…an honest lunch of vintage cheddar, crusty bread and a pickled onion prepared by Harriet Blackstone from The Colour by Rose Tremain. I like strong heroines and Harriet is certainly is one, living through the New Zealand Gold Rush in the 1860s. Making a life in a strange, inhospitable land, Harriet, with her husband Joseph and her mother-in law, do not start afresh as intended but bring with them from England their old emotional baggage.

The discovery of gold, ‘the colour,’ impacts on their basic lifestyle and the dynamics of their relationships in a way that none could forsee. Harriet’s mental and physical strength make her a heroine to read and re-read. She is like a traditional Somerset Cheddar: creamy, tangy, fulfilling, a salty edge to cut the creaminess.

‘The Colour’ by Rose Tremain [UK: Vintage]

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
Imagine, if books were food: THE COLOUR by Rose Tremain #books http://wp.me/p5gEM4-jc via @SandraDanby