I enjoyed this novel -- yes, it's about a family in various levels of crisis -- but it made me smile -- the characters were all likeable (even when the teenaged daughter had her teenage-y moments). Good banter, as well.

One thing that really stuck with me is how the main character, Ruth, who loves baking cakes and strives to make a living from doing so, would visualize herself inside a cake (as in the hollow area of a bundt cake) whenever she needed to feel safe and secure. It made me decide that if I ever felt I needed to do the same, my visualization would be warmly wrapped up in a handmade quilt. Bonus: several cake recipes at the end although they are elaborate and would require advance planning. ( )

cute book about family and career. picked it up at a thrift shop, was worth the read. ( )

Did Not Finish ( )

Audiobook read by the author

Ruth Hopson likes to bake cakes. She finds comfort in comforting others, and lately everyone – including Ruth – needs some comfort. Her mother has moved in after a day-time burglary at her home, her teenage daughter has all the sullenness and angst of most 16-year-olds, her son’s away at college, and her hospital administrator husband has just lost his job. Then her father, a traveling piano player whom she hasn’t seen in 35 years, breaks both wrists in a fall and has nowhere else to go. Can she bake enough cakes to soothe everyone – and herself?

I have loved every book I’ve read by Jeanne Ray, and this one is no exception. Her writing reminds me of Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Berg. Her characters experience everyday life, with all its joys, crises, heartaches and triumphs.

I loved Ruth. I liked how she came to grips with her anxieties, how she reached out for help when she needed it, how she listened to advice but still made her own decisions. I loved the interactions between Ruth and her mother, or Ruth and her daughter. This is a woman I want to be friends with … and not just because of her cakes, though I would love to try them!

And I really liked the addition of Florence, the occupational therapist who makes house calls as a favor to the family to help Ruth’s father recover the use of his hands. This is a no-nonsense yet compassionate woman that everyone needs as a best friend. She’s a wonderful addition to the mix of this household.

The audiobook is performed by the author, and I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job. She really brought these characters to life. One little quibble with the audio version, however, is that it is difficult to tell when Ruth is saying something out loud or just thinking it. But that didn’t really lessen my enjoyment of the book.

The text includes detailed recipes at the end. ( )

Delightful. ( )