I’m delighted to say that the audio edition of The Paris Cooking School is now out, and available on all audio book platforms. It’s very engagingly narrated by Anthea Greco and produced by Wavesound. At the moment it’s available as a digital download, but a CD version will also be available later.
I love audio books and it’s so exciting to hear my novel in this very appealing form!
Had an absolutely wonderful time at the absolutely gorgeous local launch, in my home town of Armidale, of The Paris Cooking School , which was held at beautiful Cafe Patisserie Armidale, in collaboration with fantastic Reader’s Companion. A big, warm, lively crowd attended, champagne(the real thing!) flowed, gorgeous mini strawberry tarts and mini eclairs created by master patissier Nathan Walker disappeared like lightning, and many many books were bought! was very busy signing and chatting to all the lovely people who came, some who I know personally, many others who don’t know me but were intrigued by the sound of the book, which they had heard about from the local press, radio and word of mouth!
Thank you so much to Nathan and Enora from Cafe Patisserie, to Michelle from Reader’s Companion, and to everyone who came. You made it such a superlative event and I am still on cloud nine about it!
I’m delighted to announce that I’ve created two new pages on this site, which are associated with The Paris Cooking School. They feature recipes, food notes and menus mentioned and described in the book, so that readers can, if they wish, actually reproduce some of those things in their own kitchens! They are written as pages taken from Kate’s notebook, in Kate’s voice, but are real working recipes, tested and cooked in my own kitchen and illustrated with colour photos. And also illustrated with beautiful header images by my lovely friend, talented artist and photographer Lorena Carrington, who has brought the ‘look’ of Kate’s notebook to gorgeous life!
There are two pages: one features lots of recipes and food notes, the other is a simple menu with selected recipes from the main page so you can easily and quickly create a full Paris Cooking School-inspired meal. I hope you enjoy-and if you do cook any of these dishes, I’d love to hear your stories and see your photos, email to me at info@sophiemassonauthor.com
I’ve just come back from a lovely few days in Sydney, visiting fantastic bookshops, talking to enthusiastic booksellers, signing piles of copies of The Paris Cooking School and talking at a fabulous event at the Alliance Française, presented by Sydney-based French writer Olivier Vojetta. It’s been an absolutely invigorating, fun and exciting time, culminating in discovering at Sydney Airport that my book was number three bestselling book in their very popular bookshop! Here are a few pics from this week.
Absolutely brilliant news for The Paris Cooking School: it is the featured Great Read in the Australian Women’s Weekly latest (December) edition! That means a full page review in Australia’s most beloved and bestselling magazine–a real accolade! It’s an absolutely lovely review, too, here’s a short extract:
Learning to live and love again in the streets of Paris, city of romance, is not a new idea, but there is a freshness and vivacity to this cooking school novel that is utterly beguiling. Maybe it’s the mouth-watering and intricate food descriptions that send readers into a reverie, because be warned: You will be reaching for the frying pan, cracking eggs and slicing in decadent shards of butter and handfuls of fresh herbs in no time. Or maybe it is just the possibility of abandoned amour that follows our characters along every street…
Grab a copy of the magazine to read the rest!
For the information and enjoyment of readers of The Paris Cooking School, I’ve created a new page on this blog which highlights particular locations in the novel, in Paris and outside of it, with links to websites about each place where you can read more about it. Check it all out here. Hope you enjoy!
It just came out yesterday, but already, The Paris Cooking School has received some wonderful reviews! On the Better Reading site, for example, readers have contributed lots of fabulous reviews, including many 5 star ones, you can check them all out here. Just a few lovely examples below:
A tale of Sylvie (owner of The Paris Cooking School), Gabi (a talented artist suffering creative block), and Kate (searching for peace and reprieve after a deep betrayal from her ex-husband). Each character is on a separate journey of looking within, finding what sets their soul on fire, and learning to believe in themselves, discovering their inner critic doesn’t always accurately depict the truth. Sylvie, Kate and Gabi, while on very different paths, gain a deep understanding of who they really are, what they need to be happy and how to allow that happiness to impact the hope for a beautiful, soul-satisfying future. A great read, hard to put down and written in such a way that you become invested in each character’s outcome. Pennie, QLD, 5 Stars
The Paris Cooking School was a joy to read. I loved the descriptions of Paris – I want to go back, and I want to eat all those lovely dishes and drink the wine and taste the cheese. The characters and romance were delightful – a really great holiday read, or light read if you need a break from mysteries and murders and heavy subjects. Sophie Beaumont’s descriptive writing made one feel as if you were there, picnicking on the banks of the Seine, watching the people and sights. I could almost taste the strawberry tart. A story of hope and looking forward, I loved it. Joy, VIC, 5 Stars
The Paris Cooking School is a beautiful read about three women who meet at The Paris Cooking School. Two Aussie students from rival capital cities and each running away from their own suffocating lives. One the elegant owner and teacher facing unsettling issues of her own. As the book unfolds, it is amazing to see all three characters develop, grow and flourish. Is it all smooth sailing? No, but every step gives you more understanding and love for the characters. They become real so you will cringe at their outbursts and cheer for their successes. Sophie has created gorgeous and relatable characters and given us the dreamy setting of a month in Paris. It will surely be a hit! Mary, SA, 5 Stars
Many more lovely reviews from Better Reading contributors here.
Reviews have appeared on Instagram, here’s extracts from some below:
From the very beginning, l was hooked to the point that every page had my taste buds come alive. The description of the food seriously came alive through each page. It was like, l too,could taste every bite the characters were tasting. YUM! The novel centres around three gorgeous ladies who have relationship issues. Enough to have them wanting to escape reality. What a perfect way to deal with those issues by enrolling in a four week French Cooking School to learn to cook – the French way! The story links these beautiful women with perfect descriptions of delicious food as well as the sceneries of Paris with love, hope, adventure, and some good old soul searching for second chances and new beginnings. I particularly loved how the postscript takes place a year later and into their futures. This beautifully written novel is about friendships and the most incredible Parisian food. It is undoubtedly the perfect holiday read that will leave your heart bursting with all the magical feels. (Lisa at Coffee and Pages)
The Paris Cooking School is a sumptuous feast for the senses that illuminates the delectable art of combining storytelling with food. As you meander through the streets of Paris, you are immediately drawn into its living culture and realise that the City of Light itself, is a dynamic character in the novel. The cooking school provides the perfect backdrop for the characters to explore their motivations and various relationships while expressing their obvious love of French food culture with all the trimmings. There are flirtatious and romantic entanglements for Gabi, Kate and Sylvie, who are all in the midst of personal uncertainty. The paths of each of the women, although very different, intersect seamlessly, and we journey alongside with them as they navigate new paths for themselves. This novel provides a lighthearted escape for anyone who enjoys reading about love, food and travel. (The Organised Classroom)
It’s heartfelt, so beautifully written, and will make you want to fling yourself into the kitchen and onto a plane to Paris, probably both at the same time! The weaving together of stories of the three protagonists is sensitive and seamless, and I hope to revisit their Paris again! Félicitations Sophie! It’s a triumph! (Lorena Carrington)
There’s also very nice reviews on Goodreads, for example:
Reading this novel made you want to go to the Paris Cooking School for both the food and the enriched human relationship experience. There was carefully woven backstories into the novel and as well as some romances that all varied in their intensity, and an unexpected twist or two. It left me wanting mouth-watering food, more Paris, and to follow the characters as the story unfolds following the ending of this book. It was a marvellous balance between relaxing and hard to put down.
Bon Appetit! (Larissa Collins)
Author Sophie Beaumont, who was brought up in France and Australia, has an exquisite knowledge of both Paris and French food, and she has used that delightfully in this novel.
It’s an expertly crafted tale of twists and turns that draws the reader in as the characters’ lives are transformed.
The story is simply a feast, a perfect concoction of secrets, heartaches and love. (Don Baker)
“The Paris Cooking School” creates a mood which stays with you as the characters in the story come to life. This includes Paris herself; her sights, sounds, tastes and smells….A perfect holiday read, for lovers of Josephine Moon, Monica McInerney and Maeve Binchy. (Christine)
And finally, a beautiful review, in French, by Sydney-based French novelist Olivier Vojetta. Here’s a short extract:
Déjà, ce qui est formidable avec ce livre, c’est qu’en le lisant on se téléporte à Paris, on y est, on redécouvre un Paris ancien et moderne à travers les yeux de tous les personnages, et il y en a un certain nombre, c’est un roman choral…Sous les airs de lecture d’été facile, il y a beaucoup de contenu et de matière très intéressante, le tout mêlé et brodé avec talent et subtilité dans les interstices de l’histoire, en creux….. C’est un livre aussi passionnant que savoureux. Tous les personnages partagent des histoires, tristes, gaies, des histoires toutes différentes, mais qui se rejoignent en un bouquet final dans le dernier chapitre, pour ensemble créer le plat parfait.
You can read Olivier’s whole review here.
Well, the big day has come for The Paris Cooking School, which is officially released by Ultimo Press today. This has been such a special, wonderful book to write, and an exciting new direction for me into full-length contemporary adult fiction. I am so happy that the novel is available in bookshops right across Australia now. And I very much hope that readers will enjoy going with Gabi, Kate and Sylvie, my main characters, on their journey to new purpose, new happiness–and new recipes!–in the heart of the most beautiful city in the world…
Huge thanks to the wonderful people who have helped make this book a gorgeous reality: my fantastic agent, Margaret Connolly who has been so encouragingly excited about this story from the start, my fabulous publisher Alex Craig, who believed in it straight away and provided such thoughtful and perceptive guidance, and to all the lovely team at Ultimo Press, for all your much-appreciated care in editing, design, publicity, and more. And a special thanks to Cheryl Orsini for the strawberry tart 🙂 It’s been a truly wonderful experience working with you all, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To my husband David, and my children and children-in-law, Pippa, Joe, Xavier, Maryam, Bevis and Jacquie, much love and thanks for understanding why this book was so very special for me, and for being so excited for me. And to all the rest of my beautiful family, in France, Australia and the UK, lots of love and thanks for your support and encouragement always. My birth family is from south west France so though I’ve known those regions well since childhood, we never went to Paris, and I first got to know it only in my early twenties. So, a special thank you to my Paris-based family members for the many engrossing hours over many years, helping us to really get to know the City of Light from the inside, knowledge which was enriched by a six month residency in the Nancy Keesing Studio in Paris, generously awarded to me by the Australia Council. And another special thank you goes to my sisters in law in Britain whose lovely little pet provided the inspiration for a very special character in The Paris Cooking School!
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some more about the book, including special features for readers, but right now, hurrah for publication day, and here’s to The Paris Cooking School!
PS: If you would like to read some reviews of The Paris Cooking School (there’s already quite a few advance reviews!), head over to my website, where you’ll find extracts of quite a few of them. And if you’d like to drop me a line about The Paris Cooking School, contact me here.
Feathers of the Firebird 