Bread Alone (Paperback)

~ Judi Hendricks (Author) "The beeping smoke detector wakes me..." (more)
Key Phrases: Judith Ryan Hendricks, Queen Anne, Hancock Park (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The First Wives Club acquires a junior member in this pleasant if unremarkable first novel. When 31-year-old Wynter Morrison finds herself locked out of her house by her handsome, spoiled husband, David, who has taken up with a beautiful blonde, she is devastated. With only three years' experience teaching high school, one year in real estate sales and seven years experience as the "Executive Wife" and "Charming Hostess," Wyn has little success fending for herself at first, but a growing self-awareness emerges slowly once she leaves her old lifestyle in Los Angeles. After visiting a friend in Seattle, Wyn moves there to take a job at a local bakery. No longer dependent on David, Wyn finds solace in living a spartan existence and working hard in the early morning hours baking bread, though she is frustrated by the unimaginative veteran baker. Her memories of a year abroad in Toulouse during her sophomore year at UCLA where she learned to bake bread in a family bakery are sprinkled throughout the story, as are her favorite bread recipes. Over the course of this long, convoluted tale, Wyn transforms from a "willfully ignorant," betrayed wife living in sunny L.A. whose greatest worry is what to wear to the next symphony ball, to a flannel shirt-wearing bakery owner living in the rainy Northwest who finds love with a bartender-turned-writer. In this engaging novel, Hendricks creates a compelling narrator whose wry, bemused and ultimately wise voice hooks the reader. Even though Wyn's story is predictable at times, this is a well-written, imaginative debut. Agent, Deborah Schneider.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

When in doubt, bake bread at least that is what Wyn Morrison does. She was once known as Wyn Franklin, but one day her husband informed her that they were growing apart and that he needed some time to himself. Having been a career wife who managed her busy ad executive husband's successful social life, Wyn is lost. To top it all off, her mother has found happiness with another man after being a widow for 15 years. Wyn still desperately misses her father and can't quite become accustomed to the idea that her mother is going to remarry. Breadmaking is her solace, and it leads quickly to a job in a bakery and a chance at a new life. In addition, Wyn meets Mac, a handsome bartender who could prove to be the man able to make her truly happy. Dotted with bread recipes, Hendricks's engaging first novel will appeal to fans of a good story and intriguing characters. Highly recommended for all public libraries. Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ) (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752844776
• ISBN-13: 978-0752844770
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,233,911 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stellar debut!, June 20, 2001

By	Terry Mathews (a small town in east Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bread Alone: A Novel (Hardcover)

I'm glad this little book found me, as I was hungry to read something of quality.

Wynter Morrison is a woman adrift. She's been cut loose from her secure mooring by a wayward husband (a jerk of the first water) and she's unsure what comes next. Forced from her home in an upscale LA neighborhood, Wynter finds herself on a plane to Seattle to visit her childhood friend, CM.

On her trip, Wynter discovers a small neighborhood bakery complete with an odd cast of characters. When the bottom drops out from her LA world, she relocates to Seattle and starts to work at the bakery. The routine of bread making in the middle of the night soothes her and gives her direction.

It's been a long time since I've read such a well crafted first novel. I loved the characters...flaws and all...and I loved Hendricks' detailed description of the process of bread making...

This is an author to watch...

Enjoy!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Self-Discovery and More, August 12, 2001

By	BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Bread Alone: A Novel (Hardcover)

When Wynter's smarmy husband unexpectedly suggests that they separate, she is floored. She has little job experience and has drifted in an unfulfilling marriage and life in LA for years. Wyn soon finds solace in baking bread, despite her crusty co-worker, Linda. Relocating to Seattle, she establishes a place for herself in a small bakery and starts a new life. She moves from a desire to get revenge to a search for fulfillment.

Hendricks has taken a modern-day romance and populated it with some really memorable and well-developed characters. The story and the characters ring true and the novel moves along quickly as we follow Wyn on her journey of self-discovery.

All kinds of relationships are explored in this book and the author looks at them with honesty and humor. While a bit predictable, it is never pedestrian. And the bread-baking tips were a welcome extra.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great debut novel, June 22, 2001

By	Jo-Ann Mapson "novelist and dog lover" (Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bread Alone: A Novel (Hardcover)

Judi Hendrick's Bread Alone is a wonderful read. When Wynter is left by her yuppie husband, she travels to Seattle to bunk with a friend and nurse her wounds, but ends up finding a life. Much of the action takes place in a bakery run by an eclectic group of women who throw themselves into their work to heal their hearts. That's story enough for this reader, but Hendricks takes things further by introducing great men who add another layer to the women's lives. What I loved most about this book is that the women's friendships are the core of the story. Hendricks shows us them warts and all, and gives the reader a rich, chewy story to enjoy even after the last page is turned. I look forward to her next book.