Olivia Ford

Juliet Stevenson

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Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame

As delicious and comforting as a freshly baked sponge. A most heartwarming story and delightful debut

Ruth Jones, bestselling author of Love Untold

Ford transports you back to that cozy, something&rsquo;s-in-the-oven world where you somehow know (or at least believe) that everything is going to be OK

Mrs Quinn&rsquo;s Rise to Fame is an absolute delight. A lovely novel full of warmth, courage and heart, Jenny Quinn is a heroine you&rsquo;ll cheer for every step of the way

A J Pearce, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Pearce

Bake Off fans, don&rsquo;t miss this! Delectable food writing and a quietly loveable heroine.

Calling all Great British Baking Show fans: When you've salivated your way through the latest season (and the entire back catalog), this charming novel will fill the cake-shaped hole in your heart. The story of an older woman who enters a televised baking show is as cozy as a night in grandma's kitchen with the kind of feel-good suspense we love from the likes of Paul Hollywood.

INDULGE in this tantalising debut novel. A charming, cosy and lighthearted read

A gentle read that pulls at the heartstrings - read with a slice of cake.

Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame is a charming, heartfelt and uplifting novel about love, family and the emotive power of home baking. I loved every minute of it!

Libby Page, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lido

Olivia writes with such warmth. Not just for bakers, this novel is an intensely rich love-letter to family, friends and new beginnings.

Eva Rice, bestselling author of The Lost Art Of Keeping Secrets

Soul-enriching&hellip;.From its enticing setting to its perfect ending, Mrs. Quinn&rsquo;s Rise To Fame is absolutely marvelous. Like a great dessert, you&rsquo;ll wish you could come back for more.

J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Delightful and heartwarming, Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame is the ultimate comfort read and a sweet reminder that it's never too late to pursue our dreams.

Margarita Montimore, USA Today bestselling author of Oona Out of Order

The fact that I was still thinking about Jenny and Bernard long after I'd turned the last page just goes to show that the smallest lives can sometimes leave the biggest impact. Olivia Ford has achieved that rarest of feats: in Mrs Quinn&rsquo;s Rise to Fame she has created hope. A delicious feast of warm, witty, and wise. This novel is Lessons In Chemistry meets The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I was still thinking about Jenny and Bernard long after I'd turned the last page

Joanna Nell, bestselling author of The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village

This delicious read packs an emotional punch and is guaranteed to leave you feeling full

Olivia Ford has written a moving, uncommon coming-of-age story, and if the age Mrs. Quinn is coming of is a few decades older than usual, it&rsquo;s all the more uplifting and empowering for it. I loved the insider&rsquo;s look into a reality TV show and the delicious descriptions of all the bakes, but it&rsquo;s the love stories at the center of this novel that so beautifully rise.

Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is

A warm-hearted book that rises to the top with its delightful story and wonderful characters

Phaedra Patrick bestselling author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

Reality TV producer Ford debuts with the charming story of a British home baker&rsquo;s turn in the spotlight. Jennifer Quinn, 77, has lived a quiet life with her sweet, supportive husband Bernard, to whom she&rsquo;s been married for nearly 60 years. Though she feels she should be content, Jenny longs for something more. So, without telling Bernard, she applies to be a contestant on the popular competition show Britain Bakes. Her sneaking stirs memories of a long-held secret: before she met Bernard, she gave a baby up for adoption, and she&rsquo;s always been convinced that telling him would ruin their marriage. To her surprise, Jenny&rsquo;s chosen for the show. When she shares the news with Bernard, he&rsquo;s shocked but thrilled for her. Jenny decides to bake treats for the show based on memories of pastries she ate at crucial points in her past. She makes it to the finals and enjoys some fame as the show begins airing, but Ford&rsquo;s smoothly told narrative builds to a crisis point when one of Jenny&rsquo;s Facebook posts is unearthed by the media. Fans of cooking competitions will find this feel-good story delectable.

Mrs Quinn&rsquo;s Rise to Fame is a delightful story full of warmth, kindness and cake. Author Olivia Ford shows us that it&rsquo;s never too late to take chances and step out of our comfort zone, and readers will be inspired and moved by Mrs Quinn&rsquo;s charming coming-of-age tale. So sit back with a cup of tea and a slice of cake while you devour this deliciously feel-good story.

Freya Sampson, bestselling author of The Lost Ticket

This is a treat of a tale - as comforting, moreish and delicious as the cakes it describes. Yet it achieves this would shying away from the complexities and sorrows of life and, as a love story, it's refreshing, authentic and deeply affecting. I hugely enjoyed this book.

Susan Fletcher, bestselling author of Eve Green

This warm-hearted book is full of delicious descriptions of food, and a powerful message about it never being too late to try new things

One of those books you just want to hug to your chest. I loved it so much.

Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal

Ford. . . entertains readers with backstage shenanigans while also focusing on the depth and intimacy that come from a lifetime of knowing someone.

There are a couple of recipes included at the end of the book. I haven&rsquo;t attempted them, but I&rsquo;m going to assume that taking them out of the oven will &mdash; like The Great British Baking Show and Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame &mdash; feel all warm and cozy.

Olivia Ford's warmhearted debut novel, Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame, traces the story of one woman's life through baking. . . Like Jenny's expertly crafted pastries, Ford's narrative layers in sweetness, rich flavors, and the occasional bit of salt. . .Compassionate, thoughtful, and full of mouthwatering descriptions, Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame is a tribute to kindness, following one's dreams at any age, and the deep joy and nourishment of baking.

A sweet confection . . . Readers are sure to eat up this delicious paean to pursuing one's dreams at every age

Fans of cooking competition shows will devour this romp about an elderly home baker who appears on one in secret. As cozy as a cup of tea and cake.

A gorgeous, gorgeous book. Funny and sad in equal measure, the humour in Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame is razor sharp and the sadness incredibly poignant. . .a fabulous, ultimately joyful read.

Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

Mrs. Quinn&rsquo;s Rise to Fame is a charming story that falls within the growing niche of books set in, essentially, fictionalized versions of the Great British Bake Off. At 77, Jennifer Quinn lives in the English countryside with her husband Bernard, and despite the quiet peace of their existence, she has begun to feel the smallness &ldquo;of having reached a point where there was far more of life behind her than ahead of her.&rdquo; A lifelong baker, Jenny works up the nerve to apply for the competition show Britain Bakes and earns a place as a contestant. Baking brings up secrets and memories from Jenny&rsquo;s past, and these anecdotes are interspersed throughout the present-day narrative. It&rsquo;s a sweet, approachable book that&rsquo;s fit for the times you simply want something that soothes.

Do not read this delicious debut novel while hungry as its mouth-watering descriptions of cakes and bakes will send you into a tummy-rumbling decline. At seventy seven, Julia Quinn is good at two things; baking and being married to her devoted husband Bernard. When she wins a spot on the TV show Britain Bakes, Julia finds a new self-confidence but is also forced to confront the secret she&rsquo;s kept from everyone, including Bernard.

Charming, uplifting and triumphant, the story we al need right now, proving that you&rsquo;re never too old for a challenge

Cathy Bramley, Sunday Times Top Ten best-selling author of The Lemon Tree Cafe

One of the most heartwarming stories you&rsquo;ll read this year. I absolutely adored it

This novel is perfectly baked, utterly delicious, and completely moreish. Mrs Quinn is destined to become the nation's favourite

Brought to you by Penguin. 
 
Mrs Quinn is . . . 77 years old. . . a devoted wife. . . a talented home baker . . . about to become a household nameJennifer Quinn has a secret. Her love of baking has just won her a spot as a contestant on a primetime TV show. It's only the second time in fifty-nine years that she's kept something from her beloved husband Bernard.She's about to be whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras, timed challenges and celebrity judges. She could be in with a chance of being crowned the best baker in Britain.But, as Mrs Quinn's quiet ambitions turn into unexpected stardom, the other secret she's been keeping is in danger of resurfacing. It was supposed to stay hidden forever.Will Mrs Quinn rise to the challenge? Or, will her success become a recipe for disaster? 
 
©2024 Olivia Ford (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Olivia Ford has spent the last ten years in entertainment TV, most recently as a story producer. Olivia is a graduate of the Faber Academy where she wrote the beginnings of Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame, which was longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize Trust's Discoveries Prize. Raised in Lincolnshire, Olivia now lives in London.

In their sixty years together, Jennifer Quinn has only kept two secrets from her husband. One is that her love of baking has just won her a spot as a contestant on primetime TV show Britain Bakes. The other she hopes will stay hidden forever . . . 
 
Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras, timed challenges and celebrity judges, Jenny finds herself in with a chance of being crowned the best baker in Britian. 
 
But as her star begins to rise, the past collides with the present, and Jenny struggles to conceal that long held secret which could shatter the very foundations of her decades long marriage . . .

Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame

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Olivia Ford

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