Baker's Blues

Bread Alone #3

by Judi Hendricks, Judith Ryan Hendricks

In Wyn Morrison’s world a 5 AM phone call is rarely good news. It usually means equipment trouble at her bakery or a first shift employee calling in sick—something annoying but mundane, fixable. But the news she receives on a warm July morning is anything but mundane. Or fixable.

Mac, her ex-husband, is dead.

He’s not just in a different house with another woman, but actually, physically gone and the news ignites a firestorm of memories and regrets. Ineligible for widowhood, Wyn is nonetheless shaken to her core as she discovers that the fact of divorce offers no immunity from grief.

As Mac's executor, she is now faced with sorting his possessions, selling his house and trying to help his daughter Skye deal with financial and legal aspects of her inheritance--a task made more difficult by Skye’s grief, anger and resentment.

Ironically, just when Wyn needs support most, everyone she’s closest to is otherwise occupied. Her mother and stepfather have moved to Northern California, her best friend CM has finally married the love of her life and is commuting to New York, and her protégé Tyler is busy managing the bakery and dealing with her first serious love affair. They’re all sympathetic, but bewildered by her spiral into sadness. After all, it’s been three years since the divorce.

Once again the bakery becomes her center as she places herself back in the bread rotation. In the cool, gray light just before dawn, enveloped by the familiar smells of wheat and yeast and coffee, the hypnotic rhythms of Bach, the radiant warmth of the ovens, the borderline softens, becomes a permeable membrane letting her pass freely between past and present. She might be Jean-Marc’s apprentice at the Boulangerie du Pont, washing bowls and pans, shaping clumsy beginner’s loaves and learning to make levain. Or working nights at the Queen Street Bakery in Seattle with the ever-obnoxious Linda, teaching Tyler to bake, experimenting with different flours and techniques, testing, searching for the ultimate loaf of bread.

Now she will sift through her memories of Mac and their life together, eventually coming to terms with who he was and why, with Skye and her anger, and with Alex, who was once more than a friend. Soon she will re-learn the lessons of bread that she first discovered at the Queen Street Bakery in Seattle… that bread is a process--slow, arduous, messy, mysterious--and should be consumed with the eyes closed and the heart open…

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Food, Womens Fiction, Romance, Drama

413 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Judith Ryan Hendricks was born in San Jose, California, when Silicon Valley was the Santa Clara Valley, better known for orchards than for computer chips.
Armed with a degree in journalism, she worked as a journalist, copywriter, computer instructor, travel agent, waitress and baker before turning to fiction writing. Her experiences at the McGraw Street Bakery in Seattle led to her first novel, Bread Alone and the sequel, The Baker’s Apprentice. The third book in the series, Baker’s Blues, will be published in August 2015.
A life-long infatuation with the Southwest provided inspiration for Isabel’s Daughter and her fourth book, The Laws of Harmony. Hendricks’ fiction has been translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 16 countries worldwide.
Her nonfiction has appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle and Tiny Lights, A Journal of Personal Essay, Grand Gourmet in Italy and The London Sunday Express. Her short fiction has appeared in Woman’s Weekly in Britain and AMERICAN GIRLS ON THE TOWN, an anthology, in the U.S. and U.K.
She lives in New Mexico with husband Geoff and dog Blue.

Reviews

[Debbie Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, light and entertaining. This third installment opens up approx. 10years after the end of book two and a character had been changed so drastically that I was left feeling like I missed a book or two in the series and a bit disorientated and heartbroken.

After reading a few reviews I kept going, if for nothing else but to find out how Wyn's life turns out. The story line is flushed out and answers all my questions, but I was still left a little heartbroken.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion of the Bread Alone series was a quick enjoyable summer read. So glad that I finally found it because the character Wyn Morrison has stayed with me since I read the first book. Hope there's another one in the future.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baker's Blues
By
Judith Ryan Hendricks



What it's all about...

Wyn is a baker...she has been an essential character in Bread Alone, The Baker's Apprentice and now Baker's Blues. Wyn is magical to me...she is serious, she is a survivor, she thinks deeply, and she loves fully. Mac...her husband...as much as I wanted to appreciate him...I could not. He is flawed and suffering from a deep depression and doesn't seem to care that he is...at first. He shuts out Wyn...totally. So...Mac is depressed and not enamored with Wyn any more. Wyn chooses to take the vacation that she and Mac were supposed to take together...alone...at their island home...baking bread and making new friends. Alex...a chef and friend...offers up food and love...and Wyn needs both.

My thoughts after reading this book...

Wyn's successful bread shop is in Southern California but my favorite parts of this book took place on Orcas Island...and included artists, rain, chickens that lay bluish eggs, Farmer's Markets, ferries, sailing, bread baking, and so much more. The story begins with a funeral and sort of ends with that funeral, too. For me everything in between is trying to understand characters and their many issues. Much of what happened has Orcas Island, Wyn's house and her bakery as a backdrop. I can picture every movement that Wyn made while cooking...in particular when she made soup and cheddar corn biscuits. Dropping each chopped vegetable into the sizzling olive oil...now my new way to make soup.

What I loved best...

I really loved all of this book...it's intense...it's stories about people living very fragile lives and trying to understand why these things are happening to them. Wyn is the character who works so hard with people and who cares so much. I loved that about her.

What potential readers might want to know...

I love this series so much...especially Bread Alone...that I really want to tell potential readers to read them all in the order they were written to get a full sense of Wyn and other characters. Their growth is so important to recognize. But...I think this can be a stand alone book, too. The author does a lovely job of helping readers to "get" Wyn. My thoughts are that this book is very special. I craved lattes and breads all weekend long!

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the dialogue and I really liked the stories and the characters in the trilogy.
The bread recipes and tips on making bread were very interesting. I could almost smell the loves cooking. I enjoyed reading about the locations, both in Seattle and Los Angles.

[Kimberly Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know when you read a book and finish it and feel like you NEED more of those characters? That is how I read the first book in this series. And I was ecstatic to find that there were 2 more to be read! I am quite familiar with most of the setting of the Baker trilogy....Seattle, Orcas Island and L.A., which was appealing, but Wyn became a character I just cared about in a very personal way. I'll admit, that there were times wading through all 3 books that I started to think "Oh my God, another problem, can you self absorbed people just please figure out your dirty laundry and quit being so dramatic?" Haha. Then I remembered I WANTED to have more time with these characters and if there were no problems I'd be reading a pretty boring novel. I really enjoyed Skye and actually feel a bit now like I want to know more about HER, too! All in all I was pleasantly entertained by these books, and inspired to do a LOT more bread baking...so I'll take that away as a huge positive. Even if my jeans are getting too tight, just like Wyn's.

[Becky Povich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, the third in a trilogy of Judith Ryan Hendricks' "Bread Alone" series. I didn't want it to end, wanting to know more and more about the main character, Wyn, and where life's journey would take her next. Maybe Judith will write more for us?? I highly recommend this book, and especially if you read the first two novels in advance, so you'll really know Wyn. The first one is "Bread Alone" and the second is "The Baker's Apprentice."

[Paula Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! Have waited forever to read another Judi Hendricks book and the wait is over. So glad to read the final book in this trilogy and it's very good. Will really miss the series. Can't wait for your next book!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Bread Alone series by one of my most favorite authors. I’ve read all four of the author’s books and absolutely love her writing. The Bread alone series revolves around a bakery, which makes it sound like a rather light reading, but these books are good, solid women’s fiction, well thought out with interesting characters and plenty of depth and great writing.

This book also appreciates the complexities of living with a spouse who suffers from depression/addiction, which then of course makes the spouse suffer as well in their own way. We love someone deeply, but can we live with them?

The book is set in the Pacific Northwest, and in particular on Orcas Island which I absolutely love (why are so many books set in the South or in Texas which is rarely of interest to me?). It’s a very good book I would recommend to anyone.

[Holli · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly wonderful end to such a great trilogy. I will miss these characters deeply. Judith Hendricks writes with such honesty that her novels feel cathartic to me. She tackles real life tribulations with such a respect that you feel that you’re in it with them and that you’re enduring it right alongside them.... not rooting from the sidelines.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I root for Mac and Alex at the same time? I really wasn’t expecting Mac to die. We get the beginning and the end— and a new beginning.

[Judy Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Lizzie Wann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember really loving the first book in the series. I honestly have no recall of the second book, but I guess the affection for the first book overrode everything as I happily got this third and final book in the series from the library. It was not what I expected at all. I slowly remembered the main characters, but the book starts off with a death so it was kind of a buzzkill from the start. As the story of 'before the death' unfolds, it was at times lovely and other times very uncomfortable and frankly, annoying. The rest of this review contains spoilers.


We learn that Mac is depressed, mainly stemming from the repression of accidentally killing his brother and his brother's girlfriend when he was younger, and, although it's not clearly stated, I think he was also affected by the knowledge of having a daughter although he left the woman who gave birth to her before the daughter was born. Those are very heavy burdens. When he starts to exhibit symptoms of his depression before he begins treatment and therapy, it breaks the relationship with Wynter. My issues were many, mainly derived from the way Wynter handled the whole situation. She leaves town for a while and enters a tenuous relationship with someone else. When she returns and she and Mac reconcile (also tenuously), and she learns about his depression, she is still mostly shitty about it. My qualms with the story itself was that it's never truly revealed whether he told Wynter about his brother's death nor that he knew about Skye. Maybe if she was aware of the trauma, she would have been more likely to support him? I definitely know how difficult it is to be and to be with someone who is depressed. I also understand that many relationships cannot withstand the burden of it. But it was all just very sad.

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's too complicated. It's like some beautiful, intricate machine. You take it apart, some little pieces gets lost, and when you try to put it back together, it never works like it did before." -Wynter Morrison on the failure of her marriage.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not every relationship ends with "happily ever after", either in reality or in fiction. People are damaged and messy and hurtful and Judi Hendricks captured that very well in Baker's Blues. I enjoyed Bread Alone and The Baker's Apprentice so I was looking forward to seeing what was next for Wynter and Mac, and I was shocked that in the first chapter (heck, in the synopsis on the back of the book) I find out that they're divorced and Mac is dead. This book is about the deterioration of a man and a marriage. Mac was always a closed book, and it's unsurprising that the brief openness he shared at the end of Apprentice didn't last. The pressure Wyn felt to let all of his abusive behavior slide because "he's ill" and "it's not him, it's the depression" felt very real and honest.
This book was definitely a bummer, but 5 stars for a very honest portrayal of the end of a marriage.

PS- I'd still like to see a happier ending for Wynter. And I was hoping for a cameo by her first husband David, where we find out he was dumped and broke and miserable, lol.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baker's Blues sat on the shelf, waiting patiently for me to re-read the first two books that Judi wrote about Wyn.
I liked them even MORE the second time around and felt that Wyn developed deeper for me, as did Mac.
Baker's Blues, to me, is the frosting on the scone/cake/cookie. Judi writes with great detail in every part of her story, including depression which seems to be one of those topics you discuss in private, whispering. And there was no 'neat and tidy' end to Baker's Blues, but a sense that Wyn will be ok, Skye will meet somebody, and that Mac would be watching.
Judi Hendricks is a truly gifted writer. How lucky to have found her many years ago. Bravo......I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve to feast on! (less)

[Kevin Kern · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about depression and a spouse trying to deal with it, especially because Mac refuses to talk to her. Lots of great characters, altho I came away with a heavy dislike for Mac, but I don't think I ever liked him that much. This is the 3rd in the series and I highly recommend them, especially if you bake bread and love to read. Bread Alone is the first one and The Bakers' Apprentice #2. Great character driven series, with problems we all encounter in our lives. Women will talk about their depression, men tend to try and soldier on, with often disastrous results.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bittersweet end to Wynter's story. Although, as I think about it, it's not the end. It is only the end of the part of the story called The Mac Years. I like to think about Wynter, Charles, Taylor, MC, and all these folks living long, interesting lives full of good bread.

I love these characters.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and easy read. It was a little confusing as it switched point of views, but the premise of the story that sometimes even divorce does not stop love for another person. You still care and are involved in their life when it comes to their poor choices that broke up your marriage.

[Randi Daeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This trilogy was so enjoyable to read....esp. if you like baking bread. I had to get the Baker's Blues from Kindle as it was not at our library.

[penelopewanders]

I feel a bit like I've been through the wringer here. I read the first two in this series ages ago and remembered them as being happier and more uplifting stories.
While reading this, I suddenly remembered that this is the author who wrote Isabel's Daughter (of which I'm a huge fan), and like Mac I felt myself sinking and drowning at times. Initially I was rather irked at the heroine who constantly interrupts others without letting them have their say (whether talking to Mac or Tyler or others) - but then I realized I probably do this myself on occasion so that might explain the annoyance. Another grain of sand were the typos and mistakes in the edition I have - and it's a pretty nice edition - nice paper etc.
Other than that, it's hard to read about depression and death and feel greatly uplifted, but yet again Hendricks writes evocatively and her characters feel real. As depression seems to be greatly misunderstood and underestimated, it's good to have it play such a central role here.
It looks like I may have read everything this author has written so far, which is actually quite distressing - so I await the next.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read the first and second books in the series therefore, I knew I had to read the last one to reach the final conclusion. The book starts out with an unexpected event, something that I was saddened to read as I was happy to hear what had happened with Mac and Wyn at the end of the second book. As I read on, I realized that the beginning was something that had happened in the present, while the majority of the book was a flashback to Mac and Wyn's lives, both together, and separate. I really enjoyed reading about the two of them together, and the problems that they faced. I loved how Mac's depression was detailed for us to read, which made us feel as though he was a real person, as depression is a problem that plagues many of us, but we are often unsure on how to approach the subject. I also loved reading about Wyn's role as owner at Baker's Maven, and how she interacted with her employees on a daily basis. Tyler was a completely different person, and I loved the Tyler depicted in this book; smart yet edgy, definitely a huge improvement from how she was in the second book. There were a lot of ups and downs which kept me intrigued; a great ending to the series!

[Elena Woontner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This part of the fascinating story of Wyn Morrison, baker and businesswoman extraordinaire, is the most difficult and painful to read. The storyline begins from the end and goes back to what has gotten to the beginning point. A big downer after The Baker's Apprentice - we find tough girl Tyler here too, although on her way to being a responsible and competent grownup - and set in LA and Orcas Islands, it deals with difficult subjects, such as chronic depression and loss - a good deal of research has gone into the depression-related chapters, painfully accurate. I missed the Seattle ambience and the tight-knit community of characters she lived in up there. LA becomes an uncomfortable scenario (predictably, I must say) compared to the harmony of the San Juan Islands, where Wyn rekindles her love of making bread - thankfully, because this has gotten lost in her businesslike LA persona.
I must say that my 4 stars are due to the insistence of the author on Wyn's omnipresent dogs, which becomes annoying towards the end. I also missed the parts dedicated to the art of baking.

[Funda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. It has a different tone than the previous two; heavy, gloomy, as the title indicates, blue... Deeply blue... This is about depression, loss and grief. At some places, I did not like the tone of Hendricks‘s when she writes about Mac‘s depression. It was more of an outsider‘s objective look; lacking a real empathy or even understanding of this illness. It might also be due to the fact that the excessive repetition of the same incidents to make the reader believe that there was no other option for Wyn but to leave him makes the whole depression story a bit formulaic. On the other hand, I liked how the trilogy is structured; this last volume, like the first one is also about the end of a marriage and how she finds her way back to life with the help of backing bread. It has dark material bu also glimmers of hope and new beginnings are there...

[Kathrin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Baker’s Blues gave me the blues. The first two books in the series (5*) were rich in characterization, wit, life observations and a great reflection of deep female friendship, and female mentorship.

Baker’s Blues did a disservice to those suffering from depression. Ms. Hendricks had an opportunity to show a triumph over mental illness with the many other methods than meds. It appears to me to warn stay away from those grappling with mental illness.

As a reader Wyn, our heroine appears from this book to just have poor judgement in men after controlling David as well. She and Mac are so much more from book one and two.

Perhaps I am just like many readers: disappointed and glum that she and Mac’s deep love ended this wretched way.

[Lanna Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve took my time between reading the 3 book’s simply because I didn’t want it to end….the 1st one was such a good surprise and the writing rhythm brought me such sweet melancholy and I easily could put myself on Wyns shoes, she had a type of life that I would have also…then by book 2 was fully immersed and rooting for her happiness in a life that now I wanted to have! And by book 3 I just wanted to be her best friend like CM and understand the jump to her now present life with so much change….

Wish we could get a couple of more books to join her into her future adventures….or it could be a tv show…

There wears a lot more I wanted to know and read about how she processed her feelings, the views on Mac’s journeys and his own personal thoughts…

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a book. I absolutely adored the first of this trilogy, and the third is particularly emotionally moving to see the beginning and end to win and her love life. This book has left me highly emotional and understanding of a mental illness I don’t have much experience with. But what an amazing Description of how old life and love can change but also stay the same through life’s twists and turns. The second person of this trilogy was not that good in my opinion but the third clears up many of the questions I had and completes the story. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone however you need to read The first and second books to understand truly how good this book is.

[MandM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I now wish I knew about and had read the previous books by Judith Hendricks. Although it didn't take away from my enjoyment of reading this one, I think it might have added some to it. Someone called it a great summer read and I agree with that. It was light in a way but covered some very serious topics. A slow start but then you're in it turning pages quickly to the end. I am not a foodie but enjoy how her love of bread worked it's way nicely into the story.

[Sandym24 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy and Judith Ryan Hendricks is the best at incorporating a love of food and a level of coziness into her writing that made the first 2 books so good. This third installment was just a bit too depressing for me and it was sad to see the way things played out in this novel. The writing was still excellent and many of the characters were lovable but the over tones of depression were too much for me to love this one.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Ending

When I discovered Bread Alone, I was thrilled as I've become enamored with baking bread lately. So I enjoyed that book heartily like you might devour a piece of warm French bread. Then I was even more delighted to discover part 2 of this story, or The Baker's Apprentice. So, as stated in the title, Baker's Blues was a good way to end things. Spoiler alert- If Mac was still alive, I would.have needed The Baker's ----- something.

[Holly]

I’ve enjoyed this trilogy but am disappointed that Hendricks chose to end Wyn’s story this way. Previous books have had their ups and downs — as life does — showing Wyn’s growth as a person and the course of her life.

This installment was just painful and depressing. The true protagonist here was Mac, which was a shame. I wanted to read more about Wyn. Her life, her friends, her experiences took a backseat here.