One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.
Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.
When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.
In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.
About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.
Darien Gee is an author, wife, and mother of three. She’s a Libra Monkey, a chocoholic, and of late, an Amish Friendship Bread addict. A former California resident, Darien served on the board of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and ZYZZYVA, an award-winning literary journal. She’s an alum of Squaw Valley Community of Writers. Her next Avalon novel, Memory Keeping, will be published in 2012 by Ballantine Books.
Writing as Mia King
Darien has written three novels under the name Mia King: Good Things, Sweet Life and Table Manners. Those books were also published in Germany and Norway. To learn more about her Mia King titles, visit her website at www.miaking.com.
For facts, tips, history and recipes using Amish Friendship Bread, click HERE.
My Impressions:
Darien Gee has written a warm, inviting story that is about loss, hope and second chances. Friendship Bread takes place in small town Avalon in northern Illinois, a small community that cares about its residents. But even in a close knit community, there are those who suffer alone. The story centers on 5 women: Julia is still grieving for her son Josh who died 5 years before, Livvy is Julia’s sister struggling with the guilt and exclusion due to her part in Josh’s death, Hannah has come to Avalon to start a new phase in her marriage, Edie is the out of place journalist looking for that big story and Madeline, owner of a tea salon, is looking for her own sense of home in her new town. All the characters are struggling — with loss, grief, identity — yet there is such a sense of peace and hope in the novel that you just know everything is going to work out well.
Seemingly, Amish Friendship Bread starter is the goopy glue that holds the story together, yet it is really the relationships that these women build that bring meaning to their lives. The characters are well-written and real. The reader comes to care about their problems and wants to join in their walk towards growth, joy and forgiveness. I especially liked how Gee handled the male characters. There is no man-bashing. In fact, I think she presents them in a generous and sympathetic light. Sprinkled throughout the novel are vignettes of residents of Avalon, sometimes humorous, always touching, their stories bring a richness to the novel.
Friendship Bread is like its namesake — sweet, warm, filled with rich ingredients and flavor. A perfect book for a discussion group, the novel will delight and leave you hungry for more.
Highly Recommended.
(Please note: For those who generally read Christian fiction, this is not in that genre. There is some mild profanity.)
Friendship Bread Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Monday, May 2
Book reviewed at Booking Mama
Book reviewed at You Have How Many Kids?
Tuesday, May 3
Book reviewed at Life in Review
Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book!
Wednesday, May 4
Book reviewed at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Thursday, May 5
Book reviewed at Carly Bird’s Home
Friday, May 6
Book reviewed at 2 Kids and Tired
Monday, May 9
Book reviewed at Geek Girl Reviews
Tuesday, May 10
Interviewed and giveaway at Acting Balanced
Wednesday, May 11
Book reviewed at Acting Balanced
Thursday, May 12
Book reviewed at Hott Books
Friday, May 13
Book reviewed at By the Book
Monday, May 16
Book reviewed at Colloquium
Tuesday, May 17
Book reviewed, interviewed, and giveaway at I’m A Reader, Not A Writer
Book reviewed and giveaway at A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Wednesday, May 18
Book reviewed at A Room Without Books Is Empty
Thursday, May 19
Book reviewed and giveaway at Always With a Book
Friday, May 20
Guest blogging at Always With a Book
Book reviewed at Red Lady’s Reading Room
Monday, May 23
Book reviewed at 4 the Love of Books
Tuesday, May 24
Book reviewed at Just Another Book Addict
Wednesday, May 25
Book reviewed at Reading Frenzy
Thursday, May 26
Book reviewed at Lynn’s Corner
Friday, May 27
Book reviewed at The Book Connection
Guest blogging at Books, Products and More!
(I received Friendship Bread as part of the Pump Up Your Book Blog Tour. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Thank you for the lovely review of Darien’s book. I’m glad you enjoyed it. This one has been so popular with bloggers. I’m glad I decided to get myself a copy too.
I remember my family sharing Amish Friendship Bread, and now I’m thinking it might be time for me to start it up.
Thanks again for the great review.
Cheryl
Thanks for this post…I’m going to add this book to my “to-read” list…also, I love your new look…:)