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cgcpoems's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
I was looking for a light read, & this fit that criteria perfectly! This is a memoir about the author’s quest to learn how to bake the perfect loaf of bread. It is humorous and heartfelt, and surprisingly informative about bread-making—I learned more than I expected to while reading this.
It’s not a book I’ll likely keep, but if you’re looking for something easy to read that goes pretty quickly, I’d definitely recommend it.
It’s not a book I’ll likely keep, but if you’re looking for something easy to read that goes pretty quickly, I’d definitely recommend it.
cbendixe's review against another edition
4.0
A quest for the perfect bread. I'm not a bread baker (and am more intimidated than ever about it), but there was something about this man's quest that genuinely touched me. Part of it is that bread is a universal food, and part of it is that it's so tightly tied to religion and religious symbolism. Alexander's quest for the perfect bread is about more than baking (and the hell he put his family through trying to bake the perfect loaf every week for a freakin' year!); it is also about a man's search for meaning and for faith (or making peace with his lack of it). The chapters on his trips to Morocco and Normandy were especially inspired.
Oh, and it's funny too!
Oh, and it's funny too!
diannaobrien's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book because it brought together history, science, laughter and food.
What could be better? It nearly inspired me to start making bread by hand again and did move me to look up the disease of pellagra.
Funny and fun to read, even if you are not a foodie.
What could be better? It nearly inspired me to start making bread by hand again and did move me to look up the disease of pellagra.
Funny and fun to read, even if you are not a foodie.
justaprilann's review
3.0
Was fully invested in the pursuit of the perfect loaf! A fun read and I learned interesting facts about bread and flour. But I took stars off for the unnecessary mentions of the author’s sex life.
hkihm's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very informative and I learned a lot, and I've been baking for many years! This author takes a gimmicky premise and turns it into a good book. You can read the rest of my review here: https://thebreadmaiden.com/2017/01/17/a-bread-library-book-review-52-loaves-by-william-alexander/
red_magpie's review against another edition
4.0
The brief summary: geeking out on bread. Since I am currently geeking out on bread myself, this was a great read. I learned a lot and occasionally laughed, too. Unfortunately the book had to go back to the library before I could try any recipes.
jascolib's review against another edition
3.0
A little boring at parts. A little preachy at parts. Over all good book
firefightrix's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely life changing book. Thank you for writing it!