In brief: The story of one family living in Bournville (home of the Cadbury chocolate factory) from World War II to present day.
The good: Takes in big historical events for England.
The not-so-good: Reading about COVID while you have COVID isn’t that fun.
Why I chose it: Forgot that a book is a necessity on public transport – a good impulse buy.
Year: 2022
Pages: 354
Publisher: Viking (Penguin)
Setting: Mainly Bournville, England
Rating: 8 out of 10
I recently went into the city to meet a friend and took the train. Part way through the journey, I realised that I’d broken the unspoken rule of public transport – always bring a book. (You can’t bury your head in a mobile phone). I had to stop off to buy a book for the return journey and Bournville appealed to me. It promised me a family story over a number of major events in British history, set in the home of Cadbury. Who could resist?
The story opens during the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic as things as shutting down and uncertainty grows. Sitting in a sunny carriage, the only one with a mask on, I reflected on how far we had come since those days of 2020. Unbeknownst to me, COVID was sneaking up on my family and by the time that I picked up the story about Mary and her family at the end of World War II, I would be sick with COVID. From WWII, the story follows Mary as she grows up alongside major events, such as Queen Elizabeth’s coronation and the year England won the soccer World Cup. Some of the events chosen are more specific to England in their importance, such as the investiture of Prince Charles. In fact, a lot do revolve around the Royal family, such as the wedding of Charles and Diana and Diana’s funeral. (Perhaps I put more emphasis on this while reading the book during King Charles’ coronation). Each event is told in a separate section, jumping years and sometimes decades. As Mary grows older, the focus moves to her children – Jack, Martin and Peter and later to her granddaughter Lorna.
As there are large jumps in time between events, there are also big jumps in the family narrative such as partners, weddings and children. At times it feels like the narrative is more about the historical event, with the family fitting around it and reacting to the events. They all react differently, giving an insight to how a range of people may have felt at the time. The Cadbury factory is there in the distance the whole time, but it wasn’t as detailed as I had thought initially (perhaps reacting to the title and immediately thinking of the cocoa). There are some interesting insights, but for detail I had to do my own research (fun fact: there have only been two Cadbury Worlds and the second in Dunedin, New Zealand was demolished for a new hospital. If only the chocolate fountain could have remained!). Still, despite these feelings, I enjoyed Bournville. I felt like I was being educated alongside a good story, which is always fun. The chocolate wars on the definition of the amount of fat allowed was strangely fascinating, but I felt that there could have been more on Brexit than a few opposing opinions. The finale, set during COVID lockdowns, was particularly touching and another opportunity to reflect on what we know now versus what we knew then.
Coe writes well, keeping the reader’s interest while describing events that most would describe themselves as being familiar with (or having lived through). Chunks of original speeches and details demonstrate his research. The reactions of others to events and people reflect the opinions of the time, which can seem jarring through a modern lens.
As Coe mentions in his author’s notes, Bournville is loosely related to his Unrest series as Mary is Sylvia Foley’s cousin. I’d like to explore more of what was revealed about Thomas Foley late in this novel as it’s a piece of history I don’t really know much about.
Sam Still Reading 
Hope you’re feeling better now.