So after having some extremely serious or just different types of books the past several weeks, I am THRILLED to have gotten an advanced review copy of Friendship Bread: A Novel. It was an absolutely delightful book and a breath of fresh air.
Here is a summary of what the book is about:
An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.
One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.
Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.
When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.
In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.
About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.
I really did love this book! The author wrote a beautiful story that really weaves the lives of the folks in Avalon together in an interesting and enticing way. I couldn’t put this book down! I loved lying back in my bathtub and reading this page-turner. The story is excellent.
I really felt like I could relate to many of the characters (which were all described in such detail that I’m sure you could “recognize” several of them from your own life story too!).
If you’re in the market for a wonderful, fulfilling read, check this out! It comes out on April 5th and you can pre-order now!
I loved that she included some great recipes and resources about Friendship Bread, too. I have always wanted to make it but have been confused. By seeing it woven into the story, I obviously now know not only what it’s all about, but how I can do it, too! (Oh, and from the sounds of it in the book, it is TASTY!)
If you’d like more information about this book or the author, Darien Gee, check out her website.
crystal says
let’s do it. i’ve always wanted to do a friendship bread swap! 🙂
Friendship Bread Kitchen says
Thank you for your review! You can found more recipes at the Book website: http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com and the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/fbkitchen
We will be adding book reviews to the Novel website. Can we add yours? Would you like a copy of our Book Blogger button? Let us know!
Friendship Bread Kitchen
cafescrapper@gmail.com
SusieQTpies says
Hi Jenn! I felt the same way about the book! So when are you going to start baking? haha
Stop over and share your blog review in my Amish Friendship Bread link up! It is for bread baking and for book reviews! I’m on an Amish FB Frenzy since reading the book!
Following you via GFC. Susie at Scraps of Life
http://cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com/2011/02/bacon-butterscotch-breakfast-muffins.html
crystal says
all these comments are getting me excited to read this book. i may have to check it out 😉
Friendship Bread Kitchen says
Stop in and enter our Kindle Giveaway! This giveaway is for those who have read Friendship Bread or someone who is going to buy it! Hope you stop in and enter! FBKitchen & Darien Gee http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/pantry/win-a-kindle