Having worked in Bath, I was keen to revisit the city by reading Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé by William Keeling. But leaving aside my fondness for the elegant spa city, the book’s intriguing title alone was enough to entice me to peek beneath the covers.
Published by EnvelopeBooks, Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé is the first in The Gay Street Chronicles, a four-part series of satirical historical novels.
Set in the 19th century, the book centres on Bellerophon ‘Belle’ Nash, a city councillor, bachelor, and grandson of Beau Nash, Bath’s original Master of Ceremonies.
Belle leads a group of eccentric ladies who turn into amateur sleuths when a supper hosted by one of the friends, Gaia Champion, doesn’t go wholly to plan.
Their investigation into the culinary mishap leads to the team uncovering a web of corruption at the heart of Regency Bath’s judicial system.
Meanwhile, Belle struggles to retain the love of his German ‘cousin’, and the future Queen Victoria persuades Gaia that all women can break through the barriers of male repression.
What I thought of the book
The book’s title might suggest a trivial story with no real substance.
But, as I turned the pages, I was soon proved wrong, as the novel is so much more than a simple tale of a below par supper. It takes you on a rollicking journey, via corruption, prostitution, and kidnapping.
Despite some of the darker elements, the common thread throughout is humour, with Belle Nash being an utterer of endlessly witty dialogue. The refined bachelor cuts down his foes with razor-sharp remarks, delivered politely, of course.
I was rooting for Belle and his lady friends to overcome the book’s scheming villains (but you’ll have to read it yourself to see if they succeed).
As well as the gripping plot, the book serves a deeper purpose: to explore social issues like discrimination, albeit in a comic setting. These issues – including sex discrimination and homophobia – are unfortunately still a part of life today.
My only criticism of the book is that Belle’s character makes too many classical Greek references. Perhaps this niggled me because of a certain controversial modern-day politician who has a tendency to do the same?
But in the main I loved Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé. It’s comic, page-turning – and completely different to anything I’ve read before.
How much is the book and where can you buy it?
The book is £9.99. To buy, click here, but please check Amazon for updated prices because they might change.
About the book
Title: Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé
Author: William Keeling
Publisher: EnvelopeBooks
ISBN: 978-1915023025
Pages: 288
About the author
William ‘Bill’ Keeling is a former foreign correspondent for the Financial Times, who left journalism for chocolate, becoming co-owner of the chocolate company Prestat. William lives and writes in Somerset.
Review by Colette Warbrook
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*We were given a copy of the book in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.
16 comments
It is always lovely when a book surprises you isn’t it? When it turns into more than you expected. Sounds like a great read!
A fabulous read and one book worth recommending
This sounds like a great read. I love the use of humor to address such serious topics. It keeps them approachable, and that keeps us engaged.
I agree, keeps the book relevant and not boring
This sounds like a fun and interesting read. Glad to hear there is a humourous side to the book given the theme. It’s something I’d consider reading.
I agree, unexpected humour
This sounds like a great book to read. And I love the Author’s story about how he left journalism for chocolate.
Yes that was a good one, fab title to add to your reading list
The cover is super creative wow…I will check it out for sure, seems a very interesting story.
It is, love the book cover as well
I love the cover art honestly…it immediately grabbed my attention and I like the quirky title. Sounds like a very enjoyable read!
It is an attractive cover, and I enjoyed reading the book
Sounds like an interesting book, and I love the cover! I will have to add this to my reading list.
Hope you do, its a good book to read
It’s always fun to read books in a setting you know. This sounds like a good one and definitely different than what I would think based on the title.
Agree, I did enjoy the book and hope you get a chance to read it as well