Why a Booktrail?
1940s onwards: The first in the Angelotti Chronicles
The House at Chorlton
What you need to know before your trail
A proud family. Snubbed by aristocratic neighbour Lord Frampton at a coming-of-age ball, Donald Oliver dreams of the day he’ll have his vengeance.
A wild daughter. Laura Oliver, beautiful and tempestuous, falls in love with Giovanni, an Italian ex-prisoner-of-war, now a humble cook. Disdaining her father’s snobbishness – and his wrath – the couple flee to London.
A desperate hope. Giovanni and Laura arrive to a city that has not yet re-awoken after the traumas of war. Facing destitution, only their love for one another and their dream of opening a restaurant business keeps them going.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Travel to Prue Leith’s England
Most of the novel takes place in and around Chipping Norton in Warwickshire and at Frampton Hall in Oxfordshire. Both locations are vague and the houses such as the House of Chorlton are fictional.
The London locations are suitably posh – Fortnum and Mason to be precise.Yet later ones show of the new life a couple from the earlier years now live, with Giovanni having to go to market and fend for his family.
The contrast of the rich living in the rural areas and the poor areas of the city of London are clear. However lines get blurred during the war and this novel also reflects that.
As you would expect from a novel written by a TV food expert – there is lots of mentions of nice food and making the best of rations in the novel.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The House at Chorlton
Destination: Chipping Norton, England, London Author/guide: Prue Leith Departure Time: 1940s onwards
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