Fromage à Trois

Narrator Katherine Littrell portrays Ella from Melbourne, who expects a proposal from her beau of eight years. Instead, he decides to go away to find himself. Littrell is absolutely delightful while delivering Ella's headlong flight to Paris, where she intends to find her own joy. Littrell's plucky tone and vitality make listening to Ella's upbeat attempts to put the past behind her almost as much fun as Ella's having. Ella struggles with her French (each time she speaks to a vendor in French, the vendor replies in English), struggles to understand her two French love interests (Gaston and Serge, the titular fromage � trois), and struggles to keep her bet to taste every type of French cheese in one year. There are 365. Deliciously entertaining--and not fattening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

August 27, 2018
Drawing on Brownlee’s experience as a food writer, this highly sensual debut novel follows an Australian woman’s journey through the cultural, culinary, and romantic offerings of Paris. Suddenly single, Melbourne resident Ella decides to spend a year abroad and is entranced by the beauty of Paris. She finds a part-time job washing dishes at a local coffee shop, Flat White, and meets Serge Marais, who works at a local fromagerie. As Ella samples the delights of French cheese at Serge’s shop, he bets her that she can’t try all the types of French cheese in a year. After posting the photos of her cheese tastings on Instagram, Ella gains numerous new followers; meanwhile, she embarks on a sizzling romance with Gaston, a gorgeous Frenchman she meets at Flat White. Ella soon finds another part-time job writing content for a food delivery app, and she moves into a beautiful apartment with Gaston’s cousin Clotilde. Ella is unsure whether Gaston really loves her, and her friends tell her that Serge is attracted to her, setting up the titular love triangle. Brownlee craftily combines the beauty and charm of Paris with the allure of romance, creating a novel of sensory delight. Agent: Gregory Messina, Linwood Messina Literary.