Customer Reviews

How to Bake a Perfect Life: A Novel

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With "How To Bake A Perfect Life," Barbara O'Neal once again demonstrates why the Romance Writers of America awarded her their top prize for novels with romantic elements in 2010. And, in my opinion, she's baked her own slice of perfection in this book. Yummy recipes and sensual descriptions of bread making and baking will satisfy the cravings of an ardent foodie. Those who want a story about family rifts and healing will find it in Ramona's dealings with her strong, restaurant-owning clan. Lost love and teenage angst play against a hearty dose of war's realism.

The creation of a book, much like the making of a loaf of bread, requires the careful combination and layering of many aspects--plot, structure, characterization, voice. "How To Bake A Perfect Life" takes all those elements and adds a dash of the unknown, a willingness to take a chance by focusing the story on an older heroine. There's a lot going on, but somehow Ms. O'Neal simply makes it work, and the result is one of the best books I've read in ages.

I had a lot of trouble putting this book down. It was wonderful; made me laugh and cry a lot. I cannot imagine what the one reviewer meant by explicit sex as there were definitely no explicit sexual descriptions in this book. The author writes very well from the perspective of a teenager, and equally well from the mother and grandmother's points of view. I found it well-written and well-edited. The characters were nicely developed and multi-dimensional, and I really cared what happened to them. Highly recommend this book!

Let me begin by saying that I am a picky reader. It seems lately almost every book I begin to read, I find myself putting down after a few pages because the writing is so incredibly poor. (My husband frequently hears me sighing, "Life's too short to read bad writing.") That being said, I went into this novel thinking, "How far will I get into this one before tossing it into the 'give away' stack with the others?"
Thankfully, at last, a book worth finishing - and keeping on my bookshelf as well. I won't detail the plot or well-crafted characters, as others have sufficiently summed up those aspects. I merely wanted to put in my proverbial two cents and give this novel enthusiastic praise. (On another note, I don't understand the review regarding 'explicit sex,' as I don't recall any such elements in this novel, so please do not let that critique deter you from buying this book. Perhaps the reviewer was thinking of a different novel?)

I enjoyed immersing myself in another great book from Barbara O'Neal!
Now I want find a great bakery with wonderful bread and pain du chocolate;
visit Colorado Springs again; and read more of Barbara's older books.
I am not a baker, but I think this book makes me much more curious about bread baking, yeast, sponges, ingredients, types of bread, etc. What a wonderful metaphor for the subplots in this book! Definitely a must read!

Ramona was born into a line of restaurant owners and bread bakers. After she was skipped over for a promotion, she broke away from the family and started her own bakery. Everything was fine until one phone call changed her life. Ramona's pregnant daughter, Sofia, received news that her soldier husband was badly burned overseas. Sofia rushed to her injured husband's side, leaving behind a 13-year-old stepdaughter, Katie, in Ramona's care.

The story slowly moves along with Ramona trying to keep her bakery business afloat and out of debt. Katie is trying to adjust to the new surroundings and Sofia is hoping her husband has a full speedy recovery.

Every now and then, I come across a highly recommended, 5-star rated book. But when I read it, I wonder what the praise was for. How to Bake a Perfect Life is that type of book. It wasn't a page turner for me. It was too easy to put down and reluctant to pick back up. The writing was well done but the story itself just fell flat in a predictable way. I thought the theme (relationship between a mother and daughter; the philosophy that it takes a village to raise a child) would draw me in. Unfortunately, it did not. I disagree with the village's recommendation. Meh!

Literary Marie

While the book started like just another piece of woman's fiction with recipes and the standard characters, I soon found myself drawn into the characters and their lives. How to Bake a Perfect Life captured my attention in ways that many books of the same subject manner don't. First, the author does an excellent job in telling the story from multiple perspectives without disrupting the flow of the story. The author manages to do this without making the reader feel like they are switching gears. Second, while the the pieces of the story fit together a bit too conveniently, the characters are fleshed out in a way that they come to life and it doesn't feel far-fetched. Third, the recipe/baking theme isn't just a gimmick but adds a sensory feeling to the story (as do the themes of music and flowers). While the story (provided by other reviewers) itself doesn't differ much from the multitude of other women's books out there, these facets pulled together make this read stand above most. It's that well written.

There are 1 or 2 bedroom scenes but I didn't find anything overly explicit or inappropriate for the target audience. Because the book touches on themes of teenage pregnancy, depression, life struggles/disappointments, this is a book for women, not young teens. More importantly the scenes are woven into the story in a way that adds emotion/meaning to the plot as part of the evolution of a relationship..not just for the sake of adding sex. In fact, like other reviewers, it probably wouldn't have jumped out at me as having "sex scenes" if I hadn't seen it mentioned.

I didn't give it five stars because it isn't a book that I would read more than once nor is it earth shaking. But it is a book that I would share and pass along (if it weren't on my Kindle). I couldn't put it down and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you enjoy women's fiction, you should add How to Bake a Perfect Life to your reading list.

This book is so well written. The author brings the characters to life and uses literary techniques to create poetic prose.
Her books (this book and others) make me just want to keep reading and reading. I wish more books were written this way!

I must preface this review by saying that I didn't have high expectations of this book. My very kind sister-in-law gave it to me for my birthday and I somehow couldn't get past the first chapter for months! But once I started focusing properly (e.g. when Maya wasn't around) I could not put How to Bake a Perfect Life down. This is one of those fabulous chick-lit books that seems to have it all: it's heart-wrenching, relatable, and very entertaining.

This is the story of Ramona, a 40-year-old baker who loves her daughter Sophia - a child she had when she was an unwed teenager - more than life itself. She loves her so much that when Sophia rushes off to Germany to take care of her injured soldier husband, Ramona takes in Sophia's 13-year-old step-daughter Katie without a second thought. Ramona does this despite the fact that she is struggling to keep her bakery afloat, to make ends meet, to mend fences with her dysfunctional extended family, and to repair her own love life.

I think the main reason I loved this book so much was because halfway through I realized I want to be more like Ramona. I mean I'll most definitely pass on her self-described "muffin top" and her predilection for very old men, but aside from those minor character flaws, I do admire so many things about Ramona:

1.Her ability to take a risk - I am so risk-averse it isn't funny.
2.Her ability to put her child first - I put myself first Far. Too. Often.
3.Her selflessness - I am selfless about nothing.
4.The fact that she can roll with the punches - My Type-A self can't roll with anything except my schedule, which is set in stone.
5.The fact that she knows that ultimately happiness can't really be defined by a dollar sign - I haven't quite come to this realization yet but I'm getting closer every year. Maybe by the time I'm 75 I'll fully believe this.

There is one tiny thing I didn't admire about Ramona however, and that's the way she let people talk to her. From her daughter Sophia to Katie, from her mom to her long-lost love interest, Ramona didn't seem to have the backbone to put people in their place. This kind of saddened me, especially since I have the same problem.

Bottom Line: I am so impressed with the author's ability to weave so many stories together effortlessly and the relatibility factor here is priceless. Barbara O'Neal is truly an amazing writer and I will be hunting down the rest of her books.

Ameena Din
Freelance Reviewer
[...]
Fancy That...Fancy This

I'm not yet finished but so far it's great. I can't put it down. I feel for all the characters, I started baking bread again. Highly recommend this book.

Real people, realistic situations, real relationships. I have read every one of her books under all of her noms de plume. This is the best. It's so great when a good writer just keeps getting better and better. Oh -- and the recipes also look great!