Bread Alone

Wynter's baking journey begins in Toulouse with her mentor, Jean-

Despite David's later downfalls, the humor in his masked encounter was unexpected fun.

Intriguing bread-making and recipes will inspire many to join with the fluffy loaves.

Despite Wynter's over-extended and ultimately boring to readers futility
in hoping that David will totally reverse the new reality of his life and return to her,
the plot does move forward with her move to Seattle to accept a generous offer as a night baker
with a depressing bossy co worker.

Why she doesn't save her little fir tree by simply digging it up is a mystery.
Why there needs to be so much alcohol, puking, and hangovers is another mystery.
And why string Gary along when she knows he's not The show more One...?

David coming unannounced to her Mother's house after the wedding was a ridiculous plot twist. show less

This was a lovely book! Told in the present tense, yet it works well. The story (about the break-up of a marriage) is puntuated with recipes for bread, and explanations of how bread is made. Somehow this doesn't disrupt the flow at all, but adds to it. Believable characters, very pleasant light read.

After 7 years of marriage Wynter Morrison is told by her husband David that he feels unsure, conflicted, trapped - which is "David-speak" for "I'm dating a hot blonde and it's time for you to move out". Although Wyn knows in her heart that she has not been completely happy in their marriage either she is nonetheless stunned by David's emotional detachment. She spent her married life as a 'trophy-wife' helping David climb the corporate ladder in the cut-throat world of advertising. Her days were spent lunching with the ladies, serving on committees and tennis at the country club and now she finds herself without money or a job or the practical skills to pursue any kind of career. Wyn travels to Seattle to stay with her best friend, CM, show more as Wyn tries to find a new direction for her life. CM takes Wyn to her favorite bakery for breakfast every morning and the wonderful tastes and aromas of the freshly baked breads bring Wyn back to one of her first loves - creating recipes for mouthwatering loaves of bread. Wyn impulsively accepts a job at the bakery and begins a new life in Seattle but she continues to hope that David will see the error of his ways and come crawling back.

I definitely don't do this book justice by my review because it is so much more than a woman scorned trying to get over a broken heart. Wyn is a complex character who is not always loveable but I like her in spite of it. There is great backstory of a difficult relationship with her mother, a beloved father who died when Wyn was a teen, tentative steps towards new romantic relationships and loaves, and loaves of bread! Recipes are included for several breads, scones cakes and cookies. The book made me want to cut into a crusty loaf and slather it with butter. show less

Once upon a time I was housebound with a couple boxes of Harlequin Romance novels from the 60's. We had intended to use them as kindling (though yes, burning books is very Fahrenheit..whatever).It was the dead of winter in an uninsulated cabin, what can I say (except that, trust me, books don't give much heat when you burn them).
Anyway, I read the books, all of them, before they went to their dreadful end. And I discovered that there were about 6 plots in all 300 books.

So, I think maybe there are around that many in the realm of chick-lit also. At least Bread Alone seems to go through the expected paces. You have the heroine, suddenly alone and coping with the infidelity of her rich and handsome husband (who is such a shlump, though a show more pretty one, that one wonders why she hooked up with him in the first place. Maybe it was the colored contacts). You have the secret passion of her youth (though at barely past 30 she is still pretty young), put aside for marriage to contact-guy. You have venture to a new place, where suddenly opportunity presents for her to reclaim the passion (not sex, mind you, but bread..and the descriptions of bread are far more erotic than any of the sex in this book). You have the cute fixing up of the new but temporary rental. You have the tough best friend, the assortment of minor but interesting characters, the complicated daughter/mom relationship, and the sexy guys vying for attention. And the very very predictable ending.

So hey, it wasn't the best work of literature ever written. But it was fun, and the recipes tucked throughout sound very delicious. So sure, I might look for more books by Hendricks. show less

I read one book by this author, and immediately ordered all of her delicious novels from my local library. Bread Alone is Judith Hendricks first novel, and what an amazing debut. I laughed, felt blue and went along with all of her other emotions, relating fully with being dumped for another woman. Our heroine, Wynter, is living the "dumped wife's " nightmare in needing to know to wait for David, her spouse, to come back to her, or to take him to the cleaners financially, or to get on with her life. Choices.we the dumped have had to make, and it is the author's pleasure to bring us along for the ride. It has been a long time since I have read a novel that wasn't listed as a comedy that brought smiles and even a hearty laugh as I read the show more amusing and amazing things that Wynter did to survive. Having done a lot of them myself, I felt proud to be a part of this circle of women who pick up the pieces and plunge ahead into their new world, one of their choosing, not one thrust upon them by others. I finally found an author with whom I can spend hours and hours, reading, and then months and months waiting for the next delightful novel. And best of all, a book that I can recommend to any and all of my friends. This book will appeal to all women. Run and get your copy, and continue reading down the author's list of offerings. You won't be disappointed. . show less

Set mostly in Seattle, Bread Alone describes the Pacific Northwest and its meteorological moods appealingly. It also revived me interest in making bread by hand rather than using the machine to do the mixing. The romances were fairly predictable but the friendship with the bartender was sweet. The main character's relationship with her mother developed in an interesting way.

This book will make you hungry - for a good, crusty bread fresh from the oven as well as a second chance to do the thing you love most but have abandoned in favor of more "traditional" pursuits.

Hendricks gives the reader a pleasant, warm glimpse into the life of a young woman who is able to reinvent herself by rediscovering what she truly loves - bread and herself. Although a failed marriage and romance are central to the plot, the protagonist is able to forge an identity on her own - apart from a man.

A quick read, but an enjoyable one worth the time.