“There are many reasons to bake: to feed; to create; to impress; to nourish; to define ourselves; and, sometimes, it has to be said, to perfect.”

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

The Art of Baking Blind is a lovely ode to The Great British Bake Off, one of my favourite TV programmes.

The story alternates between the competition to find the new Mrs Eaden and the competition’s inspiration, Kathleen Eaden, the wife of a grocer turned supermarket magnate as she writes her best seller “The art of baking”. As the book progresses we get an insight into the personal lives of both the contestants and Kathleen.

Slowly the story becomes one of relationships. It shows how a relationship that looks perfect from the outside, once the dynamic changes, changes can start to appear. The baking competition affects each contestant in different ways and makes them reassess their close relationships.

I’d say the book falls into the genre of women’s fiction rather than chick lit. It is a grown up story without the frivolity of dating and socialising.

When I started this book, I was a little concerned that there would be recipes interspersed within the narrative. However my concerns were unfounded and I’m surprised once the scene was set in both time periods, how much I enjoyed it. I wanted to know more about the individual bakers and I wanted to know who the winner was and what happened to Kathleen; the sign of a good book.

In essence it’s a lovely book, a pleasant change from my usual read of thrillers and crime.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

Reviewed by:

Claire Knight

Added 1st July 2015

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Claire Knight