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carlosdanger's review
4.0
A well written novel HOWEVER, I wish that there more scenes about baking & less blahblahblah w/ the protagonist's useless boyfriend
maryfrances_odea's review
4.0
Still great characters and yes, I need to read the last one to find out what happens!
kairosdreaming's review
3.0
I read the first book in this series, Bread Alone, and enjoyed it. This book I didn't think was as good. It wasn't terrible by any means, but it just didn't hold the charm that the first one did. And I wouldn't recommend reading this one without having read the other one first.
Wynter is now a part owner of the bakery where she churns out Artisan bread. She's got a boyfriend, Mac, who runs hot and cold at the best of times, but she's crazy about him. Even though her divorce isn't final she's picking up her life and moving on. So when they hire a new person at the bakery, and their younger assistant Tyler throws a fit, she's not sure what to do to keep the peace. Mac keeps acting stranger too and Wynter just wants to live a normal happy life, without all the drama, but doesn't seem to be able to get the chance.
Wynter kind of ticked me off in this book. It may be a somewhat spoiler, but I dislike her thoughts about abused women in this book. Its insulting and insensitive and while her partner Ellen showed more compassion, Wyn was not very kind. And that made it very hard for me to connect with her character. She also seemed to have a lot of drama in her life, which is exhausting. Her boyfriend too wasn't the greatest, I honestly, even at the end of the book couldn't figure out why she liked him so much. There was no compelling reason to like him because he was mostly a jerk who needed to grow up and face his demons.
The plot kind of bounced around too. There were so many storylines that just didn't really connect with each other. I always like when they talk about the bakery, but the whole separate story about Mac I really didn't find interesting at all and it messed up the rest of the flow of the book for me. What was great about this book were the different bread recipes that were included. I'm always a sucker for food books, so this worked to my advantage, especially since I'd like to learn to bake a better loaf of bread. So the food elements were good at least.
Not as good as the first. I'm not sure if I'd read the third book if there was another one to come out.
The Baker's Apprentice
Copyright 2005
384 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Wynter is now a part owner of the bakery where she churns out Artisan bread. She's got a boyfriend, Mac, who runs hot and cold at the best of times, but she's crazy about him. Even though her divorce isn't final she's picking up her life and moving on. So when they hire a new person at the bakery, and their younger assistant Tyler throws a fit, she's not sure what to do to keep the peace. Mac keeps acting stranger too and Wynter just wants to live a normal happy life, without all the drama, but doesn't seem to be able to get the chance.
Wynter kind of ticked me off in this book. It may be a somewhat spoiler, but I dislike her thoughts about abused women in this book. Its insulting and insensitive and while her partner Ellen showed more compassion, Wyn was not very kind. And that made it very hard for me to connect with her character. She also seemed to have a lot of drama in her life, which is exhausting. Her boyfriend too wasn't the greatest, I honestly, even at the end of the book couldn't figure out why she liked him so much. There was no compelling reason to like him because he was mostly a jerk who needed to grow up and face his demons.
The plot kind of bounced around too. There were so many storylines that just didn't really connect with each other. I always like when they talk about the bakery, but the whole separate story about Mac I really didn't find interesting at all and it messed up the rest of the flow of the book for me. What was great about this book were the different bread recipes that were included. I'm always a sucker for food books, so this worked to my advantage, especially since I'd like to learn to bake a better loaf of bread. So the food elements were good at least.
Not as good as the first. I'm not sure if I'd read the third book if there was another one to come out.
The Baker's Apprentice
Copyright 2005
384 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
fudge's review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stephms's review
3.0
I enjoyed the continuation of the characters in this book, but I'm not sure it would be a good stand-alone store. It was very much a sequel.
mollyringle's review
Agreed that the plot isn't as tight as that of 'Bread Alone'--has a "deleted scenes" feel sometimes. But I still like Hendricks' style, especially the food porn (not actual porn with food, of course, but yummy recipes and meal descriptions), and will certainly come back for the third installment that's on the way. I'm especially hoping we get to return to France in that one! Felt bummed that Wyn got cheated out of that trip in this installment.
nextpaige's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 rounded up, I think I liked this better than the first in the series (thought it’s been a long time since I read it). Finished this and added the third/last in the series to my TBR list so that’s a good sign.
nimrodiel's review
5.0
I haven't checked yet, but I'm really hoping that there is another book chronicling Wyn's life. The book spiraled up to it's ending, and left me hanging wanting to know what happens next. I love it when a book grabs my attention like that.
This was just as good as Bread Alone was. I'm really glad that I was recommended these books.
This was just as good as Bread Alone was. I'm really glad that I was recommended these books.
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