What do you think?
Rate this book
Bread for the Table
Bread for the Table relates a single day in the life of Sage a 30-year-old aspiring jewelry designer working as a waitress in a pseudo New York deli in Los Angeles. A postcard from her mother triggers a series of flashbacks, which bring Sage's life into focus.
She remembers her protector – dear older sister, Rose of Sharon and her untimely death; her remote father, whose only communication was reading passages from novels written by John Steinbeck; her grandmother, the only consistent figure in Sage's life; and her mother.
The last time Sage and her mother shared an intimate moment was stirring a pot of soup shortly after Rose of Sharon's death. Her mother's last instructions before she went to buy bread to complement the soup were to keep stirring the soup so it wouldn't burn. Dutifully Sage stirred, but her mother never returned. She was five years old. Now she has received a postcard from a woman she hasn't seen in twenty-five years.
She remembers her protector – dear older sister, Rose of Sharon and her untimely death; her remote father, whose only communication was reading passages from novels written by John Steinbeck; her grandmother, the only consistent figure in Sage's life; and her mother.
The last time Sage and her mother shared an intimate moment was stirring a pot of soup shortly after Rose of Sharon's death. Her mother's last instructions before she went to buy bread to complement the soup were to keep stirring the soup so it wouldn't burn. Dutifully Sage stirred, but her mother never returned. She was five years old. Now she has received a postcard from a woman she hasn't seen in twenty-five years.
232 pages, Paperback
Published January 6, 2017
24 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 18, 2018
Title: Bread for the Table
Author: Tara Botel Doherty
Publisher: Pinehurst Literary Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Bread for the Table" by Tara Botel Doherty
My Thoughts....
Good Read! This is definitely one of those reads that will be with you long after the read. The story of Sage who had received a post card from her mother whom she hadn't had any connection to for over twenty five years. From the 'post cards will set into motion a chain of memories,[flashbacks] particularly involving her estranged mother.' With all of this the reader gets to see Sage's past and all of the pain that she went through to the present time. This author gives the reader quite a read of just how painful ones life can certainly be as Sages complicated life comes back to her which also involved her sister, her father and her grandmother and how each one played in the role of changing her destiny.' By the end the reader has been presented a heart warming story that will touch ones heart from this journey Sage's life.
"I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed it."
Author: Tara Botel Doherty
Publisher: Pinehurst Literary Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Bread for the Table" by Tara Botel Doherty
My Thoughts....
Good Read! This is definitely one of those reads that will be with you long after the read. The story of Sage who had received a post card from her mother whom she hadn't had any connection to for over twenty five years. From the 'post cards will set into motion a chain of memories,[flashbacks] particularly involving her estranged mother.' With all of this the reader gets to see Sage's past and all of the pain that she went through to the present time. This author gives the reader quite a read of just how painful ones life can certainly be as Sages complicated life comes back to her which also involved her sister, her father and her grandmother and how each one played in the role of changing her destiny.' By the end the reader has been presented a heart warming story that will touch ones heart from this journey Sage's life.
"I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed it."
August 16, 2017
Wonderful and Haunting Character Study
This is a wonderful character study that isn’t clearly seen until the end. It is a complicated path of yesterday and today that is woven into a complete story in the last chapter. The beginning is a tad slow as the reader has only isolated threads of the story. As the book moves on, more of the tapestry of the story becomes evident. Finally, all comes together to form the complete picture. Wow! The story is complicated and well done. In the end, the reader realizes that what was originally percieved as weakness is actually a survivor’s strength. All of the characters are complicated and emotionally true. Strangely, I’ve known people like all of these. I want to read more of this author’s wor
This is a wonderful character study that isn’t clearly seen until the end. It is a complicated path of yesterday and today that is woven into a complete story in the last chapter. The beginning is a tad slow as the reader has only isolated threads of the story. As the book moves on, more of the tapestry of the story becomes evident. Finally, all comes together to form the complete picture. Wow! The story is complicated and well done. In the end, the reader realizes that what was originally percieved as weakness is actually a survivor’s strength. All of the characters are complicated and emotionally true. Strangely, I’ve known people like all of these. I want to read more of this author’s wor
February 7, 2018
A Review by Katie Kay
Bread for the Table by Tara Doherty
Bread for the Table is a very well-composed piece of literature, set in current era chronicling the life of a young woman who's mother has abandoned her. The book details her account of a slew of memories before, and during the time in which her mother sends her a postcard after many years of no communication.
Sage is a young, damaged girl who has walked a slow, sad path towards trying to salvage the remnants of her spirit after many traumatic events that have shaped her life. Her mother abandoned her when she was a young girl, and we witness her bringing us back to that dreadful day. As she was stirring the pot for dinner her mother requests that Sage take over, as she sets out to 'buy bread for the table' and never returns. This breaks poor Sage, who also lost her beloved sister 'Rose of Sharon' when she was young. Sage who dreams to become a jewelry designer, settles for a mundane waitressing job to pay the bills, and an abusive boyfriend who treats her more like a baby than a girlfriend. He is controlling and downright mean at times.
In addition, Sage had a troubled father who she learns is at the root of most of this. A distant man, who was obsessed with books, he only gave Sage attention when it was to show or read her said-books. Her grandmother is equally damaging to Sage, as she learns she is the one who chased her mother away.
When she returns, Sage's mother tells her many tales that occurred that caused her to flee, particularly the viciousness of her mother-in-law. She made an escape, and when she could; returned to Sage's life. Sage leaves her boyfriend right around the time her mother returns, and in the ending we are given a glimmer of hope that Sage just might be okay.
The book again, is well-written. Tara Botel Doherty is a gifted literary fiction writer with a talent for writing sharp prose, with depth and emotion. The book has many themes and a lot of beautiful reflective pieces--making it a bittersweet read, sure to stay etched in your mind for a long time. This author deserves to be acknowledged as the talented indie writer--with a gift for channeling the thought-patterns, quirks and pathologies, of a broken young woman--that she is.
Great read and easy five stars!
Bread for the Table by Tara Doherty
Bread for the Table is a very well-composed piece of literature, set in current era chronicling the life of a young woman who's mother has abandoned her. The book details her account of a slew of memories before, and during the time in which her mother sends her a postcard after many years of no communication.
Sage is a young, damaged girl who has walked a slow, sad path towards trying to salvage the remnants of her spirit after many traumatic events that have shaped her life. Her mother abandoned her when she was a young girl, and we witness her bringing us back to that dreadful day. As she was stirring the pot for dinner her mother requests that Sage take over, as she sets out to 'buy bread for the table' and never returns. This breaks poor Sage, who also lost her beloved sister 'Rose of Sharon' when she was young. Sage who dreams to become a jewelry designer, settles for a mundane waitressing job to pay the bills, and an abusive boyfriend who treats her more like a baby than a girlfriend. He is controlling and downright mean at times.
In addition, Sage had a troubled father who she learns is at the root of most of this. A distant man, who was obsessed with books, he only gave Sage attention when it was to show or read her said-books. Her grandmother is equally damaging to Sage, as she learns she is the one who chased her mother away.
When she returns, Sage's mother tells her many tales that occurred that caused her to flee, particularly the viciousness of her mother-in-law. She made an escape, and when she could; returned to Sage's life. Sage leaves her boyfriend right around the time her mother returns, and in the ending we are given a glimmer of hope that Sage just might be okay.
The book again, is well-written. Tara Botel Doherty is a gifted literary fiction writer with a talent for writing sharp prose, with depth and emotion. The book has many themes and a lot of beautiful reflective pieces--making it a bittersweet read, sure to stay etched in your mind for a long time. This author deserves to be acknowledged as the talented indie writer--with a gift for channeling the thought-patterns, quirks and pathologies, of a broken young woman--that she is.
Great read and easy five stars!
August 3, 2018
BREAD FOR THE TABLE
A Review By Nicole D'Settemi
Bread for the Table is sweet melancholy, perhaps at it's finest. The book opens slowly, carefully, delicately--much like the prose throughout, with the writer's oeuvre soft yet direct, lovely yet troubling, real yet illusory. There is something contradictory about the entire novel, just the same as the phrase 'sweet melancholy.'
The protagonist is a young female, and it opens with her in bed next to her boyfriend, and her precious pup. Throughout the book, we are given slices of her relationship, weaved with a past she tried hard to forget. Bread for the Table is a self-reflective think-piece, with much of it, also descriptions of her everyday life intermixed with her thoughts. The narrator is shy and timid, and introverted. She is very reliant on her boyfriend who seems to baby her and treat her more like a child, something we uncover, she more than needs--when we are served with the harsh truth that her mother abandoned her when she was young. A postcard sets into motion a chain of memories, particularly involving her estranged mother. Aptly titled; she reveals the saddest part of the tale--the truth about that day. Basically, when she is young, we are shown the point where her mom tells her she is leaving to get a loaf of bread for dinner, asking her daughter to stir the pot of food, as she awaits her return. Her mother ends up never returning, causing an immense hole and emotional damage to the young girl. It's a gut-punching reality she is forced to face everyday, with the string of emotions as she grows and becomes an adult, expected and justifiably so--am I loved, am I worthless, am I a horrible human, why can't I be loved, why am I so needy? Am I defective? --and on and on.
Doherty's talent is for making the unimportant and irrelevant, everyday mundane tasks, written beautifully enough that it still hooks you into moving forward. Her influences are obvious--and good ones at that. I see several contemporary writers as likely inspirations.
As the story moves forward, we are often given glimpses of her relationship with her father and the bittersweet memories of a better time. Her father who is a literature junkie obsessively reads and recommends Steinbeck. Her grandmother reveals he became so engrossed in his books--he emotionally abandoned her. In a sad part of the book, she reveals to Sage, that she hated her mother because she felt she had 'stolen him,' yet when the mother finally leaves, she admits this simply wasn't the case after all. He never returned to his mother and provided the attention or care she sought, much to her dismay. She blames his book obsession, which is one of several topics that sage seems desperate to avoid.
We also learn that her sister passed on early in age, which damaged Sage as well. With the mix of her dysfunctional, unconventional upbringing, mother's disappearance, and lack of emotional connection, Sage is a much expected damaged young woman, and the book sheds light on the human psyche and conditioning, written in fine detail with a smooth delivery, and impressive prose.
Bread for the Table is worth the read, and definitely a recommendation in literary fiction, and contemporary literature.
A Review By Nicole D'Settemi
Bread for the Table is sweet melancholy, perhaps at it's finest. The book opens slowly, carefully, delicately--much like the prose throughout, with the writer's oeuvre soft yet direct, lovely yet troubling, real yet illusory. There is something contradictory about the entire novel, just the same as the phrase 'sweet melancholy.'
The protagonist is a young female, and it opens with her in bed next to her boyfriend, and her precious pup. Throughout the book, we are given slices of her relationship, weaved with a past she tried hard to forget. Bread for the Table is a self-reflective think-piece, with much of it, also descriptions of her everyday life intermixed with her thoughts. The narrator is shy and timid, and introverted. She is very reliant on her boyfriend who seems to baby her and treat her more like a child, something we uncover, she more than needs--when we are served with the harsh truth that her mother abandoned her when she was young. A postcard sets into motion a chain of memories, particularly involving her estranged mother. Aptly titled; she reveals the saddest part of the tale--the truth about that day. Basically, when she is young, we are shown the point where her mom tells her she is leaving to get a loaf of bread for dinner, asking her daughter to stir the pot of food, as she awaits her return. Her mother ends up never returning, causing an immense hole and emotional damage to the young girl. It's a gut-punching reality she is forced to face everyday, with the string of emotions as she grows and becomes an adult, expected and justifiably so--am I loved, am I worthless, am I a horrible human, why can't I be loved, why am I so needy? Am I defective? --and on and on.
Doherty's talent is for making the unimportant and irrelevant, everyday mundane tasks, written beautifully enough that it still hooks you into moving forward. Her influences are obvious--and good ones at that. I see several contemporary writers as likely inspirations.
As the story moves forward, we are often given glimpses of her relationship with her father and the bittersweet memories of a better time. Her father who is a literature junkie obsessively reads and recommends Steinbeck. Her grandmother reveals he became so engrossed in his books--he emotionally abandoned her. In a sad part of the book, she reveals to Sage, that she hated her mother because she felt she had 'stolen him,' yet when the mother finally leaves, she admits this simply wasn't the case after all. He never returned to his mother and provided the attention or care she sought, much to her dismay. She blames his book obsession, which is one of several topics that sage seems desperate to avoid.
We also learn that her sister passed on early in age, which damaged Sage as well. With the mix of her dysfunctional, unconventional upbringing, mother's disappearance, and lack of emotional connection, Sage is a much expected damaged young woman, and the book sheds light on the human psyche and conditioning, written in fine detail with a smooth delivery, and impressive prose.
Bread for the Table is worth the read, and definitely a recommendation in literary fiction, and contemporary literature.
November 2, 2017
MY THOUGHTS
This is one of those books that will have you thinking and thinking hard. It is a complex journey between today and yesterday. It may not make complete sense until you get near the end. Just because a character may not appear strong doesn't mean that is true. Strength comes in many forms. The story moves rather slowly to begin with as a young woman is in bed with her boyfriend and her puppy. The author gives us bits and pieces of her life, her past that she has tried so very hard to put just there, in the past. Things are complicated for the young female. She needs her boyfriend to coddle her, baby her. But he not only babies her, he often times is mean and controlling. She needs this. Why? She is willing to take the abuse in order to get the attention. It stems from her mother who left her when she was very young. So after you understand her past, you can understand her needing this treatment from her boyfriend. As memories come forth, we learn the sad realization of that day when her mother went for bread and never returned. That is bound to place pain and hurt and emotional scars on anyone, let alone a child. As she grows up she is left constantly with the thought of her mother leaving and never returning. She is constantly wondering is she is worth anything, if anyone will or can love her, what is wrong with me. This and much more. It destroys her to the point where she needs and holds on strongly to anyone who gives her attention. She craves that and no wonder. It tears at your heart strings and makes you sad. It makes you wonder, what is wrong with people. This does happen in reality. We are taken a bit into the life of her father, who she had a good relationship with. A different time and a different memory. But she was also left by her father, in a different way. He eventually emmersed himself totally into his literature. But that isn't all Sage has lost. A sister that died early on. This may have been the definition of a dysfunctional family. The seriousness of a dysfunctional family is that everyone connected in any way, is harmed in some way. The author dealt with a serious matter in a very delicate way. Well written and thought provoking. Sage settles, Sage gives up her dreams of being a jewelry designer, Sage is just trying to survive. So hence, the book title, BREAD FOR THE TABLE, where it all began, when Sage's mother left to get bread and didn't return. You will smile at times but that smile may turn to sadness. Your heart may warm and then your heart may turn a bit cold. This is reality. This is what some go through. It hurts, it's sad, it's LIFE. The author wrote an emotional filled book that doesn't sugar coat but present a scenario that could be you or someone your know.
This review is my opinion and was no way influenced by anyone.
This is one of those books that will have you thinking and thinking hard. It is a complex journey between today and yesterday. It may not make complete sense until you get near the end. Just because a character may not appear strong doesn't mean that is true. Strength comes in many forms. The story moves rather slowly to begin with as a young woman is in bed with her boyfriend and her puppy. The author gives us bits and pieces of her life, her past that she has tried so very hard to put just there, in the past. Things are complicated for the young female. She needs her boyfriend to coddle her, baby her. But he not only babies her, he often times is mean and controlling. She needs this. Why? She is willing to take the abuse in order to get the attention. It stems from her mother who left her when she was very young. So after you understand her past, you can understand her needing this treatment from her boyfriend. As memories come forth, we learn the sad realization of that day when her mother went for bread and never returned. That is bound to place pain and hurt and emotional scars on anyone, let alone a child. As she grows up she is left constantly with the thought of her mother leaving and never returning. She is constantly wondering is she is worth anything, if anyone will or can love her, what is wrong with me. This and much more. It destroys her to the point where she needs and holds on strongly to anyone who gives her attention. She craves that and no wonder. It tears at your heart strings and makes you sad. It makes you wonder, what is wrong with people. This does happen in reality. We are taken a bit into the life of her father, who she had a good relationship with. A different time and a different memory. But she was also left by her father, in a different way. He eventually emmersed himself totally into his literature. But that isn't all Sage has lost. A sister that died early on. This may have been the definition of a dysfunctional family. The seriousness of a dysfunctional family is that everyone connected in any way, is harmed in some way. The author dealt with a serious matter in a very delicate way. Well written and thought provoking. Sage settles, Sage gives up her dreams of being a jewelry designer, Sage is just trying to survive. So hence, the book title, BREAD FOR THE TABLE, where it all began, when Sage's mother left to get bread and didn't return. You will smile at times but that smile may turn to sadness. Your heart may warm and then your heart may turn a bit cold. This is reality. This is what some go through. It hurts, it's sad, it's LIFE. The author wrote an emotional filled book that doesn't sugar coat but present a scenario that could be you or someone your know.
This review is my opinion and was no way influenced by anyone.
July 3, 2017
Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch for San Diego Book Review
There comes a point in every person’s life when they wonder if this is as good as it gets. This is reality even for those fortunate enough to have carved out a successful path for their future, but for people like thirty-year old Sage, this is their reality every single day. Tara Botel Doherty’s new novel, Bread for the Table, unfolds an endearing story—a common reality for many—on what seems like a life headed nowhere and Sage’s gossipy coworkers at her dead end waitress job are relentless in reminding her. She had aspired to become a jewelry designer but those dreams had been cast aside five years earlier by her patronizing and abusive boyfriend and now at the age of thirty, maybe her coworkers are right. Out of nowhere, she receives a postcard from her estranged mother who twenty-five years earlier had left her standing in the kitchen stirring a pot of soup to run to the store for bread.
Told in a myriad of flashbacks, Sage’s story intricately pieces together her fractured childhood to her current situation. The breadth of the novel can delicately be summed up in one particular quote:
“No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself.”
The author of this quote, John Steinbeck, was the only writer that Sage’s father would read and in those books was his preferred place to be, resulting in a trickle effect that left Sage a broken woman.
You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.
There comes a point in every person’s life when they wonder if this is as good as it gets. This is reality even for those fortunate enough to have carved out a successful path for their future, but for people like thirty-year old Sage, this is their reality every single day. Tara Botel Doherty’s new novel, Bread for the Table, unfolds an endearing story—a common reality for many—on what seems like a life headed nowhere and Sage’s gossipy coworkers at her dead end waitress job are relentless in reminding her. She had aspired to become a jewelry designer but those dreams had been cast aside five years earlier by her patronizing and abusive boyfriend and now at the age of thirty, maybe her coworkers are right. Out of nowhere, she receives a postcard from her estranged mother who twenty-five years earlier had left her standing in the kitchen stirring a pot of soup to run to the store for bread.
Told in a myriad of flashbacks, Sage’s story intricately pieces together her fractured childhood to her current situation. The breadth of the novel can delicately be summed up in one particular quote:
“No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself.”
The author of this quote, John Steinbeck, was the only writer that Sage’s father would read and in those books was his preferred place to be, resulting in a trickle effect that left Sage a broken woman.
You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.
March 13, 2017
I love those random memories that make me smile no matter what’s going on in my life right now .
Thirty-year-old Sage finds her mind is plagued by memories of her past. It started when she sees a postcard from her mother. She remembers that day in vivid details she can still picture her mother and the last words of advice she provided.
Then the past memories take her to the time of her being with her older sister before her untimely death. From there, her mind is filled with those that she loved and the wonderful times that they all had shared.
Will Sage’s many thoughts of the past lead them to resurface to the present? Or will she find a way to bury her memories and start living for the future?
BREAD FOR THE TABLE is a beautiful story of how one woman has built her life on the memories of days gone by. Sage is a character who is easy to connect with as she takes you on her journey of her life. Through her eyes, you see the struggles that she has had to endure in order to make it this far.
Tara Botel Doherty is an exceptional author who knows how to write a very compelling story. This is my first experience with this author and I was deeply impressed with her smooth flowing writing style. I felt an immediate connection to her work. I feel this book is a great contribution to the literary world.
Thirty-year-old Sage finds her mind is plagued by memories of her past. It started when she sees a postcard from her mother. She remembers that day in vivid details she can still picture her mother and the last words of advice she provided.
Then the past memories take her to the time of her being with her older sister before her untimely death. From there, her mind is filled with those that she loved and the wonderful times that they all had shared.
Will Sage’s many thoughts of the past lead them to resurface to the present? Or will she find a way to bury her memories and start living for the future?
BREAD FOR THE TABLE is a beautiful story of how one woman has built her life on the memories of days gone by. Sage is a character who is easy to connect with as she takes you on her journey of her life. Through her eyes, you see the struggles that she has had to endure in order to make it this far.
Tara Botel Doherty is an exceptional author who knows how to write a very compelling story. This is my first experience with this author and I was deeply impressed with her smooth flowing writing style. I felt an immediate connection to her work. I feel this book is a great contribution to the literary world.
May 30, 2017
A postcard triggers a lifetime of memories for jewelry designer wannabe Sage. The 30-year-old waitress currently working at a deli in Los Angeles was a child when her mother said she was going out for bread to put on the table. But mom never returned. Sage fantasized often about finding her mom and what they would say to each other. She retraced that final day, visiting the grocery story, walking the streets, reliving each step and moment as if doing so would change fate.
This story relates a single day in Sage's life and through flashbacks she takes the reader back to the day her mother disappeared. She talks of her sister, her father and her grandmother - how each played a role in changing her destiny. Now she's received a postcard it claims to have been sent by her mother.
Bread for the Table will pull at your heart strings and make you look at your own humanity. A good read.
This story relates a single day in Sage's life and through flashbacks she takes the reader back to the day her mother disappeared. She talks of her sister, her father and her grandmother - how each played a role in changing her destiny. Now she's received a postcard it claims to have been sent by her mother.
Bread for the Table will pull at your heart strings and make you look at your own humanity. A good read.
March 21, 2017
Bread for the Table takes us through a day in the life of Sage, and through a series of flashbacks we learn events from her past that make her the woman she is today. The question is... is she happy with that woman? Sage is a character you can relate to... an average person with her own personal demons trying to find her way through life. I really enjoyed the way Doherty weaves the story: revealing Sage's somewhat unconventional background gradually through the memories the character has while she struggles through a rough day.
March 26, 2017
I met this author at a local book signing and thought she was so fun and entertaining, I had to read her book! This is a very unique story of a day in the life of one woman whose complicated past comes back to her. There are many twists, turns and revelations for both the character and the reader. Hope to see more from this author.
October 2, 2017
It's been a long time since I've wanted to finish a book as soon as I've started it. The story is truly a gift. I can identify with Sage, although my story is different, there are elements I can identify with in all aspects of her story. The descriptions are so vivid that I can smell and see everything as if I'm right there with her. A must read.
January 29, 2017
This is a well written book. I liked how the book flows and how more details come out about Sage and her early life through the flashbacks. The book has the same feel as a classic movie. I liked how the book really puts you into the character’s head and you get to experience her world.
April 13, 2017
I loved it!! Easy read but not boring at all. It was a page turner. Really liked her writing style, alternating from present to the past. Would recommend to all my friends.
** Was asked to read the book for an honest review.
** Was asked to read the book for an honest review.
August 10, 2017
Bread for the Table is a poignant story of loss and abandonment replete with relatable characters, a delicate sense of hope, and exquisitely detailed depictions of Los Angeles, written by a talented native Angeleno.
September 13, 2017
Heart pulling but yet heart warming good story. I can't express how well written this book is or the characters that are portrayed. But I can highly recommend this book!
November 29, 2017
Find more in Chill and read
Sage is a 30-year-old woman, working as a waitress in one of those pseudo New York Delis located in Los Angeles. She was not meant for this job and at some point she is going to resign, but till then she keeps going there. One day she receives a postcard from her mother, a woman she hadden’t seen in twenty-five years. This event triggers a series of flashbacks to her past, to the time before her sister’s untimely death, when they were both children. Her mother could not cope with the loss of her daughter and a distant husband, who would always be found with one of Steinbeck books in hand, reading passages to his family. The last time Sage saw her mother and shared a moment, was when her mother instructed her to stir the soup, while she was out to bring bread for the table. Her mother never came back from the store and Sage was left to grow up with the distant father and her strong opinionated grandmother.
The story starts a bit slowly, in order to give the frame under which the protagonist is living in the present and has lived in the past. The reader goes through the unpleasant memory of Rose of Sharon’s death, Sage’s older sister, and everyone’s reaction to the event that changed their lives. And they do live separate lives even before the accident.
Sage’s relationship is also a topic that is brought to attention from the very first pages. It is displayed as a weakness from Sage’s side while it evolves to show the strength of her character till the very end of the book. The reader may feel sorry for her, or urge her to leave this miserable life. The memories that are recalled push to that direction. However, as the story is brought back to present and it reaches the end of the narration, the main character’s true strength is displayed in a simple manner.
Sage is a 30-year-old woman, working as a waitress in one of those pseudo New York Delis located in Los Angeles. She was not meant for this job and at some point she is going to resign, but till then she keeps going there. One day she receives a postcard from her mother, a woman she hadden’t seen in twenty-five years. This event triggers a series of flashbacks to her past, to the time before her sister’s untimely death, when they were both children. Her mother could not cope with the loss of her daughter and a distant husband, who would always be found with one of Steinbeck books in hand, reading passages to his family. The last time Sage saw her mother and shared a moment, was when her mother instructed her to stir the soup, while she was out to bring bread for the table. Her mother never came back from the store and Sage was left to grow up with the distant father and her strong opinionated grandmother.
The story starts a bit slowly, in order to give the frame under which the protagonist is living in the present and has lived in the past. The reader goes through the unpleasant memory of Rose of Sharon’s death, Sage’s older sister, and everyone’s reaction to the event that changed their lives. And they do live separate lives even before the accident.
Sage’s relationship is also a topic that is brought to attention from the very first pages. It is displayed as a weakness from Sage’s side while it evolves to show the strength of her character till the very end of the book. The reader may feel sorry for her, or urge her to leave this miserable life. The memories that are recalled push to that direction. However, as the story is brought back to present and it reaches the end of the narration, the main character’s true strength is displayed in a simple manner.
August 28, 2017
A beautiful, tragic, glorious story that will touch your heart. I could not put it down until the last page had been consumed.
September 21, 2017
This book will stay with me for a long time. This story is one day in the life of Sage, who receives a post card from the mother she hasn't seen for 25 years. As she goes through her day, with the post card in her pocket, the reader gets glimpses of Sage's past and the pain she has endured. It is a beautifully written, compelling story about how painful life can be at times. How we survive the hurt that others unknowingly (and sometimes knowingly) inflict on us. Sometimes it only takes one little thing and one day to change the rest of your life for the better. You need to be brave enough to take the chance.
September 19, 2017
Splendid and heart wrenching
An extremely well written story that tugs at one's heartstrings. I was immediately captivated with the tale from the first page and could barely put the book down.
I think the story is one of struggle and yet hope. I suspect we can all connect with some part of the issues the main character endured and ultimately found a way through.
An extremely well written story that tugs at one's heartstrings. I was immediately captivated with the tale from the first page and could barely put the book down.
I think the story is one of struggle and yet hope. I suspect we can all connect with some part of the issues the main character endured and ultimately found a way through.
November 5, 2023
This book was OK I guess. I don't really understand why the main character is called Sage but oh well. This book makes me wish I had been born in a third world country that doesn't even know what books are, so then I could live life peacefully not knowing that this book exists or live in the same country as it. Its so sad that I exist on the same earth as the author of this book does. I am so depressed knowing that beautiful trees were mercilessly destroyed just to make this abomination of a book. Every time pick up this book i just want to be eaten by a huge gang of giant cockroaches. This book is like walking up infinite stairs hoping that you will get somewhere. The story takes forever to advance and get to the point. Have you ever watched those carpet cleaning videos? This is what this book feels like. No matter how many times I go back and try to re-read I still don't understand. Maybe I am not as intelligent as everyone else who likes this book. Or maybe I am so intelligent that I see through its bullshit unlike everyone else. I would rather gargle the fiery balls of Satan than continue reading this book. I could've used the money to buy a snack for the homeless instead of buying this book. I could've donated the money to cancer fundraising organizations, but no, I went and bought this book. I wish I didn't buy this book. Buying Growing Up Hollywood and this one is my biggest regret in life. I wish I had been born a woman, because I know that periods and pregnancy would be much less excruciating compared to this book. I feel depressed, crestfallen, and furious, reading this book. I hate sage so much. The end is near, and it all starts with this book. I hope I grab a glass of vinegar instead of water, because even that would be better than reading this abomination. I lost my will to live reading this goddamn book. I wish my dad died in Vietnam before creating me. I wish I died of covid complications during the pandemic. This book is waste. It is a literal pile of dogshit. I don't know what kind of shit pies you guys are eating, but this is far from a "perfect literary pie". It makes me want to become an atheist, because if god was real he would have NEVER let this happen. This book was really boring, would not recommend. 0/10
November 5, 2023
This book is really hard to keep up with. Not that I can't understand what I am reading. But it feels like its going over my head. This book is so exhausting to read. It feels tiring to read this book while trying not to put it back down. This book reminds me of the day mom died. This book is so painful and excruciating to read, that it makes me wish that my great grandparents died in Auschwitz. I hate that I live in the same world as this awful book. It makes me feel like I'm being waterboarded. This book makes me wish that I was in the World Trade Center on that fateful day. This book fucking kills me and my will to live. Honestly some opioids would hit right now. But unfortunately I'm in the hospital after being diagnosed with bladder cancer. THANK YOU VERY MUCH TARA FOR MAKING MY HOSPITAL STAY WORSE. I WISH THE CANCER WOULD SPREAD FASTER. I hope the doctors give up on trying to treat me, because I cannot live in the same world as this book. I am only 40 years old. I haven't even lived yet, but this book is the bane of my existence. I hope that the after life will be kinder to me. And may god forgive you, but I won't. You are the death of me. I hope you live with what you did to me for the rest of your goddamn life. I hope you got your bread for the table. I hope you are comfortable with spending my hard earned cancer patient money on your fucking bread. I hope you chew and chew on that bread knowing that I have suffered reading your book. Goodbye now, the cancer is spreading.
December 30, 2019
It only took me two reading sessions to finish this book. I would have finished it in one session, if not for the fact that the font bothered my eyes a little.
The most striking feature of this book is the writing style. The sentences are short yet descriptive. The story itself is simple enough, and reads like the character’s thoughts and environment are noted down by a bystander. Characters are introduced and then cast aside, the day-to-day actions performed by the characters are meticulously detailed and unimportant; I kept reading on, just to see where the story would head.
Reading Bread for the Table was an experience rather than an action, and I intend to keep an eye out for other books by this author.
The most striking feature of this book is the writing style. The sentences are short yet descriptive. The story itself is simple enough, and reads like the character’s thoughts and environment are noted down by a bystander. Characters are introduced and then cast aside, the day-to-day actions performed by the characters are meticulously detailed and unimportant; I kept reading on, just to see where the story would head.
Reading Bread for the Table was an experience rather than an action, and I intend to keep an eye out for other books by this author.
November 5, 2023
Started from the bottom now we undreground
November 5, 2023
God awful.
March 10, 2017
I found Tara Botel Doherty’s novel, “Bread for the Table” captivating as, through a puzzling plot characterized by an intriguing mix of present versus the past and a well-developed protagonist, it was hard to let down once started.
What I most appreciated, it’s the fact that the book has shades of unpredictability, a point which kept me interested all away long. Besides that, I totally enjoyed how the concept of flashbacks was represented, reminding me of the classic police books, where every detail it’s a significant piece of a puzzle that contributes to a deeper and hidden perspective of what the story represents.
I warmly recommend “Bread for the Table” by Tara Botel Doherty!
What I most appreciated, it’s the fact that the book has shades of unpredictability, a point which kept me interested all away long. Besides that, I totally enjoyed how the concept of flashbacks was represented, reminding me of the classic police books, where every detail it’s a significant piece of a puzzle that contributes to a deeper and hidden perspective of what the story represents.
I warmly recommend “Bread for the Table” by Tara Botel Doherty!
November 17, 2017
On the surface, this book appears dark and disturbing. The author does a wonderful job of making us feel the protagonist's angst and insecurities. Told through the use of vivid flashbacks, we feel as if we are in Sage's head, viewing the world through her eyes. At times that can feel confusing, giving no choice but to continue to discover how things will turn out.
Sage's present life is not a happy one. She can't quite put her finger on why she is not happy or what she can do about it. Although she is educated and personable, she has no close friends. For all she claims her boyfriend has positive attributes, the observer sees more is going on.
The day we are inside Sage's head, there are demons at play, or rather at work gathering storm clouds. Past tragedies are finally making the required connections to bring their influence upon Sage into focus. Coincidence, fate or convergence, life is about to take a major twist. Only Sage has the power to decide what happens next.
I accepted this book to review. My opinions are my own.
I do believe there are portions of the book that can trigger adverse reactions from very sensitive readers. While written in less than graphic terms, the references to various types of abuse are clear.
Sage's present life is not a happy one. She can't quite put her finger on why she is not happy or what she can do about it. Although she is educated and personable, she has no close friends. For all she claims her boyfriend has positive attributes, the observer sees more is going on.
The day we are inside Sage's head, there are demons at play, or rather at work gathering storm clouds. Past tragedies are finally making the required connections to bring their influence upon Sage into focus. Coincidence, fate or convergence, life is about to take a major twist. Only Sage has the power to decide what happens next.
I accepted this book to review. My opinions are my own.
I do believe there are portions of the book that can trigger adverse reactions from very sensitive readers. While written in less than graphic terms, the references to various types of abuse are clear.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews