Friendship Bread

This book is not as awesome as the ads on Goodreads would have you believe, but it was entertaining... I will be reading the next book set in Avalon.

Julia is a giant bitch and I was mostly pissed at her character througout the entire book.

( )

I cannot believe it took me so long to pick up this amazing book. I am not sure what held me back because once I did start reading I was just blown away by what a charming story it was. I felt like I was a welcomed neighbor, peeking in on the lives of the people in the small town of Avalon.

It is so nice to read a book where people make good choices. I was really happy Mark didn’t go the way I though he was heading. The only character that I didn’t like was Eddie, but by the end of the book even she grew on me. Everyone else became so dear and their stories felt so touching and real. I completely loved the ending and how things came together.

This wonderful book makes me want to do two things: re-read it so I can make sure I didn’t miss anything the first time and learn to bake bread! I am looking forward to reading more books by this very talented author. ( )

Tragedy hits a small Illinois town. The mother can't get past the loss of a child. One day, someone anonymously leaves a bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter dough along with several slices of friendship bread on the doorstep of the grieving family. As we all know, there is no such thing as a single bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter dough and the games begin.

This is a story of loss, sadness, joy, friendship and the road to restoration of one's soul. ( )

Please write more, Darien Gee!, December 11, 2012
By C. Wong "Book worm" (Allen, Texas United States)

This review is from: Friendship Bread: A Novel (Paperback)
'Friendship Bread' by Darien Gee is the kind of book that you would love to read while under a lot of stress or feeling a little under the weather. Reading this book is like cuddling up in a soft, warm blanket. I loved it!

The only reason why it isn't five stars for me was that there were too many characters. I was able to keep track of the main ones and the secondary ones but had trouble with the ones with small roles.

The bread referred to in this book is called "Amish Friendship Bread" and I received some started from a woman a work in the 1970's. When you bake it is a little on the sweet side so it tastes like a cake. You bake part of it and keep it alive like sourdough bread starter and then give your friends starter. I had to give up making starter as I ran out of friends. So this book brought back memories of my friends at work.

The most memorable of the characters was Julia Evarts who had lost her son in the past and was unable to forgive her sister who was supposed to be watching him. Her husband, Mark, is patient but Julia has been grieving for over five years and it feels like their marriage is damaged.

Also there is a young Asian America concert cellist, Hannah who hurt her back in an accident and cannot play professionally anymore. Her husband, Philippe, has discarded her for another woman and Hannah doesn't know how to be her own person because she never was before.

Madeline Davis is a widow who comes back to Avalon to start a tea shop and enjoy the town she loved so much. She is hiding a secret about her family.
I loved all the characters except for a few minor ones. They all seemed so real. Reading this book makes you want to sit down with them in the tea shop with a carefully prepared sweet, sip some tea and talk.

I want to know what happened to them and all the secondary characters so I have the sequel to this book on my wish list, `The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society'.

I recommend to all women who are having a siege of bad days or an illness that you need to escape from. I really loved this book. ( )

Friendship Bread is a charming story. The simple anonymous gift of Amish Friendship Bread starter unexpectedly unites three women, Julia, Hannah and Madeline together in friendship, and a community in time of crisis. Written with warmth and heart it is a celebration of friendship, family and community.

While there are serious issues explored in Friendship Bread, namely grief, divorce and family estrangement, the focus is on dealing with, rather than dwelling on, the pain. Julia has isolated herself from her family and friends after the sudden death of her young son and has spent the last five years mired in her grief until she drops into Madeline's Tea House one morning and finds herself in conversation with Madeline and Hannah. Hannah is seated in the salon watching the removal men take away her adulterous husband's belongings when she finds herself in tears, gently consoled by Madeline and Julia. Impulsively, Julia offers Hannah and Madeline each one of the four packages of starter for Amish Friendship Bread from the starter she discovered on her doorstep and a friendship slowly blossoms between the women. It is a friendship that provides them with the support and strength to heal their hurts and make amends for their regrets.

Meanwhile, the Friendship Bread starter, which is divided by four every ten days, infiltrates the small midwestern town of Avalon. As the starter is gifted from one person to another, it has the pleasant side effect of bringing townspeople together, sometimes in unexpected ways. That is until it reaches a point where it saturates the tiny town and verges on being a nuisance. However when devastating floods hit a nearby town, the starter unites the town of Avalon in a shining example of community spirit.

Friendship Bread is a heartwarming and uplifting novel. It is sure to leave you smiling and the delicious recipes found in the last few pages will be a temptation you won't be able to resist. ( )