Friendship Bread by Darien Gee

 

I admit that I'm biased. I've read Darien Gee's earlier works (those that she'd written under her pen name Mia King) and I'd thoroughly enjoyed them. Darien creates characters that draw you in - the women are genuinely interesting, good people often caught up in highly competitive or politicized worlds.

In Friendship Bread, Darien has several very different women lead characters that converge in this cafe and somehow become friends. They're linked together through "friendship bread" - somehow the story combines baking, friendship, self discovery, and solidarity.  It's hard to describe just how everything comes together so well.  Each of the characters are very different. There's a beautiful and world class musician who is devoted to her craft who relocates to the area. She discovers this bakery - run by a warm and generous older woman.  The baker/entrepreneur opened the bakeshop recently - she too is a transplant to the neighborhood - and it represents a new beginning for her as well.  And the third friend - somehow makes the circle complete. 

I read Friendship Bread straight in one sitting because I had to know what was happening to these women that I'd come to care about. It's a book that I plan to share with family and friends.  Highly recommended!

ISBN-10: 0345525345 - Hardcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 5, 2011), 400 pages.
Review copy provided by the author and publisher.

About the Author:
Darien Gee (a.ka. MIA KING) is a national bestselling author of women’s fiction. She is the author of several novels, published under the name Mia King: GOOD THINGS (Berkley Books, 2007), SWEET LIFE (Berkley Books, 2008), TABLE MANNERS, (Berkley Books, 2009). 


Darien and her husband (author and mental golf expert Darrin Gee) moved to Hawaii in 2000, where they currently live and raise their three children: Maya, Eric and Luke.  Darien used the pen name Mia King for her earlier books to prevent any confusion between her works and those of her husband Darrin Gee. : )

Darien attended Miss Porter’s School and Wellesley College, graduating from Rice University with a degree in Political Science. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and has lived in Texas, Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Beijing, China. Her career portfolio includes previous lives as a tax manager with a Big Six accounting firm, website content copy chief for a major LVMH luxury-branded website, brand manager, life coach, cross-cultural trainer, director for a 2,000 acre retreat center, business owner, and now, author and homeschooling parent.

Darien turned 40 in 2008. She is a sought-after speaker and workshop leader on midlife transitions as well as work and parenting. She has been teaching writing and publication workshops on the West Coast and in Hawaii for over 15 years. She’s an alum of Squaw Valley Community of Writers and has served on the boards of ZYZZYVA and the Friends and Foundation of the San Francisco Public Library, among others. Her ongoing appearances include the annual Hawaii Book and Music Festival on the island of Oahu.  Learn more about Darien Gee at her websites Friendship Bread Kitchen and www.miaking.com