Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Secret of Chantilly by Laura Rahme. Thank you to Historical Fiction Book Tours for the opportunity. Read on for more info, my review, and a giveaway!
THE SECRET OF CHANTILLY
BY LAURA RAHME
Publication Date: November 28, 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
“In my story, there was such a prince. And never in my wildest imagination would I have predicted that I would come to live with him, in his château.”
PARIS, 1792. Antonin Carême is eight years old when he is left to fend for himself in a city about to enter the darkest days of the French revolution. The imaginative boy who yearns for a fairy tale come true soon discovers his talent for pâtisserie.
When he meets the mysterious Boucheseiche, maître d’hôtel for Napoleon’s minister, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Carême’s world is turned upside down. Boucheseiche promises that one day, he will reveal to him the secret of Chantilly.
Appointed chef at the château of Valençay, Carême falls under the spell of the enigmatic Talleyrand. He is soon swept up in his own fairy tale – a whirlwind of princes, princesses and châteaux, with pâtisserie and scandal along the way. Then comes Napoleon’s downfall and everything changes. Can Carême place his trust in the elusive Talleyrand, that limping devil for whom no one seems to matter?
Orphan of the Terror, genius crippled by self-doubt, it will take years for Carême to finally discover the secret of Chantilly.
This is the story of a child who defied his birth to become a legend of French gastronomy and of the unimaginable friendship between two men from entirely different worlds.
From the streets of Paris to the château of Valençay, from the congress of Vienna to the dazzling ballrooms of France’s richest man, Carême recounts adventures colored with spice, humor and tenderness, but always rich with France’s history, its heritage and its great culinary art.
Review:
The Secret of Chantilly by Laura Rahme is a beautifully written historical fiction. The writing…wow. Just so vivid and almost poetic, I was transported into this book just by the language used.
I love historical fiction because I usually learn something about a time period I wasn’t super aware of. This taught me while keeping me invested. I loved the story and how well it was researched and plotted to be accurate and entertaining.
Overall, The Secret of Chantilly is an excellent read for fans of this genre. I look forward to more from thus author. Check it out.
Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
Rating:
4★
Giveaway
Enter to win a copy of The Secret of Chantilly by Laura Rahme!
The giveaway is open internationally and ends on December 17th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
About the Author
Laura Rahme is a French-Australian author based in Brittany, France. Born in Dakar, Senegal and inspired by her Lebanese, French and Vietnamese heritage, she has a passion for covering historical and cultural ground in her writing. She has written,
The Ming Storytellers (2012) – a historical novel set in China’s Early Ming Dynasty.
The Mascherari (2014) – a historical mystery with supernatural themes set in 15th century Venice.
Julien’s Terror (2017) – a French Revolution psychological thriller/mystery which pays homage to her Breton origins.
Calista (2021) – a Victorian gothic horror mystery set in 19th century England and Greece.
The Secret of Chantilly (2021) — a real-life fairy tale set in France featuring the first celebrity chef, Marie-Antoine Carême (1784-1833) and one of France’s most influential figures, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord.
In 2020, Laura announced that she is working on a historical crime novel set in her birth country, Senegal. The Silence of the Pirogue will explore 70s and 80s Senegal, a world she has lived.
Laura plans to craft two sequels to The Mascherari – Malefica and The Master of Cologne.
With Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Engineering (Aerospace Avionics), she balances a 20 year career in Tech with her great love of telling stories.
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