READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. Jenny keeps a lifelong secret from her beloved husband, Bernard. Do you think it’s okay to keep secrets from loved ones in certain circumstances?

2. “Whilst bodies age, souls don’t” is the epigraph by Delia Smith. How far do you agree with this statement? What age do you think your soul is?

3. As Bernard gets older and his health declines, Jenny feels torn between being present for him and pursuing her own ambitions. Still, Rose reminds her that “it’s important to give yourself the time and the love that you give to others.” Does this resonate with you? Do you think you give yourself the love that you give to others?

4. “It’s strange, she thought, how recipes outlive the people that wrote them and yet they almost bring a part of that person back to life, as if a tiny piece of their soul lives in those instructions.” Is this true for any recipes that you have at home? If so, what are they and who do they make you think of?

5. Do you think that dreams and ambitions are something generally viewed as being for younger people? Do you have any quiet or unfulfilled ambitions?

6. Bernard and Jenny celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary in the novel. What do you think is key to a lasting relationship?

7. Jenny’s experience in a mother and baby home in England in the 1960s was inspired by real accounts. Do you think attitudes toward single mothers have changed? To what extent do you think attitudes toward women and motherhood in general have changed?

8. If you had to choose an existing TV competition to take part in, which would you pick and why?

9. How do you imagine that Jenny’s relationship with her son progresses after the book ends?

10. Of all the bakes featured in the novel, which would you most like to try?

11. Having spent most of her adult life with Bernard, Jenny harbors a great fear of losing him. Is this something that you can relate to? If so, how do you manage those feelings?

12. Do you think fame is something to be aspired to? Would you want to be famous?