Fresh-Baked Friendship

Five years after the death of her 10-year-old son, Julia Evarts still has not learned how to live her life.  Even the birth of her second child has not brought the joy back into her life.

Hannah de Brisay isn’t sure what is happening in her life.  She’s living alone in house that she was supposed to share with her husband—their own little romantic getaway.

Madeline Davis is widowed and starting over.  She’s filled one dream by open her own tea salon; if only the customers would come in.

At first, the only thing these three women have in common is where they live—the small town of Avalon, Illinois.  But when a loaf of Amish friendship bread—complete with a bag of starter and instructions on what to do with the starter—appears on Julia’s front doorstep, that all changes.  While discovering new recipes to create with the starter, a bond that runs deeper than mere friendship forms between these three women.  Together, they are able to grow and adjust to the new circumstances in their lives, showing a little love to a neighboring town along the way.

In her book Friendship Bread, Darien Gee has crafted a beautiful tale of hope and friendship.  Her fictional small town came to life in the pages of this novel, as did each of her characters.  I loved the way that she introduced some of the other residents of Avalon into the story, without taking away from the action of her main story.  The idea that it can take something as simple as fresh baked bread to build a friendship—or in some cases to restore relationships—is very appealing.  I walked away from the book wanting to make my own Amish friendship bread starter and begin passing it around to my friends and family.

Thanks to the recipes at the end of the book, I could very easily do that.  If only I could find a way to add just a few more hours into my day….

This was a fun read.  It is definitely a book to take along to the beach this summer.  I am sure you won’t regret it.

You can purchase Friendship Bread by Darien Gee here.

Darien Gee lives with her husband and three children in Hawaii. She is the bestselling author of three previous novels (Good Things, Sweet Life and Table Manners) written under the name Mia King. You can visit Darien Gee’s website at www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com. And check out the Friendship Bread Kitchen Facebook fan page.