“I have a head for business and a body for sin. Unfortunately, the sin appears to be gluttony.”
I can’t believe I’ve never read a Jenny Colgan novel. Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is the first of two books that follow sweet Issy and her friends. It’s the perfect read while you curl up on a Sunday afternoon.
Book Jacket
Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe. Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that - Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. When she's made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment. Armed with recipes from Grampa, and with her best friends and local bank manager fighting her corner, The Cupcake Cafe opens its doors. But Issy has absolutely no idea what she's let herself in for. It will take all her courage - and confectionery - to avert disaster ...
Discussion Guide for Meet Me at the Cupcake Café
Grampa Joe believed that “bread is the staff of life, our most basic food.” How did his passion for baking influence Issy? How did his love for his own community impact Issy’s actions in her own business?
Issy often reflected that “life was always easier when you were carrying a large Tupperware of cakes.” Was baking a way for her to make friends and be liked, or was it more of a personal comfort, like our “emotional support water bottles” these days? What is your own comfort blanket?
Each of the women were dealing with their own personal struggles. How did Pearl save Issy? How does Issy help Caroline? Discuss the dynamics of their relationships and how they supported each other.
Issy explained to Austin that in some things, like makeup or baking, the brand or quality doesn’t matter much. Do you agree with this statement? How does this perspective reflect Issy’s approach to life and baking? What, like good butter, does matter?
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