Very enjoyable. An easy read with a good cast of characters. The sort of book you curl up with on a cold wet day in front of a warm fire and hot drink. ( )

I found this book a delight to read. Dealing with friendship, community, grief and forgiveness, it was one of those rare books where, when I reached the last page, I went 'ahhhh'. A truly sweet story. ( )

Healing comes from an unexpected gift: friendship bread. The story follows the lives of five women, all at different painful areas of life and all of them struggling alone from the weight of the pain they are going through.

One day, Julia comes home to find a plate with a loaf of bread, and a recipe for friendship bread. Her five-year-old daughter Gracie pleads for her to make the recipe because she wanted her daddy to try some of it. And in 10 days, Julia is left with bags of starter and sends them to school with Gracie. What happens is an epidemic of friendship bread.

While the bread is a sweet spot in the story, the pain and grief the women and families that are the focus of the story is not. Ms. Gee has written this story so well that the reader feels the pain and heartache of each character. The reader cannot help but cry, feel hope, smile, laugh, and cry some more while reading 'friendship bread'. ( )

Why is it that so many novels about women, (chick lit, arguably) hinge on the premise of one or more central characters being devastated with heartbreak at the start of the novel.
Show me books where the central plot arcs aren't grieving some giant loss, or catching a romance... with a strong female character at the center.

This book got good after a lugubrious and sad start- once the baking started proliferating, and eccentric other characters showed up to make the focus feel less sharpened on Julia, it worked for me. Longer review to come on my blog. ( )

Why is it that so many novels about women, (chick lit, arguably) hinge on the premise of one or more central characters being devastated with heartbreak at the start of the novel.
Show me books where the central plot arcs aren't grieving some giant loss, or catching a romance... with a strong female character at the center.

This book got good after a lugubrious and sad start- once the baking started proliferating, and eccentric other characters showed up to make the focus feel less sharpened on Julia, it worked for me. Longer review to come on my blog. ( )