Eat Cake : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Deliciously entertaining
Review: Ruth is having a bad day. Her estranged father Guy calls to announce that he broke both wrists, needs help caring for himself, and is moving in with her for a while. Her mother Hollis, who already lives with her and who detests Guy, announces her displeasure over it. Her husband Sam announces that he just lost his job. Her daughter Camille is a moody teenager who never announces much of anything. Ruth's family experiences a lot of turmoil as Hollis and Guy face off against each other, Sam starts thinking about a career change, and the financial concerns begin to mount. To attempt to cope with all this, Ruth does what she always does when under stress: she bakes cakes. For Ruth, cakes are her escape from the pressures of daily life. She even imagines being in the center of a huge warm bundt cake as a means of relaxing meditation. Can Ruth's cakes save the day in this crisis?

This may be a story of a family in crisis, but I wouldn't really call it a dysfunctional family. It is a family struggling to deal with the same pressures and problems that so many families do: aging parents, balky adolescents, unemployment, and midlife career crises. Jeanne Ray's novels are feel-good books full of warmth, humor, and wisdom. "Eat Cake" is no exception. In fact, as I read it I felt as warm and comfortable as if I were in the center of that fresh-from-the-oven bundt cake with Ruth. At the end of the book is a collection of recipes for cakes mentioned in the story. They include such delights as "Sweet potato bundt cake with rum-plumped raisins and a spiced sugar glaze" and "Almond apricot pound cake with amaretto." Read this delectable book, which can be devoured in a sitting or two, and then try your hand at one of the cake recipes. Bon appetit!

Eileen Rieback

Rating:
Summary: Oh puleeeaze!
Review: I am really surprised how many people really enjoyed this book... i spent the entire time reading it rolling my eyes at the author's congratualatory satisfaction with her characters... the protagonist's cakes are BELOVED by everyone... they are the most delicious cakes ever tasted by ANYONE (even though her family is sick of the idea of cake at first bite they LOVE them all over again)... all people love all of her cakes regardless of flavor or personal preference... it would be understandable if there were some mystical/magical element to this book (like in Chocolat) but no, we are just supposed to believe that she is the BEST baker ever... you'll love her sweet potato cake... you'll love her expresso... try her cardboard cake.. im sure its divine! ... and by the way her parents are great too... they may be cranky but they are the BEST musical duo EVER... they as elderly people get paid hand over fist to perform in the fanciest hotel lobbies... brilliant! i cant get enough of elderly people singing either... its easy to imagine how that would be true !
... and her daughter... well she is the MOST beautiful and self confident teenager in the history of time...(sure she's a little cranky... but shes a teenager after all... dont even get me going on her business saavy.... shes brilliant!
[end sarcastic rant]

no... this book was tedious and unbelievable... it wanted to mix perfection with quirkiness and thats a combo that just doesnt work.

Rating:
Summary: What A Pleasant Book!!!
Review: Eat Cake was a very enjoyable book for me. I like
books that tell of family situations, and this was a great one.
The words seemed to flow very gently, making it easy to read and
understand.

Ruth is a modern-day housewife whose favorite hobby is to bake cakes. Her family almost gets to the point of being sick of all cakes. But still she bakes them.

When her husband loses his job at the hospital, she is urged to help out and sell her cakes for an income. Basically,
this becomes a family business with everyone helping out. I
especially liked the addition of the recipes, that were used, in
the book.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and plan on reading this author's other books. I give Eat Cake five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Chaos reawakens love
Review: It was interesting to be nearly finished with this book when I watched the movie "Big Fish" last night. They both contain a lot of the same feelings about the fathers in the story and the wonder of families and work they require if life within them is to be fully lived. Jeanne Ray is wonderful at making her characters both lovable and fascinating. I loved the occasional wise counsel of the physical therapist (nurse?) as she expanded character's horizons of what they could accomplish.

My daughter made the carrot cake from the recipes in the back of the book, and it was delicious.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful author, delightful book
Review: I first read 'Step, Ball, Change' by this author by random chance - I normally prefer suspense or mystery books. However, Jeanne Ray's style of writing, infused with a light humor and endearing characters, hooked me immediately. This book, 'Eat Cake,' is even more charming than that (her second) book. The characters and situations are realistic and so imaginatively-described that they are completely believable and comfortable. They sometimes border on the slightly absurd, which - rather than making them unbelievable - only adds to the humor and realism and makes me so glad Ms. Ray is sharing them with us. I've never been a great baker or felt 'at peace' while baking, but Ms. Ray's descriptions of this cake-loving woman allowed me to feel and share her love, at least while reading the book. I was truly sad when I finished the book, knowing that I would not be able to spend more time with this cake-lover and her quirky family. Best book I've read in a long time. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Rating:
Summary: delicious tale of life's possibilities......
Review: This is a warm and spirited story about discovering your true passion in life and making it an integral part of your everyday life. In this tale Ruth, devoted wife, mom and daughter handles her stress by indulging her love of baking. Life hands her a lemon and she manages to bake a lemon cake! When her husband is unexpectedly let go from his job, she bakes her stress away......when her long lost father suddenly turns up needing help while he recovers from a serious accident, Ruth continues baking her stress away.......when her father needs to move in (never mind that his estranged wife, Ruth's mother, is currently living there) and her teenage daughter seems to be pulling away from the family, Ruth does what she does best and bakes wonderful,beautiful and tantalizingly luscious cakes. When those around her begin to seek true happiness and joyful dedication to working at what they love and not settling for "just a paycheck", Ruth feels that her world is being shaken to it's foundation. Then a comment she hears changes the possibilities of her life. She rises to the challenge as best as she can and that is when the story is both heartwarming and inspiring.
This tale is a delicious story of family, love, understanding and helping those around you to open the door to the possibilities in their lives.
As a bonus, the author includes some outstanding cake recipes in the last section that will appeal to the baker in you.