1. Stones for Bread
    Christa Parrish
    Thomas Nelson / 2013 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$16.19 Retail Price$17.99 Save 10% ($1.80)
    4.6 out of 5 stars for Stones for Bread. View reviews of this product. 17 Reviews
    Availability: In Stock
    Stock No: WW689010
4.6 Stars Out Of 5
4.6 out of 5
(11)
(5)
(1)
(0)
(0)
Quality:
4.9 out Of 5
(4.9 out of 5)
Value:
4.6 out Of 5
(4.6 out of 5)
Meets Expectations:
4.7 out Of 5
(4.7 out of 5)
94%
of customers would recommend this product to a friend.
SORT BY:
SEE:
Displaying items 11-15 of 17
Page 3 of 4
  1. cici
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Beautiful
    October 23, 2013
    cici
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Stones For Bread by Christa Parrish is the story of Liesl and her life. She is a so comfotable in her families bakery that when certain insterests come into her life she is not all to willing to accept the challenge of them. Liesl, in my opinion, would rather live a life where she knows the outcome rather than the unknown. It may seem to some that this is a form of control but the truth is that it is so scary to let go and let in any new endeavours. The unknown can harm more then it can heal. Fortunately for Liesl the unknown did help heal her past and created a new future that she was more then ready to nuture. This is a novel not to missed, it transforms.
  2. Rosie
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    December 5, 2013
    Rosie
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    Stones for Bread is an enchanting, emotional, story about Liesl McNamara.

    Written in first person present tense, we get an intimate look at Liesl's introverted personality and the events that led to who she is presently. All this while we watch her change and bloom and overcome her traumatic past. Liesl isn't like the many characters I meet on a weekly basis, she stands out. She loves her routine and likes the amount of control she has over her business. She likes certainty. In this aspect at least, I can relate to her.

    This is going to sound strange, but this book reminds me of the movie Chocolat. Not because of the characters or even the setting, but because of the heart and soul of making bread passed down from mother to daughter on Liesl's mother's side. In Chocolat, Vianne and her daughter, Anouk, open a chocolate shop. The recipe Vianne uses has been passed down in her family for ages. Chocolat and Stones for Bread are very different in all other ways, but the familiar legacy is similar. I really liked that.

    Throughout the novel, Parrish offers us Liesl's recipes. I loved this! In fact I plan on trying Cecilia's chocolate bread soon. I don't normally say this, but I felt like I learned quite a bit about the art of bread making. Parrish gives us this information without boring us, something that could be a big concern for some people. Will I, personally, put it to use? I'm not sure.

    I recommend this book to readers sixteen and older for self-harming and a suicide (I'd say more on this, but... spoilers!). Parrish weaves Christianity into this story in a fabulous, unexpected way; especially because Liesl was never a big church goer at the beginning of the story.

    I received this book from Booksneeze in return for an honest review of my opinions, which I have done. Thanks!!
  3. Casey
    Oregon
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Complicated Story and Characters
    November 17, 2013
    Casey
    Oregon
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 5
    It's been too long since I've picked up a Christa Parrish novel. Her name has become synonymous with that of deep, well thought out women's fiction and I was not the least bit disappointed in her 2013 release.

    "Stones for Bread" is not a light and fluffy read (pun intended), but one much like the sourdough our heroine makes and is known for: thick and more than a bit sour. Leisel is a complicated character and you have to read much of the book before the pieces of her story start to unravel to get a glimpse into who this woman is. I loved how Seamus disrupted her normal routine and nothing was the same. I thought the crafting of these two character's relationship was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't rushed or hurried, because that isn't what Leisel would be able to handle. As the reader, you get to watch her slowly unfurl and rise from the ashes that have too long defined her.

    It's a great question for the reader too: what part of your past do you allow to affect and define who you are right now? This novel would be a fantastic book club read, but there is also so much to enjoy even if read by one's self.

    I've loved the previous two titles I've read by this author. Her way of seeing the world moves me, while also incredibly thought provoking and deep. Stones for Bread is another fine example of the growth and ability that is rising from this able and worthy talent.

    This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through Litfuse and Netgalley for my copy to review.
  4. Becky Doughty
    Southern California
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    A Cerebral Read
    November 14, 2013
    Becky Doughty
    Southern California
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    Christa's voice was one of the first I read in Christian fiction last year, after a looooong forage into what the world had on its bookshelves. What I heard in her words, what I read between the lines, was that there were others out there like me who wanted to read about God and His personal interest in our lives in more tangible and relevant ways than what the Christian fiction industry had to offer thus far. Since reading that book (The Air We Breathe), I'm happy to say that I've discovered many other authors who are writing about Jesus Christ in a way that gives Him far more credit and GLORY than what I'd come to expect (having had those expectations validated on far too many occasions; unfortunately, even to this day) of this industry.

    That being said, I must admit that Stones for Bread took me awhile to embrace. To be honest, I had some preconceived notions based on my own elevated sense of self - I make our family's bread exclusively, and was sure I would relate to Leisl McNamara in that way. But that girl was so far beyond my bread-making skill that I look like a finger-painter next to Michael Angelo.... I felt slowed down by the weight of Christa's words; this novel was so cerebral, like ethereal poetry, that it took me a long time to get into the story, itself. If you've read any Ann Voskamp, you might find that the cover of this book isn't the only similarity--Christa writes Stones for Bread in much the same way Ann writes One Thousand Gifts. This isn't a bad thing--Ann's prose and style are brilliant--but reading this style in fiction definitely requires a different mindset for the reader going in.

    HOWEVER, once I allowed myself to sink into the lyrical telling of this beautiful tale, and found my own rhythm in the reading of it, I began to ache and long and celebrate for each of the characters. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was invested in these characters in unexpected ways, and I realized that Christa, in the writing of Stones for Bread, has done what artisans who know their craft do best. She intuitively knows how long to nurture the starter, not rushing the process, she kneads out the hollow places at the right times, and lets the story proof until it's time to turn up the heat. Reaching the last chapter was like cutting into a perfectly-baked baguette that bears the scars of the process that brought it to completion--the knobby crust, the perforated crumb, the irregular shape--and I closed the book with a sense of deep satisfaction.

    Another beautiful book by Christa Parrish.

    I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
  5. Heart2Heart
    Victorville, CA
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Discover more than just how to bake bread!
    November 6, 2013
    Heart2Heart
    Victorville, CA
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    "Alexandre Dumas, père, wrote of bakers:

    In Paris today millions of pounds of bread are sold daily, made during the previous night by those strange, half-naked beings one glimpses through cellar windows, whose wild-seeming cries floating out of those depths always makes a painful impression. In the morning, one sees these pale men, still white with flour, carrying a loaf under one arm, going off to rest and gather new strength to renew their had and useful labor when night comes again. I have always highly esteemed the brave and humble workers who labor all night to produce those soft but crusty loaves that look more like cake than bread...

    It is bread that keeps them alive. Give us this day our daily bread, they pray, and they praise the Almighty for it.

    Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

    So, I pack the bread in bags, like I will for any paying customer. I don't send burnt loaves or stale loaves, or any kitchen experiment I don't believe is quality enough to sell. I will not give to the least of these anything I will not offer to my Lord, should he walk into Wild Rise one afternoon and ask for a little something to eat.

    The secrets of baking have, until relatively recently, always been passed from mother to daughter. I was young, eight perhaps, when my own mother tied her apron around my waist and told me it was time for me to show her how much of what she taught me I remembered. It was time for me to make my first loaf without help or instruction. No recipes. Just my senses. And I did. It was a square loaf of wheat bread. A little too dense. A little too brown. But we ate it at supper that night, my father, my mother, and I, with butter and salt, rewarmed in the oven. And my mother said to me, "You're now the keeper of bread." It was my right of passage."

    In the novel Stones for Bread, author Christa Parrish takes the readers into much more than a contemporary story about the art of making bread. She touches those warm places within our hearts that sense more to bread than just what we eat. It becomes part of who we are and provides nourishment to both the heart and soul of those we make it for. It is a piece of ourselves.

    The story is based around the life of Liesl McNamara, owner and baker at Wild Rise, a bake house in Vermont. Her's is a story of the generations of bread bakers beginning with her grandmother and mother til finally resting within herself. The story winds its way into Liesl's tragic childhood and culminates with her being entered in a reality show called Baked Off by one of her employees. Woven in between are the mouth-watering recipes of 11 Artisan Bread that you will find takes time to make just perfect but well worth the effort. This is simply a story to be experienced and enjoyed from cover to cover and trust me, you'll never look at a loaf of bread the same again. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

    I received Stones for Bread by Christa Parrish compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
Displaying items 11-15 of 17
Page 3 of 4