a tribute to the strength of women and the concept of together we’re stronger than alone. Jennifer Ryan is a gifted author who capably builds a character driven novel that isn’t rushed to a conclusion. The four characters have distinct personalities, strengths and weakness, and the tale of their journey apart and together is well worth reading. This book has strong feminist undertones without beating the reader over the head with an agenda.

The WWII countryside setting brings much to the book, but the part that I found most fascinating was all the information about rationing and how people learned to live with it and still produce meals. This book appears to be well researched and taught me much while still being entertaining.

If I have any complaints about the book it is how the characters were presented as so black and white at first; the noble one, the downtrodden one, etc.; but Ms Ryan was able to successfully build a novel where these four women could evolve and grow. I found only one of the transitions about too abrupt.

I loved this book and found it entertaining, informative and well written and I highly recommend it. Five Stars.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write an honest review and the opinions stated are solely my own.

The Kitchen Front, a WW II novel about a contest to see which female cook will be on air with Ambrose Hart in a BBC radio show of the same name, is filled with the tastes and smells of the kitchen. These are wonderfully portrayed, but it's the behind-the-scenes experiences of dealing with food scarcity and finding ways to make do--like foraging for food, creating substitutions, and relying on others for recipe ideas as well as for dealing with personal challenges--that adds depth to the story. Meticulous research is worked smoothly into the story.

World War II story set in a small English village The Kitchen Front cooking show comes to town. Four women are competing but friendships are formed in unlikely circumstances. A fun quick read
based on a real radio show during the war.

In a small English village at the height of World War 2, four very different women compete for the opportunity to cohost a radio cooking program focused on developing healthy and tasty recipes during food rationing. The war widow hopes to earn enough money to keep her home and family, the kitchen maid hopes to escape a life of drudgery, the trained chef who has risen from poverty and now finds herself pregnant hopes to challenge the men at the top of her profession, and the lady of the manor simply wants to be the best, even if she has to cheat to do it. The competition is forever and bitter at the beginning but as the women come to know each other they learn to respect and like their competitors and end by working together for a common cause.

This is an interesting premise flawed by stereotypical characters who all mature and grow out of their flaws unbelievably. The spiteful, mean, and vindictive lady of the manor learns empathy, generosity, and kindness, the shy kitchen maid who can't say two words to a stranger is suddenly able to speak eloquently, the hard hearted cockney chef learns to trust others, and the widow finds a way to open her eyes to the world around her and move beyond her grief. Happy endings abound and all works out in the end.

This is an interesting plot marred by poor character development.