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.
'Like the chocolate at its centre, this adroitly crafted story is both deliciously bitter and heart-achingly sweet. Set in post-WWI England and Tasmania, it explores the lengths people will go to in order to try to achieve a dream. Their gritty resilience, desperate greed, soul-breaking grief and, above all, tenacious hope are beautifully laid bare. The historical details are fascinating; the characters unforgettable. Intending to savour this book, I devoured it in one sitting. It's an absolute treat - totally enthralling and completely and utterly satisfying. It's another triumph for Mary-Lou Stephens.' - Bestselling Australian author Karen Brooks
PRAISE FOR THE LAST OF THE APPLE BLOSSOM:
'An outstanding historical novel about women and the secrets and burdens they carry' - The Australian
'What a cracker of a debut! A beautiful story of family and orchards, of secrets and love and forgiveness' - Victoria Purman, author of The Nurses' War
'The crisp prose sparkles and the characters stay with you long after the story ends' - Lauren Chater, author of Gulliver's Wife
'Australian historical fiction at its finest ... It will linger in your mind and heart long after the last page.' - Karen Brooks, author of The Good Wife of Bath
