Friendship Bread in Avalon

"You can never recover from losing a person you love, but you can find a way to let it be part of your life rather than letting it take over every part of you." -Darien Gee, author of Friendship Bread

Last week I finished listening to an enjoyable book while I was driving around town. Friendship Bread by Darien Gee is about a small town in Illinois that is transformed by a small bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter. A starter bag is a bag of squishy ingredients that you need to use in order to make this sweet, light bread. It comes with instructions and informs you to give two more starter bags to friends. It's sort of a chain-letter for bakers. It goes on and on, and never seems to end. I admit that I've been the recipient of a starter bag before, but I threw it away. The person who gave it to me was an acquaintance, and I don't think it mattered to her if I threw it away, so there was no harm done and she never knew what happened. I just don't have time to get involved in such a project. So, you can choose to discard the starter bag or you can bake it and continue the chain.

The book begins with Julia baking bread in her Avalon home with her young daughter, Gracie. Julia and her family have endured the loss of their son to a bee sting accident and they have never recovered. They are left with deep grief and just don't know how to be a family again.  Julia didn't speak to her sister for five years because she blamed her for the accident since Josh was in her care at the time of the tragic event. But Julia gradually begins to change her outlook when she meets Hannah and Madeline down at Madeline's tea café where baked goods, unique meals, and special teas are served. As the story unfolds we see that Madeline, an older widow who owns and operates the café by herself, also has her own struggles. Hannah, too, is hurting due to her husband's affair and sudden separation. The three women begin to form a strong friendship due to the kindness of Madeline, and they spread the friendship bread all around town. Every home has been affected by the bread and some get very tired of looking at it.

Nevertheless, the citizens of Avalon begin to see something positive in the baking of the bread as they rally together to assist their neighbors. A nearby town is devastated by a storm, and people are displaced and have many needs. The people of Avalon gather at Madeline's tearoom to bake bread all night, and they soon organize a HUGE project to bake and transport the bread to the shelter for the people in need. They bake several thousand loaves of bread for their neighbors, and in the process of working together, many relationships are healed. I found myself appreciating the characters who wanted to change their outlooks on life, and I wanted the best for them. They all worked hard on healing themselves, so the bread project was the climax of their healing. After the bread project I knew that relationships would be healed and people would take care of the unfinished business in their lives.

Friendship Bread is a story of love and hope. It's a story that reminds us that everyone has struggles, that there is always hope in difficult situations. It reminds me of The Mitford Series by Jan Karon, a series of books about a small town whose residents are colorful characters who have struggles. Love and faith always win in those books.

I'm almost finished listening to a book on CD, Apple Turnover Murder, by Joanne Fluke, so I'll discuss it next time. Also, I'm reading a book that I received as a gift, Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. It's a nonfiction book written by a doctor who examines the aging process and death. I'm finding that it's very thought-provoking, and I agree with many of the author's suppositions.

Well, our Carolina Panthers didn't win the Super Bowl, but I'm proud of them for going so far. You haven't seen the end of the Panthers, for sure. Meanwhile, I have Downton Abbey and the Duke Blue Devils to watch, so I'll be entertained for a few more weeks when I'm not reading.

Have a good week,

Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com