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Friendship Bread ~~Darien Gee
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*** Reposting to this threadmessage 1: by Susan
8 hours, 22 min ago
Susan (SusieQTpies)
Anyone want to read and discuss Friendship Bread by Darien Gee with me? Thanks. I'm a new Nook Color user. Susie
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message 2: by Connie
7 hours, 49 min ago
I started reading it today, and am enjoying the book since it deals with friendship, and women supporting each other through problems.
I've sampled some of the breads (made by women in my book discussion group) and the lemon bread is especially good. Our book group is going to read it in the winter when it's cooler for baking. I remember using a similiar sourdough starter years ago, and it was nicknamed "Herman" back then.
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message 3: by thewanderingjew
7 hours, 36 min ago
i just found the advance readers's edition on my bookshelf. friendship is a funny term; it means so much to some and so little to others. some take it seriously and some are fair weather. did you ever read beaches?
if i can make the time, i will start to read it with you. i am reading a couple of books right now but i will give it a try.
it sounds like a fun read for a book club if you can actually incorporate the breads into the meeting!
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message 4: by JoAnn/QuAppelle
2 hours, 15 min ago
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JoAnn/QuAppelle
|I read this in April and gave it 2 stars. I thought the writing was dreadful.
I do not think I have any "fair-weather" friends. I guess that description means they do not really deserve the appellation of "friend".
Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Susan.FYI- our groups name has nothing to do with E-readers. :)
I'm glad you joined the group and found some people to read this book with.
Use this thread to discuss the book.
Thanks and enjoy !
Connie wrote: "I've sampled some of the breads (made by women in my book discussion group) and the lemon bread is especially good. Our book group is going to read it in the winter when it's cooler for baking. I remember using a similiar sourdough starter years ago, and it was nicknamed "Herman" back then...."I remember "Herman"! It was the "new" name for starter. While i'd used starter previously, i stopped because my options were limited--bread or biscuits. What i liked about Herman was that they offered other ideas, such as cookies and coffee cakes. Still, we just don't bake enough to make it worthwhile "keeping" starter.
Although, i still fondly remember a starter made with rye flour and Blue Ribbon Malt Syrup. That made the best rye bread but, really, we rarely wanted rye bread, either. By the fourth day the fermented mixture was ready to use. Our Daily Bread by Stella Standard contains the recipe & many others beloved by us. In fact, DH is known for his biscuits & he got the recipe from this book. I'd rather read it than any novel about breads! LOL!
deborah, still hoping others enjoy the buddy read book!
I had to sit around at the car dealer's service department for four hours yesterday, and was so glad to have Friendship Bread to keep busy. I finished it tonight.One bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter led to almost everyone in Avalon eventually baking bread. It's a story of sharing, friendships, helping people in need, and resolving problems of the past. Much of the story is fairly predictable. However, the book has a light, cozy, "feel good" quality which will appeal to many readers. A big plus is the recipe section in the back of the book.
I gave it 3 stars.
Connie wrote: "I had to sit around at the car dealer's service department for four hours yesterday, and was so glad to have Friendship Bread to keep busy. I finished it tonight.One bag of Amis..."
I am finding it an easy book to read, perhaps more like a beach read. Although it seems like a very "light" book, not written in a very scholarly way, 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, we could probably have a very lively discussion!
I will agree that the friendshop aspect(s) in this book were worth reading (for that, I managed to get past the dreadful writing)
As I read it, I realize that while it may be a simplistically written book, the subject matter has depth. There are some heavy topics discussed like the loss of a child, divorce, disappointment, depression. Perhaps the fact that it is written this way makes it easier to deal with the subject matter.
thewanderingjew wrote: "As I read it, I realize that while it may be a simplistically written book, the subject matter has depth. There are some heavy topics discussed like the loss of a child, divorce, disappointment, de..."Good point, but my problem was not with the simplistic writing, but the lack of quality. Simplicity does not exclude quality, IMHO
what do you mean by lack of quality? i think i don't understand what you mean.
I've tried to contact Susan who requested this thread, but she is not accepting emails. If anyone knows her, and can contact her, please tell her we started the thread she asked for.
If we can't locate her, and she doesn't show up, I'll move this discussion to our general book discussion thread.
Thanks.
thewanderingjew wrote: "what do you mean by lack of quality? i think i don't understand what you mean."Poor writing. Predictable, Needed better editing. Too many characters and most were not well-developed.
For people who like to bake, and share their goodies with others, there is a large collection of recipes if you google "Amish Friendship Bread recipes". The author has a Friendship Bread website with many recipes. Some other sources of recipes also pop up.I've noticed quite a few light books being published about friendship lately, especially about people moving to a new town and trying to put down roots and make friends. There is a knitting series and a quilting series that have a similiar theme. I guess it's not surprising considering that we live in such a mobile society.
Connie wrote: "For people who like to bake, and share their goodies with others, there is a large collection of recipes if you google "Amish Friendship Bread recipes". The author has a Friendship Bread website w..."I think it is also not surprising because there is so much relentless angst in this country, currently, that people need some kind of an escape, even if it is mindless.
thewanderingjew wrote: "I finished it. My review is posted here:http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/..."
This is the first time i've encountered a "private" setting for reviews. Does this mean i must be a "friend" to see it? Something about that seems wrong. Maybe there was an error with GR?
deborah
Connie wrote: "I've noticed quite a few light books being published about friendship lately, especially about people moving to a new town and trying to put down roots and make friends...."Early in our marriage we moved around quite a bit. Several times i told DH, "Everybody already has all the friends they want here." This was particularly true in small towns. Although, to be fair, the small town friends i met are the only ones which have been long-lasting. Still, they, too, were new to the community.
In one town i tried the "Newcomers Club". It served a good purpose for me and included a book group. This was in the '70s & my sole in-person book group. Need i add i loved it? Talking books with others--this was my first non-school discussion of books.
It's also been a long time since anyone welcomed us with any kind of baked goods. The Welcome Wagon gives coupons & things like flyswatters (maybe that's just in Texas?) but no food. In fact, the last time that happened was in '72, in Pennsylvania.
deborah
Madrano wrote: "thewanderingjew wrote: "I finished it. My review is posted here:http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/..."
This is the first time i've encountered a "private" setting for reviews. D..."
I wasn't aware they weren't public; i don't know why the reviews are private, but if anyone knows how to fix it, I'd be happy to know! Also, until i can figure out how to fix it, i'd be happy to friend yuu, if you want to read it.
I have never had trouble making and keeping friends, but once I was "older" I figured that everyone had all the friends they needed or wanted. But two summers ago, at the beach, I made three good, new friends. Imagine my surprise. Met one of them in the library (she was getting out watercolor books and we talked for three hours!), one I met in a bookstore, and one I met on my street (and found out we grew up just blocks from each other).
thewanderingjew wrote: I wasn't aware they weren't public, don't know why the reviews are private, but if anyone knows how to fix it, I'd be happy to know! ----------------
Your profile is set to private. As such, we can not view your bookshelves or read your reviews.
When you set your profile to private, only your GR friends may do these things.
You need to set your profile to public.
To change this look at the top right hand corner of the page. You will see your screen name. You will see it is a drop down menu. Go to Profile.
I know I like to see what people are reading and have on their bookshelves.
Since one need not put any real info in their profile (real name, where you live ) there really is no need to not have your profile public.
Thanks, I changed it, I hope. Can you please check? I never knew, all this time, that the reviews were private.
thewanderingjew wrote: "Thanks, I changed it, I hope. Can you please check? I never knew, all this time, that the reviews were private."---------------------
Excellent ! It's now public.
I encourage others who have set their profile to private to do the same.
thanks a lot...all this time and i had no idea...i was writing a diary! lol
Madrano wrote: "thewanderingjew wrote: "I finished it. My review is posted here:http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/..."
This is the first time i've encountered a "private" setting for reviews. D..."
thank you for pointing it out or i would still be in the dark...literally!
Book Nook Cafe
Books mentioned in this topic
Friendship Bread (other topics)Friendship Bread (other topics)
Our Daily Bread (other topics)
Friendship Bread (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stella Standard (other topics)Darien Gee (other topics)
Book:
Author:
Synopsis:
Product Description
An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.
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.
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.
Book Details:
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Edition edition (April 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345525345