Angie Howard has one ambition - to escape from her home in the idyllic Essex countryside and set up her own cafe in London. Once there, she seeks out her long-lost Uncle John, whose lifestyle is not at all what she expected. Before she can achieve her goal, she has to juggle the needs of a glamorous French waiter, a grouchy German chef and her exuberant, transvestite uncle.
What's more, if she manages to keep the lid on all that, what will she do about the other hidden secrets of her family?
Anne Brooke is the author of seven novels, as well as many short stories and poems. She was shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Novel Award in 2006, the Royal Literary Fund Awards in 2004 and the Asham Award for Women Writers in 2003. Living in Surrey, she is proud to be an Essex Girl and, in her other life, works in student care services at the local university. She plays extraordinarily bad golf and is a secret birdwatcher. More information can be found at Anne's website.
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Reviews
'... an amusing, fast-paced novel, full of action and comedy' [Marsha Rowe, co-founder of Spare Rib]
'Pink Champagne and Apple Juice is a rollicking roller-coaster of a ride from the moment we first encounter Angie, legging it along Platform One, her mother in hot pursuit ... The writing carried me along at a cracking pace, and I laughed aloud more than once. Brooke makes it look so easy. An enjoyable and light-hearted read and the perfect holiday novel or pick-me-up for a grey day. I couldn't put it down and finished it in a single sitting. Pure escapism!' [Nell Grey, writer and artist]
'This is the odyssey of a young girl running away from her Essex home to big bad London, where she finds temporary accommodation with black sheep of the family, Uncle John, who is enjoying a successful career as the drag queen and night club proprietor "Jolene" in (of all places) Muswell Hill. She goes through a series of adventures, romantic and otherwise, in pursuit of her dream of running a sophisticated cafe/restaurant, and we watch her personal unfolding brought about by the process. The opening chapters seem light and amusing, and are written in a style so straightforward and conversational as to seem almost artless. This is not however a criticism, because it ensures that the author doesn't intrude into what is in fact a very involving and quite touching rite of passage story about growing up and pursuing your dreams in the adult world. Although the early chapters are played almost entirely for laughs, as the story progresses many extra layers emerge (and it becomes a little raunchy), but the lightness of touch is never lost. Angie and Uncle John turn into far more human and engaging characters than we might have expected, with emotional lives that the reader can no longer dismiss as comic hyperbole. This is in fact a much better and more serious book than it seems at first. It deals with the struggle of a young girl to break away from home and become a person in her own right who is then strong enough to take on the task of mending her damaged relationship with her mother and finding emotional anchors in a new world away from home. Few of us will fail to see something of our own story in Angie's. Most of all though, it's great entertainment, and you'll find yourself wanting to read it as quickly as you can to find out what happens next. This would be a perfect book to give to a teenage girl who isn't much interested in reading. The author seems completely at ease with her teens/twenties heroine and presents her with affection and understanding and without a whiff of condescension or disapproval. As a result, we like her too and care about what happens to her and how her plans pan out. For a light but not brain-dead summer read, you won't go far wrong with this one.' [David Gardiner of Gold Dust Magazine]
'I have just finished reading Anne Brooke's novel Pink Champagne and Apple Juice. It is really good. Angie runs away from home and descends unannounced on Uncle John - the black sheep of the family. He turns out to be a transvestite running his own club for like-minded people in Muswell Hill. How Uncle John welcomes her into his home and yet manages not to "corrupt" (her mother's word) her in the process makes for an amusing story. There are serious aspects to it though and Angie has to come to terms with John's role in the break up of her own family before the end of the story. As might be expected, the book is full of colourful and yet believable characters: Derek the doorman, Malcolm - Uncle John's lover - Philippe the French waiter and Heinrich the German chef who always cooks mushrooms. Thrown into the mix is Lisa - Angie's friend from university - who turns out to be less of a friend than might be expected. This is a brilliant story and it would make a good film or TV drama. Why it hasn't been snapped up by a mainstream publisher I don't know. It deserves to become a classic like John Hadfield's Love on a Branch Line. It doesn't fit into any particular category and will still be readable in 20 years' time. Go out and buy it!' [Jill Weekes, online book reviewer]
Publication June 2006
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ISBN 0-9531613-4-X
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