book details

Book: The Breadwinners by Jan Hurst-Nicholson

categories: Book, Historical Fiction, South Africa, World War II, Baking, Novel, Romance, Family Saga

Jan Hurst-Nicholson

about this book: In 1923 Charles McGill leaves his native Scotland for a new life in South Africa. As a penniless immigrant baker he meets Addy Brody and falls in love. Determined to make a success of his new life he plans to open his own bakery and make Addy his wife. But when Addy announces her engagement to Lucas Connelly, Charles is devastated. On New Year's Eve he finds himself the worse for drink and seduces the daughter of a local businessman. When she finds she is pregnant her father offers Charles the opportunity to open his own bakery if he will make an honest woman of his daughter and marry her. Charles readily agrees and it is the beginning of a business and family rivalry that spans three generations.

• "I was hooked from the first page by the writing and by the character of Charles. The author pays attention to detail and local color, creating an environment of dimensional characters and conflicts."

• "The pace and rhythm is lyrical, and the local color/environment is vivid. This author knows how to write an entertaining and substantial narrative."

The author worked in the baking industry for several years and was inspired to write the book when three family bakeries amalgamated and someone commented: 'shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations'.