Customer reviews

The Good Plain Cook by Bethan Roberts

Loosely based on the events in the lives of Peggy Guggenheim, her lover Douglas Garman and their respective daughters, The Good Plain Cook, embarks upon a fictional depiction of daily life and personal exploration. Set in the countryside of West Sussex in the mid-1930s, the story uncovers the lives of an eccentric, non-traditional family and their hired help. The author touches on issues such as coming of age, loss of innocence, femininity, sexuality, class differences and the struggles that lie within, Communism, betrayal, guilt, longing and loneliness.

That sounds like a lot to cover. However, Roberts offers the reader just enough detail to encourage thoughtful contemplation. She does not overindulge the issues that she could have very easily penetrated, such as the issue of Communism; throughout the novel, she revisits the basic ideals of Communism as they relate to the struggles of the working class versus the bohemian or bourgeoisie.

Kitty, a hired cook becomes involved with the bohemian, Mrs. Steinberg and her family in a very intimate way, albeit whilst still maintaining her societal position. Roberts address these issues of the "working class" from several different perspectives, such as; a rich American Woman, a British man with a strong commitment to The Party, the good plain cook, hired to assist with domestic chores as well as cooking, the gardener and the two children who interpret the adult behaviour that they observe in their own way.

The Good Plain Cook is not only a personal account of daily life but also a reflection of the tensions encountered, both unspoken and blatantly addressed, by this non-traditional family who are affected not only by the times they live in but also by the turmoil of their personal struggles and past regrets. Throughout the plot, the reader is privy to hidden secrets, deceitful acts and erotic indulgences. Roberts ruminates on how quick we are to try to conceal our past despite the fact that it defines our present.

As well as accentuating the differences between her characters, Roberts has a way of bringing them together as such to highlight their underlying commonalities. Her commentary poses the idea that individuality has its influence among the rankings of societal status.

On a collective level, the English-born author reminds us of the aesthetic and ethical climate of pre-war England and how it has changed drastically over time while in some ways simultaneously sustaining certain controversies, for instance, issues of class boundaries and feminism.

The novel maintains an even tone throughout and yet bestows an intrigue that makes it impossible to put down. Roberts successfully pulls the usual background character into the foreground and evokes just enough personality into her protagonists to establish an empathetic reader. Waterstone's Cardholder

Format: Paperback 336 pages
Date of publish: 03/07/2008
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Usually despatched within 24 hours

RRP £10.99

£8.79

You save: £2.20