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Summary: A delicious novel
Review: A friend lent me this book and I was captured by the voice the minute I opened it. Hendricks is extremely skilled in crafting lovely sentences that just keep pulling you along. The setting (Seattle) is so well-rendered, and the recipes (try them!) actually do produce delicious treats (okay, I only attempted the caramel-espresso chocolate torte, but it was a smash hit, and I'm no chef. Be warned, though, you won't sleep). I highly recommend this book, especially to readers who are in a transitional phase in their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Yummy!
Review: A wonderful book that you won't want to put down. It reminded me of Elizabeth Berg in that you get intwined in the lives of the characters and want the best for them. The only problem with this book is that the descriptions of the breads are so good, you'll want to sit down with a loaf and eat it as you read!
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Summary: Tastiest Debut Ever
Review: At 31, Wynter Morrison's life has already been turned upside down. Her husband has announced that he feels trapped, suffocated, needs a complete change, needs to take risks. To do this, he must be completely independent, of her. Wynter already knows she hated being a school teacher and selling real estate was not her specialty. She was the always charming hostess, the source of contacts. She gave parties, went to dinners, benefits, concerts, plays, gallery openings, political fundraisers, auctions. She served on several committees in the community, exercised religiously, played tennis at "the club." During her 7-year marriage, she was transformed into the perfect wife of an advertising executive. Their only friends are those who can improve their economic status.Wynter goes to Seattle to visit her very best friend, CM (Christine Mayle). While CM is at work, Wynter spends her mornings at the Queen Street Bakery, enjoying coffee, the newspaper, and the company of the shop's workers and owners who now consider her "a regular." Wynter returns home to LA only to find all of her personal belongings boxed-up and on the front porch of her house, her house with the new locks! Wynter often reminisces about the summer she was at UCLA and did a work study program at a bakery in France. She decides to return to Seattle and take the job offered to her at the bakery, to bake bread, something she loves and is great at. You'll have to read this book to learn more about the interesting relationships surrounding Wynter's adventure and see how things turn out for her. When reading an author for the first time, how long should it take you to decide if you like their writing style? Judith Ryan Hendricks reeled me in instantly. Are you sure this is your debut novel? You're a natural. Please tell me you're working on another book! The writing is so true-to-life, especially the dialog. It's not too formal or too "slang-like." I know the characters and love or hate them. Wynter's friend CM really made me laugh. She reminded me of my best friend. Never hesitates to smack some sense into me, so to speak. Just the best friend ever. Can make me laugh when I just feel like crying. Excellent debut novel.
Rating:
Summary: A tasty, cozy, truly enjoyable read
Review: Bread Alone is a beautiful book! It's a wonderful first novel from Judi Hendricks from whom I hope to hear much more. You cannot imagine the warm and cozy feelings that simply radiate from the book while you're reading it. Our book club chose it as a theme meeting that included homemade breads and wine - and what a great meeting it was. The book includes awesome recipes for breads, cookies, and muffins. You may truly dislike the lead character Wyn from the beginning of the book, but trust me, you'll appreciate what she goes through and the person she grows into by the end. Everyone can relate to the characters; there's a little bit of you or someone you know in each of them. You'll feel for Wyn while she goes through the pain of her husband's departure, the craziness of her mother's second marriage, and her new job as a baker of bread (with a co-worker who certainly doesn't want her there). You'll adore Mac, the resident music-loving, carefree bartender and you'll despise David who decides he's "not sure what he wants anymore". This is a great read.
Rating:
Summary: A delight!
Review: BREAD ALONE is a rich, wry, sometimes funny, sometimes painful novel about a woman putting her life back together following a divorce and discovering her true nature. A gorgeous setting, wonderful writing, and a flawed, striving, touching narrator made it a great read all around. Fans of Elizabeth Berg, Patricia Gaffney, Jennifer Cruisie, and Kristen Hannah should give Hendricks a try.
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Summary: Like good bread, this book needed a little more proofing...
Review: Bread is the perfect metaphor for love. It requires patience to allow it to develop slowly and bring out its true flavor and richness. I wish that Judith Hendricks would have allowed her prose to develop a little longer and bring out a better flavor for her novel. It is the story of a woman recovering from the grief of a bad marriage and how her life is redeemed through baking, time spent with her best friend, and a man she meets at the neighborhood bar. My other complaint is about the title, and although Hendricks acknowledges Daniel Leader (who wrote a book with the same title - a book, by the way, that is the absolute best bread book on the market.)I do wish she would have come up with a different title for her work. If you are going through the end of a relationship, this quick light read, just like a simple loaf of bread, will nourish and sustain you for another day.
Rating:
Summary: Best Served with Butter and Jam
Review: For a first effort, this is not a bad read at all. Certainly, reading so much about baking bread made me want to: A) learn to bake really good French bread, or B) put the book down to go find some really good bread at once! However great the temptation for fresh, warm bread slathered with real butter and jam, I opted for C) finish the book, then order a book on bread baking. Aside from the whole bread aspect, and the great recipes tossed in here and there, the story line is not bad either: Young woman gets dumped by doofus yuppie husband, holds on too long to false hope, but moves ever forward toward creating a new life utilizing old skills and talents and learning new ones such as living alone in a new city, dealing with an old friend who is even worse about men, and, that universal theme for women everywhere-dealing with mother. Overall, a fun read. Nothing earth shattering, not the best writing ever, but nice to while away a summer evening!
Rating:
Summary: A gorgeous book
Review: I didn't think I would enjoy this book. It isn't really suited to my "demographic" either being only 22years old, but I totally adored it. It is quaint, well written and highly enjoyable. It's nice to be able to get totally immersed into the characters and the story and forget about the fact that you are actually just reading a book. I think this book would suit anyone who loves getting involved in the dramas of life without the tacky melodrama and caricatures (instead of real characters) that make up of a lot of novels available today.
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Summary: beautiful cover, beautiful book
Review: I fell in love with the book. Hendricks talks about feelings with so much energy and intensity. I could not put the book down and when I finished I was craving for more. Hope she writes more books!
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Summary: Leans against my other cookbooks
Review: I forget about this title for periods of time, and then, the craving to bake some crusty bread hits me and I remember that this gem is hiding out with the other cookbooks in the kitchen. Besides being a geniune, understated "girl-gets-dumped, girl-fights-back-to-reclaim-life" story, this book is a delicious take on bread-making. I stopped in the middle of reading it to try out the french batard recipe and that made the experience of the book all the more sweet. It would made a great gift for someone who enjoys baking--male or female.
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