I usually restrict my book reviews to Christian fiction but when I was offered Friendship Bread<\/strong><\/em> through the Amazon Vine program, it seemed to be an intriguing but safe choice. As it turned out, Friendship Bread<\/strong><\/em> was a thoroughly delightful story – well written with an interesting plot and a stellar cast of characters. Although it is not a faith based book, I found nothing in its pages that should offend the Christian reader. It is a wholesome tale centered around family, friends, and community with central themes of friendship, reconciliation and doing the right thing.<\/p>\n Friendship Bread<\/strong><\/em> has several primary characters whose lives intersect in one way or another. As it begins Julia Evarts, a young mother who has been isolated from friends and family since the death of her son, receives a plate of Amish Friendship Bread and a package of starter. Little can anyone imagine the events that one package of starter will set in motion and the lives that will be changed as a result.<\/p>\n Not only is Friendship Bread<\/strong><\/em> a warm and tender story but the author has included recipes for the starter, basic Friendship Bread, and several variations. If that is not enough for you, the companion website offers a wealth of recipes, hints, and ideas.<\/p>\n This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine Program.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it.<\/em> Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.<\/p>\n Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She\u2019d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.<\/p>\n When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline\u2019s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.<\/p>\n In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.<\/p>\n About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread<\/em> tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.<\/p>\n Read an excerpt from Friendship Bread<\/strong><\/em> HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Learn more about the author, the book, and friendship bread:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fbkitchen<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"..\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/divider21.jpg\" "\\"divider2\\"")
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<\/a>An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.<\/strong><\/p>\n