Friendship Bread: A Novel

· Sold by Ballantine Books
4.3
3 reviews
Ebook
400
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

In the tradition of Kate Jacobs and Lolly Winston comes a deeply felt, utterly charming novel of three newfound friends and the unexpected gift that will change their lives.
 
In the quiet community of Avalon, Illinois, Julia Evarts wonders how to move on with her life. Though her husband and five-year-old daughter give her an abundance of love, Julia still reels from a tragedy that has left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend. Meanwhile, across town, widow Madeleine Davis takes great pleasure in serving up delectable treats and cozy comforts at her tea salon—now, if only she had some customers to enjoy them. And famed concert cellist and recent Avalon transplant Hannah de Brisay finds herself at a crossroads when her career and marriage come to abrupt ends. The three strangers forge a friendship at Madeleine’s Tea Shop, and soon their camaraderie extends to everyone in Avalon in the guise of a unique and wonderful gift. But even as Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.
 
Life and loss, friendship and community, food and family: Friendship Bread tells a spirited, remarkably moving tale about the triumph of hope.
 
Praise for Friendship Bread

“The novel traces the effect of the friendship bread on a small town, jumping from neighbor to neighbor, but focuses on a small group of women whose lives need mending…Gee admirably weaves the various lives together…and demonstrates that simple companionship is a powerful balm…A satisfying first novel by Gee; perfect for the book-club circuit and beyond.”Kirkus Reviews

“This entertaining series debut by Gee (who also writes as Mia King) will appeal to fans of tearjerkers like Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden or novels dealing with the loss of a family member, such as Lolly Winston’s Good Grief. It’s also ideal for book clubs and readers who like stories about small-town life; it expertly weaves together numerous characters and narratives and even includes recipes and directions for making friendship bread.”Library Journal

“Deliciously entertaining! You'll root all the way as these characters stumble toward forgiveness, understanding, and, ultimately, celebration. A perfect book club selection, Friendship Bread is a treat worth sharing with all the women in your life."—Kate Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Friday Night Knitting Club

Ratings and reviews

4.3
3 reviews
A Google user
August 9, 2011
In the first few pages, the mood is set. The book appears to be one that will be pleasant to read. It is about love, friendship, relationships and all the myriad things that can happen to someone in their lives, both good and bad. The author speaks in a charming, simple tone and makes you feel right at home, just like the friendship bread which seems to be at the core of the story, the theme that ties it all together. It is an easy book to read, perhaps more like a beach read. Although it seems like a very “light” book, written very simplistically, it imparts a message about friendship which is open to many interpretations. If we explore how each of us thinks we go about making friends or what each of us considers to be the meaning of friendship or commitment, we could probably have a very lively discussion! Although it is not a book of great depth, and some of the characters are a bit weak and shallow, I would not dismiss it. It tackles so many subjects that have great depth: death of a child, death of a husband, divorce, estrangement in families, infidelity, pregnancy, ambition, self-respect and relationships in general etc. It is because of that, that I believe it would be a marvelous book to discuss in a group. Julia has lost a child, Hannah, a former concert cellist, is going through a divorce, Madeline, the elderly owner of the town tea shop, is suffering from her own period of adjustment and loneliness after the death of her husband, Livvy is estranged from her sister and she and her husband are having deep financial difficulties. And then there is Edie (unmarried, living with the town doctor), the reporter who exposes the Friendship Bread to the world and with it hurt several people in the process. She struck an angry nerve within me. Consumed with self interest, she writes her story, and instead of emphasizing the goodness of the effort, she emphasizes the negatives in an attempt to gain fame for herself and play “gotcha” with someone’s life without thinking about the consequences of the act she has committed. She is a caricature of today’s journalist, willing to do anything to get the story, regardless of whether or not the facts are stretched or even real. Another character who tries to throw a monkey wrench into other people’s lives is Vivian. She is an over ambitious, unhappy woman who will stop at nothing to get ahead. She doesn’t respect the bonds of marriage, the protocols of her office or the boundaries imposed by its hierarchy and has an overblown idea of her own importance. Oddly, I felt as if the men in the story were portrayed softer, weaker perhaps, at times, but more human too; as characters they seemed filled with positive energy and were definitely without the emotional excesses of many of the women cast in the novel. They seemed put upon by life, innocent in the whirlwind that engulfed them while the women seemed to be more the cause of their own problems because of their own weaknesses or insecurities. There are several extraneous characters whose stories suddenly appear without any serious development. Some of the characters seem like caricatures of themselves, and often, the dialog is trite and the situations seem over used. That said: the redeeming feature of the book is its ability to empathize with, and also illustrate, the issues that confront all of us today, in one way or another. Also, it is a fairy tale and who doesn’t like a fairy tale with a happy ending?
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About the author

Darien Gee divides her time between Hawaii and the West Coast. She lives with her husband and their three children. Her next novel set in Avalon will be available in 2012.

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