May 15, 2020
A fresh romance is put through its paces when an accidental pregnancy complicates a business expansion. Building on Brownlee's last book, Fromage � Trois (2018), Australian expatriate Ella and French cheesemonger Serge's Parisian relationship is tested when Ella announces she's pregnant. Having dated for less than a year, the couple must navigate the prospect of starting a family at the same time Serge is opening another shop. But Serge insists that their cramped Paris apartment is no place to raise a baby, and they make haste to some farmland in the bucolic Loire Valley. It's an adjustment for the more metropolitan Ella, and the somewhat isolated countryside exacerbates the fact that Ella and Serge are still relative strangers to one another. The language is a bit twee and quaint, lapsing into caricatured, italicized French from time to time. Food and, of course, cheese play a large role in Ella and Serge's relationship, from discussing it to making it to eating it; this is an unusual aspect of their life, but it becomes tedious around the halfway point. The pacing and tone feel a lot like a lazy Sunday afternoon watching made-for-TV movies. Even if you fall asleep, you won't miss much, and it's not necessarily worth it to rewind and catch up on what you've missed. Though the book feels like a love letter to France and its culture, most of the magic of exploration and new experiences seems to have been used up in the first volume. An uninspiring sequel.
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April 13, 2020
Brownlee’s charming sequel to Fromage à Trois follows a pregnant Australian woman’s struggle to adapt to life in the French countryside. Ella has found happiness in Paris with her French boyfriend, Serge, who owns a cheese shop. When Ella unexpectedly becomes pregnant, Serge decides that rural France is the best environment to raise their child and purchases a goat farm in the Loire Valley without consulting her. Ella is reluctant to leave her idyllic Parisian lifestyle for the seclusion of the country, but agrees to move to the farmhouse on a trial basis. As she expected, Ella’s horribly lonely on the goat farm—until she meets Chuck, a friendly British writer who helps Ella with her plan to set up a shop for Serge’s goat cheese. Serge grows jealous of Ella’s relationship with Chuck, and, when Serge’s ex-wife, Françoise, comes calling, Ella sees green as well. Will Ella and Serge be strong enough to withstand both this love-quadrangle and the stress of impending parenthood? Some readers will find their relationship too dysfunctional to root for, but there’s no denying both characters’ charisma, and it is sweet to witness them learn to work through their issues. The affable cast, appealing setting, and appetizing descriptions of French cuisine make this entertaining romance a worthwhile diversion.