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Ballantine Books

The Kitchen Front: A Novel

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From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir comes an unforgettable novel of a BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition and the four women who enter for a chance to better their lives. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING • “This story had me so hooked, I literally couldn’t put it down.”—NPR Two years into World War II, Britain is feeling her losses: The Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is holding a cooking contest—and the grand prize is a job as the program’s first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the competition would present a crucial chance to change their lives. For a young widow, it’s a chance to pay off her husband’s debts and keep a roof over her children’s heads. For a kitchen maid, it’s a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For a lady of the manor, it’s a chance to escape her wealthy husband’s increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it’s a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession. These four women are giving the competition their all—even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together only serve to break it apart? Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books


Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more


Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 23, 2021


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 4.3 MB


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled


Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A Compelling and Lovely Story
Format: Kindle
This story grabbed me from the very beginning and I grew to love each woman in this story. At first I really disliked both Zelda and Gwendoline and did not wish the best for them, but I love that the story helped to define their pasts and develop their characters into women that deserved a place in my heart. Audrey Landon is a WWII widow trying to raise 3 boys in a dilapidated estate with only meager rations and a small pie making business. She struggles to make ends meet and us so list without her husband. Her sister Gwendoline is a high class lady with a condescending attitude and no joy. Zelda is a pregnant single dejected chef with no prospects and a keen desire to succeed as a head chef. Nell Brown is a shy kitchen maid with amazing cooking skills and a wonderfully patient and kind teacher. These 4 women enter a cooking contest to shoe war women hue to make the most if their rations and make delicious meals even during a war. The competition gets spicy at times, but the competitors end up in very different places by the end of the book. I loved the bonds of friendship and love that developed in this story. It was so well written and brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face by the end. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2023 by Marissa
    • An engaging story that you'll find yourself cheering for the characters
Format: Kindle
Have you ever read a book that is so engaging that you find yourself cheering for the characters. This is that book. It is teeming with female power at a time in history when women were fighting to be heard, seen, and appreciated. Just a couple of years into World War II in a rural town outside of London, four women converge as they compete in a cooking contest for a chance to co-host a BBC radio program aimed at helping housewives find clever recipes to stretch their food rationings as far as possible. The contestants – a widow with a house full of boys and an already steady pie-making business made from fruit sourced from her own garden allowing her make ends meet, her sister who has married up and lords it over her but has secrets of her own that make getting out of her manor a necessity, the Lady’s scullery maid whose culinary talents far outweigh her confidence, and a gifted professional chef from the city who hasn’t been able to prove her skills in a proper restaurant kitchen thanks to male dominance of the industry. Think Top Chef meets Downton Abbey minus the glamour, the fine dining, the beautiful clothes. Think women in the kitchen trying to replicate dishes using powdered egg, margarine, and barely enough flour for make-do scones and scant portions of bacon in lieu of fresh cuts of meat for a Sunday roast. Creativity flows despite lack of resources and the recipes are astounding, because ingenuity. THE KITCHEN FRONT shows how resourceful, innovative, and strong these women are, not just for their ability to stretch a limited food supply or to care for themselves during war time, but because they are as equally capable as their male counterparts. In the book we see the roughness that the war imbues in life but also the community that forms between these women through food, family, and belonging. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021 by carilynp
    • Engaging, Heartwarming....perfect!
Format: Paperback
** Kitchen Front"** by Jennifer Ryan is an engaging and heartwarming historical novel set against the backdrop of World War II Britain, where food rationing has turned everyday life into a struggle for survival. The story centers around a BBC radio cooking competition titled "The Kitchen Front," aiming to support housewives coping with severe shortages. The grand prize—a coveted position as the show’s first female co-host—becomes a beacon of hope for four very different women, each motivated by their unique personal challenges. As a young widow seeks to secure her family's future, a kitchen maid longs for freedom from her servitude, a lady of the manor strives to escape her abusive marriage, and a trained chef aims to challenge the male-dominated culinary world, the competition takes center stage. Throughout the narrative, Ryan explores themes of resilience, community, and the lengths individuals will go to improve their circumstances, often pushing boundaries in the pursuit of their dreams. With its rich character development and emphasis on the power of food to unite and sustain, **"The Kitchen Front"** is a delightful read that celebrates the strength of women and the transformative nature of cooking during trying times, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024 by MommaLayne
    • Great read
Format: Kindle
I liked each of the main characters and enjoyed seeing how they dealt with their own pasts, trials and utilized their strengths. Would love a sequel
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2026 by Grandma Mim
    • Another excellent historical
Format: Kindle
If you loved her first two books you will love this one as well. One thing I’ve appreciated in all three books is her ability to take an unlikable character and show them from a little different perspective while also having them change and adapt according to circumstances, not unrealistically transforming to a totally different person, but softening, becoming more likable. That’s a hard thing in real life to remember with people who are difficult, that they can change, and there may be more to their behavior than we are aware. Even after reading her first two books and being familiar with her delightful ability to change her characters, I still did not foresee the the switch, I did not guess the method in which the characters would be brought together. It was well done and believable. Life has lots of real things that are hard, and inns that are not happy. This author does an excellent job of bringing in the hard and difficult things, but leaving you with a believable happy ending. There were two small spots that felt wrong for the time, more in the phrasing than in the situation itself, but aside from that it was beautifully researched and written. The addition of the wartime recipes at the end of each chapter was an inspired touch. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021 by Keilani Ludlow
    • Cleverly Told WWII Tale
Format: Kindle
A World War II story set in England about four totally different women who compete in a wartime cooking contest.
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2026 by Grandmere
    • It gets better as it goes along...wonderful!
Format: Kindle
To be honest...I started out not liking many of the characters. Particularly Reginald and Gwendoline. But, by the end I loved the 4 women and their extended family. Wonderful uplifting book that I recommend!!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2026 by clday
    • Book review
Format: Paperback
Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026 by nancy

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