Love, friendship and dangerous secrets in the early years of Cadbury’s Tasmanian factory.
It’s 1921, and after years of working for Cadbury’s at Bournville, Dorothy Adwell is on her way to a new adventure in the colonies, helping to establish the Firm’s new Australian factory. A promotion and a fresh start are just what she needs after the horrors of the Great War and the loss of her beloved husband. During the long sea voyage, she meets Thomas and is immediately drawn to him. The war has left Thomas damaged, both mentally and emotionally, and Dorothy vows to help him – if only he will let her.
Maisie Greenwood is the oldest daughter of a war widow, living on a pittance in the Hobart suburb of the Glebe. Her mother’s health is failing, and with two younger siblings depending on her the security of a job at the brand-new Cadbury’s factory is a godsend. With Dorothy’s mentorship and her budding romance with fellow worker Frank, life begins to look a little sweeter.
Cadbury’s competitors have one goal: to steal the recipe for Dairy Milk, the most popular chocolate in the world. But the recipe is kept in a vault and the few who know it are legally bound to never divulge its secret. When chocolate spies target the new factory, Dorothy and Maisie become caught up in their plot. Can they protect the recipe, help those they love and fulfil their own dreams?
A tangled web of ambition and intrigue melts into a tale as delicious and rich as chocolate.
The Chocolate Factory is delicious! Hold tight, there might be a few more of those puns. But it really is a wonderfully told, beautifully written Australian historical.
Mary-Lou Stephens’ debut was the vividly portrayed The Last of the Apple Blossom, about the devastating impact the 1967 Black Tuesday fires has on a Tasmanian apple-growing community. Now she’s following up with another meticulously researched Tasmanian tale, this time centred around Cadbury Chocolate.
The novel opens post-WWI with protagonist Dorothy onboard a ship, headed for the colonies and her new role as supervisor at the Cadbury factory. She’s an appealing character, more at home in the ship’s engine room, possessing a compelling combination of poise and determination. She’s in her twenties, a widow and has already carved out a career for herself at the company’s factory in Bournville. Over in Tasmania, Maisie gets a job at the factory, seeing it as a way to support her family and help her sister get an education.
Both Dorothy and Maisie are at the heart of this novel, and a story that delivers an addictive punch. It’s hard to put this one down – it has it all: great writing, a fascinating premise, intrigue, romance… and an unexpected twist. It’s also an incredibly interesting look into the early days of this iconic chocolate company.
Stephens writes in the author notes that the idea for the novel came through a renewed interest in the Quakers, and that some of the world’s best-known chocolate companies were founded by Quakers. I found her author notes fascinating, and after reading them went back to reread parts of the book.
The Chocolate Factory is a must-read. Stock up on Cadbury’s this weekend and lock yourself away with it.
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