How to Bake a Perfect Life

How to Bake a Perfect Life was a RITA winner in 2012 for “Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements”.

This novel tells the story of Ramona, from a pregnant 15 year old through to a mature 41 year old about to become a grandma. Her daughter Sofia is pregnant, married to a soldier who is badly burned and injured while in Afghanistan. Sofia goes to Germany where he is being cared for to be with him. Sofia’s husband has a daughter, Katie, who comes to live with Ramona while her mother is in rehab for drug abuse. Meanwhile, an old love interest of Ramona’s shows up. It is all quite complex but the story really works well.

The title comes from Ramona’s love of baking and how it helps her through tough times.

This was definitely a case of the right book at the right time for me. I really enjoyed this one. ( )

I really liked this "chic lit" book even though it's not my preferred type of reading material. But sometimes you need dip into something light, fun and girly. Don't get me wrong: the subjects covered were anything but light, they ran the gamut of bad parenting, the challenges of running a small business, teenage pregnancy, the casualties of war and plenty more HEAVY stuff. But that was the setting and background. I knew where the plot was headed and that it would end mostly well.

If you want a comfortable read with bit of fun and romance with SOME substance, How to Bake a Perfect Life is the perfect choice! ( )

Okay book on bread-making with a story about a baker and her trials and tribulations wrapped around it. This was that sort of book where a woman of a certain age overcomes obstacles and confronts past demons to find her true self and true love. There's the requisite quirky relative (in this case an aunt who turns out to be gay), the parental misunderstandings, sulky teenager, person from the past, wise pet, and some weird apparition that bordered on magical realism and did nothing for the story or my sensibilities. Without the bread recipes or the Colorado setting, I might have not rated this as high as I did. I'd picked this up hoping to recommend it to someone as a "feel-good" book, but don't think I'll do so now, unless it's as a "feel-okay" book. I'll give the author another try, though, because I liked a couple of the characters. ( )

Bread-baking as a metaphor for life works quite well in this quick read that's mostly about women's relationships with each other: mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, even a surrogate mom thrown into the mix. There are some good recipes too. ( )

I quite enjoyed this book, the story held my interest even though it's not my usual flavor of story. I do wish they author had gone a little bit more in depth at the ending of the book, on how everything worked out for the bakery and such, but other than that a recommended read. ( )