(12/27/2011)
After reading everyone's review, I can't believe how nice everyone is being to this writer. I did like the book very much and finished it. I did enjoy the references to baking and especially Madeline's Tea Salon. I was hooked in to the 5 or 6 main characters and I did care about what "happened next". BUT, there were too many peripheral characters too really keep up with or care about. The book was well written though and managed to tie all together, however, if you're not into baking then you're going to get bogged down in the minutia of starter dough, and so forth.
By the time I'd finished the book I'd eaten like 5 of my mother's home made yeast rolls dreaming they were Amish Friendship Breads! LOL, I did appreciate the lack of graphic sexual reference and the only 1 or 2 uses of profanity which matters to me.
I enjoyed it. It was a fairly easy read despite the numerous characters, but not gripping or a real page turner.
To me the main offering this book has is the pain of a parent losing a child. I think the book could have focused more on that pain and the healing of that family, without all the lesser character story lines.