The English Roses "The Guardian", poet and novelist Michael Rosen found "The English Roses" to be heavier on the moralistic side rather than being ironic, which he felt was the norm for children's books. In the same article, author Francesca Simon felt the book "has no characters, no story and there is no tension, which is a problem." Both criticized Fulvimari's illustrations with Rosen describing them as "odious pictures". Emily Nussbaum of "New York" magazine found Binah's character was "the blandest, most passive good-girl on Earth, the opposite of Madonna" and felt that by writing the book, the singer was in a way
The English Bread Book making in France, Germany and Belgium, and the book contains recipes for German pumpernickel, French baguettes, Italian polenta bread, Turkish rolls and Indian breads. The following list refers to the 1857 edition. The unknown reviewer for "The Literary Gazette" wrote a favourable review of "The English Bread Book", which was also copied in full in "The Manchester Guardian". The reviewer called Acton a "clever author", and praised the inclusion of "the whole philosophy and practice, as well as the history of the subject of bread-making, in its plain and fancy forms". In a review in "The Glasgow Herald", the critic