This morning I woke up to find this email from Annette Barlow, my publisher at Allen & Unwin in Australia/New Zealand: “The crow is slaughtered (is that legal?), the gizzards examined, and we’re sure we have a cracker success on our hands!”

Barlow is publishing The Hundred-Foot Journey on December 1st and was referring to a review in the Australian Women’s Weekly by Sophie Groom, the buying manager at the major Australian book store chain, Dymocks.

The Dymock book chain announced in Australia’s largest circulation women’s magazine that The Hundred-Foot Journey is its Pick Of The Month: “If you enjoy a novel about food, you’re sure to love this tale of restaurant rivalry set in provincial France. When the Haji family arrives in the village of Lumiere – with the dust of Mumbai still on their clothes and intoxicating Indian flavours suffusing their cooking – little do they know they have set up their restaurant opposite a Michelin-starred establishment which has been revered for generations. What ensues is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant battle of wits and dishes that will have your mouth watering.”

This vote of confidence follows fast on the heels of Booktopia making a similar “Book Of The Month” call Down Under.

But for the record: Hands off, The crow is slaughtered, the gizzards examined. I am stealing that for my next novel.