Charlotte Au Chocolat

Like Eloise growing up in the Plaza Hotel Charlotte Silver grew up in her mother''s restaurant. Located in Harvard Square Upstairs at the Pudding was a confection of pink linen tablecloths and twinkling chandeliers a decadent backdrop for childhood. Over dinners of foie gras and Dover sole always served with a Shirley Temple Charlotte kept company with a rotating cast of eccentric staff members. After dinner in her frilly party dress she often caught a nap under the bar until closing time. Her one constant was her glamorous indomitable mother nicknamed Patton in Pumps a wasp-waisted woman in cocktail dress and stilettos who shouldered the burden of raising a family and running a kitchen. Charlotte''s unconventional upbringing takes its toll and as she grows up she wishes her increasingly busy mother were more of a presence in her life. But when the restaurant-forever teetering on the brink of financial collapse-looks as if it may finally be closing Charlotte comes to realize the sacrifices her mother has made to keep the family and restaurant afloat and gains a new appreciation of the world her mother has built.Infectious charming and at times wistful Charlotte au Chocolat is a celebration of the magic of a beautiful presentation and the virtues of good manners as well as a loving tribute to the author''s mother-a woman who always showed her best face to the world.