Helpful Score: 3
Ramona is a great mother and baker, and the author does a wonderful job of letting the reader feel Ramona's passions in life. Katie, Ramona's step-granddaughter, is a teenager who has had a troubled and hard life thus far, and again, the author helps the reader feel this characters teenage angst while she slowly sees a brighter future. Sophia, stepmom to Katie and daughter of Ramona, is a expectant mother and wife of a soldier who was wounded in Afghanistan. I felt like I was in the room with Sophia as she sat with her husband, struggling with the swift changes that were happening in her life and how she was going to deal with them.
The story is sooooo wonderful. It is a story about life, love, femininity, pets, home, and (even) bread. Every time I opened the book I was drawn into a comfortable place and I just wanted to settle in.
The story is sooooo wonderful. It is a story about life, love, femininity, pets, home, and (even) bread. Every time I opened the book I was drawn into a comfortable place and I just wanted to settle in.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. It was a smart, refreshing story. I enjoyed the detail in the character development, the foreshadowing and inuendos of the plot. All very good! I want to live by Ramona's bakery so I can wander the streets of her town and walk to her bakery and get fresh, yummy bread! I wanted the story to continue and was relunctant to finish the book - I started reading slower as I got toward the end.... Merlin the dog really adds to the quality of the story!
Great book! I loved the recipes, and the story warmed my heart.
I saw that this book won a RITA Award- though I wasn't familiar with the author, I knew it had to be a very good book. I wasn't disappointed..from the beginning to the end, this book is full of emotion- love between mothers and daughters, and love between men and women, with lots of bread baking interspersed.
When you start reading this book, make sure you have some time, as you won't want to put it down.
When you start reading this book, make sure you have some time, as you won't want to put it down.
I just could not get into this book. The writing to me was too dry. The story is not relevant to my life so it did not hold my attention.
I loved this book! Enjoyed the charactors and story line. I've read all 3 of Barbara O'Neal's books and my only complaint is that there should be more. I look forward to her next one!
I loved this book! Very heartwarming story about family and love and mother/daughter relationships. This book made me smile and brought tears to my eyes. That is the making of a good book. An easy and delightful read.
I've read a few Barbara O'Neal novels now and she has several recurring elements that I count on: food, animals, love, and friendship! This particular book spoke to me on a different level - it is more about family, empathy, and becoming who you are meant to be. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to my next O'Neal adventure!
