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Little Beach Street Bakery
Little Beach Street Bakery
Little Beach Street Bakery
Audiobook12 hours

Little Beach Street Bakery

Written by Jenny Colgan

Narrated by Veida Dehmlow

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.

And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favorite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . . and people start to hear about it.

Sometimes, bread really is life . . . and Polly is about to reclaim hers.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 16, 2015
ISBN9781494586867
Little Beach Street Bakery
Author

Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Christmas Bookshop, The Bookshop on the Corner, Little Beach Street Bakery, and Christmas at the Cupcake Café. Jenny, her husband, and three children live in a genuine castle in Scotland.

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Reviews for Little Beach Street Bakery

Rating: 4.177777777777778 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The best part of this story was not the romance aspects (though there is the requisite love interest) but rather the blossoming of Polly. Watching her figure out who she is, apart from her ex's needs, and seeing how her influence changes those around her was fun and hopeful.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When Polly’s long-term relationship comes crashing down and with it the business they’ve built together, she’s left to start over completely from scratch. With so few options available to her, she agrees to rent a run-down flat with a leaky roof on the island of Polbearne. She finds solace in utilizing her baking skills and filling the air of the island with the enticing smell of freshly baked bread.Polbearne, a quaint seaside village off the coast of England, is based off the actual island St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall. Colgan’s descriptions of the village were thorough, detailing not only the people and their way of life but of the town itself and the sole causeway being the only way to come and go on the island. While the people in the village weren’t always the most friendly (since they saw Polly as an outsider), the village itself sounded like a such a lovely place to reside with its small shops on cobbled streets and a ruined yet still charming castle on the top of a hill overlooking the island.Polly’s ever-constant baking was also given much detail and constantly left you craving delicious breads. After one particularly tasty sounding chapter I became determined to also become a master bread maker. Long story short, I failed miserably. Bread is FAR harder to bake than Polly makes it sound like just so you know! I didn’t actually attempt any of the recipes included in the story (Cheese Straws, Sweetcorn Fritters, Cinnamon Rolls, Focaccia, and my favorite: Shortbread) but I’m determined to try again. Someday.This fun little foodie novel is not without its fill of drama though. Polly immediately begins butting heads with her landlord who is the sole baker on the island and Polly’s freshly baked bread is hampering her sales. Her landlord has her own personal history that ends up being told as a side-story. Polly also gets involved in some romantic complications that ends up being something akin to a love square. While I’m not a fan of love triangles and especially squares in general, what really disappointed me with this one in particular was the lack of chemistry between Polly and any of the men. What I loved most about Polly was her empowering story of hitting rock bottom and finding the strength to not only make a living but to find out who she is while being on her own again. The romance element wasn’t completely necessary in my opinion and especially not that many romances. It made it all avoidably messy and I would have appreciated a much more simplistic story in that regard.I don’t know how I’ve failed to mention the best part of the story this far into my review! When Polly moves to Polbearne she unintentionally takes on a new pet which she names Neil. Neil, the puffin. Neil was by far the cutest addition to the story even though he was unrealistically tame, but whatever! Now I want a pet puffin.Little Beach Street Bakery is a sweet, entertaining tale about learning to navigate the harsh realities of life and finding what you’re passionate about. It’s the perfect read for foodie fiction fans and readers simply looking for a light-hearted read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was magical. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves adventure and love stories.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Inhaltsangabe:Polly und Chris konnten ihr kleines Unternehmen nicht retten. Während er sich in Selbstmitleid suhlt und zurück zu seiner Mutter zieht, ergreift Polly kurzerhand die Flucht und findet eine kleine billige Bruchbude auf der Insel Polbearne, die vor der südlichen Küste von Cornwall liegt.Polly erkennt gleich, dass ihre Wohnung über einer alten Bäckerei liegt, die jedoch mehr schlecht als recht den stürmischen Bedingungen der Küste stand hält. Trotzdem kann sie dort ihr Brot backen, denn das macht sie leidenschaftlich gern. Es gesellt sich noch ein kleiner verletzter Papageientaucher zu ihr, den sie Neil tauft. Und auch die Fischer im Hafen sind ihr durchaus zugetan. Allerdings nicht die einheimische Bäckerin: Mrs. Manse. Mrs. Manse verkauft seit Jahrzehnten das Brot, doch um sich die Arbeit zu erleichtern, bestellt sie ihr Brot vom Festland, welches an Qualität etwas zu wünschen übrig lässt. Leider ist die alte Bäckerin auch Pollys Vermieterin und so kaufen die Einheimischen heimlich das gebackene Brot bei Polly, um die alte Dame nicht zu erzürnen. Denn für alle steht sofort fest: Pollys Brot schmeckt einfach lecker!Schnell hat Polly auch erkannt, dass die Insel Polbearne zu viele Männer hat. Und gleich zwei scheinen einen Auge auf sie geworfen zu haben: Der kernige Fischer Tarnie und der eher ruhigere Huckle, der aus Amerika stammt und offensichtlich ein gebrochenes Herz kitten möchte. Nach der langen Beziehung mit Chris hat Polly schlichtweg verlernt, wie man in Herzensdingen vorgeht und so bringt ein furchterregender Sturm und ein großes Missverständnis ihr Herz durcheinander.Mein Fazit:Natürlich möchte ich mich erstmal beim Berlin Verlag für das Rezensions-Exemplar bedanken. Das Cover und die Kurzbeschreibung haben mich sehr ansprochen, daher habe ich gerne zugesagt.Aber wie das so ist, hat man da natürlich auch ein paar Erwartungen. Und da muss ich schon ehrlich gestehen, dass da meine Erwartungen wohl zu hoch geschraubt waren. Polly ist durchaus sympathisch und ihre Sehnsucht nach etwas Ruhe ist ebenfalls verständlich. Sie hat lange um das Unternehmen und um ihren Freund gekämpft. Aber Chris konnte sich selbst und auch ihr lange nicht eingestehen, dass er die Zeichen der Zeit nicht erkannt und daher das gemeinsame Unternehmen an die Wand gefahren hat. Als die Bank die Insolvenz-Verwalter schickt, ist für beide klar, dass ihr gemeinsamer Weg ein Ende gefunden hat. Da Polly weder Job noch Geld hat, kann sie sich nur die kleine Bruchbude auf der Insel leisten. Trotz aller Bedenken ihrer Freundin Kerensa nimmt sie die Wohnung und versucht sich ein neues Leben aufzubauen, was ihr auch gut gelingt. Ihre Leidenschaft für das Brot ist ihr dabei eine sehr große Hilfe. Nicht nur, dass sie beim Kneten Stress abbauen kann. Auch den Einheimischen schmeckt ihr frisches Brot und so nimmt die Geschichte ihren Lauf, die größtenteils recht unterhaltsam ist, auch wenn einige Strecken etwas langatmig waren.In Liebesdingen ist Polly allerdings nicht besonders talentiert. Und da kommt auch mein Kritik-Punkt zu der Geschichte. Es gibt zwei Männer, die um ihre Liebe kämpfen – mehr oder weniger. Aber in dem Buch wird es nicht so wirklich deutlich. Darauf wurde meiner Meinung nach viel zu wenig eingegangen. Umso überraschter war ich dann, als Polly in ein großes Gefühl-Chaos stürzte. Irgendwie wurde es da für mich etwas unglaubwürdig. Ich konnte Polly und Huckle ihre Gefühle da nicht wirklich abnehmen. Schade!Ein weiterer Kritik-Punkt ist der reiche Reuben und für mich sehr oberflächliche Freundin Kerensa. Das ist so voller Klischees, dass es nur so triefte. Diese Abschnitte waren für mich leider nicht so schön zu lesen. Davon gab es nun auch nicht so viele. Aber ich fand sein Benehmen schon echt unangenehm und irgendwie konnte ich dem trotz allen nicht viel Gutes abgewinnen. Und in den Dialogen waren mir zu viele „Äh“s. Das erinnert mich so an einen großen deutschen Tennisspieler, wenn er Interviews gegeben hat.Ansonsten fand ich die Erzählungen rund um die Menschen Polbearne recht amüsant und so machten sie das eine oder andere wieder wett. Jedoch sind nicht mehr wie drei Sterne drin und somit kann ich es auch nur bedingt empfehlen. Wirklich schade, aus dem Plott hätte man wirklich mehr machen können.Anmerkung: Ich habe es als eBook gelesen.Veröffentlicht am 01.06.15!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a fun book to read. Polly's company goes bankrupt and her relationship fails. She moves to an island in Cornwell (in the middle of nowhere) and makes a home in a run down building. She makes friends and starts a bakery. The book is about Polly as she learns to live and love life again. Its a cute fun book and I loved the characters and the descriptions of the island and actually, I just loved everything about it! Will definitely read this author again!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Polly Waterford has lost her business and her boyfriend so she flees to the Cornish Coast where she finds a room to rent for a price she can afford. But it's only temporary, just until their flat sells. But what she finds is more than what she's looking for but can she trust her judgement? This is a light, enjoyable summer read, exactly what I was looking for.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    So sad that I'm done with this book. I got the sequel in the mail from LibraryThing, Early reviewers and realized I hadn't read the first book yet! It had sat on my TBR shelf, so popped it off and sat down and read it quickly, then started the next, Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery, now I will regret reading these so fast. they are wonderful, feel good , books!!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a delightful story! Polly and Chris' business has gone bankrupt. Polly has moved to Mt. Pol where she takes the time to sit a while before she moves on with her life. Using baking bread from scratch to calm her nerves, she secretly begins baking bread for the townspeople. Adjusting to the wrath of her landlady, she comes up with a plan to bake bread and sell it in the bakery below where she lives while the landlady does cakes and pasties at the other bakery she owns. It benefits them both. Polly moves on and meets the townspeople, falls in love, and makes plans to stay.I enjoyed this story. The characters are fun. I laughed. I cried. I felt bad for Polly at times because sometimes she does nothing right. She is so human but strong. I loved her best friend Kerensa who is always urging her to date and move back to Plymouth until she meets some of the people there. The landlady and the fishermen round out the townspeople as does Huckle, the beekeeper. He knows what Polly is going through. He has to learn the hard way that running away does not change the situation nor make him happy. Polly and Huckle could have communicated better and quit thinking they know what the other is thinking and jumping to conclusions. The story was so good. I fell in love with it. Just a good read that I fell in love with.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Memorable characters, graceful pacing, beautiful scenery. This was everything I was looking for in this read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was way longer than I thought, but was still a good read. The main character goes through many tough times and learns how to be independent. Polly and Huckle did get annoying at times because they were being so naive and idiotic. Apparently there is a second book but I am not sure that I will be reading it any time soon if at all.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very nice novel. But the "male" voice of the narrator wasn't pleasant.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was a bit hesitant at first but after a few pages in I was thoroughly enjoying the lovely story. Definitely worth a listen. Enjoy:)