Stones For Bread

 

 

About The Book:  What do you do when the gift you thought was bread turns out to be stones?  Liesl McNamara’s Wild Rise is not only a popular bakehouse and café in Vermont, it’s an extension of herself. Liesl is an artisan bread maker, like her mother and grandmother before her. Even though she lost her mother to suicide when she was eleven, she keeps this maternal bond alive as she bakes.  Liesl prides herself on living an uncomplicated, unattached life. But that changes when Seamus walks through the door of Wild Rise, lugging the large bags of whole wheat flour from the local food co-op. He and his daughter Cecelia have recently moved to the country seeking simplicity. Despite her best effort, Liesl becomes attracted to this teddy bear of a man who laughs easily and eats strange sandwich concoctions—on her bread, much to her dismay.  Her simple life is further complicated when a popular cooking show features her bakery. The publicity increases her business and brings several offers from larger businesses, all of which she turns down. But it also brings a completely unexpected phone call, one from a woman claiming to be her half-sister.  Liesl’s sense of identity dissolves as everything about her relationship with her mother—and the bread that held them together—comes into question. Has she been given stones rather than bread? And how can she ever take these crumbs and make them whole again?

About The Author:   Christa Parrish is the award-winning author of four novels and founder of Breaking the Sea Ministries. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, pastor and writer Chris Coppernoll, and they have four children in their blended family. When not writing, she is creative director of Concentric, a contemporary "arts-based" worship service, co-leads her church's youth ministry, and produces a weekly radio show. She's at work on her fifth novel, and is now also slightly obsessed with baking wild yeast bread.

 

My Thoughts On The Book:  This is a wonderfully well-written book about life, making bread, love, childhood stories, and love. I have been working with bread dough a lot the last 2 weeks, so I could easily relate to this story. As someone who began baking bread and experimenting with different flours and flavors for the first time last year I was drawn immediately to the book.   I was delighted to get all the recipes for Leisl's breads.   Leisl's life with bread was both a heartbreaking and a happy story. I loved the way the book skipped back and forth, from Liesl's "current" story to her history to the history of bread -- Parrish definitely keeps your mind engaged while you read. From the moment I began the story I was hooked and felt as if I knew the characters personally.   I  definitely enjoyed the book and would recommend this book!  This book would be a great gift and great for your own personal library.   

Statement of Disclosure: I received an ebook copy of this title from Thomas Nelson and Litfuse Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books blogger review program . I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own. Thanks guys for letting me read this and participate!