This book started as easy and entertaining. Each chapter starts with sweet and savory treats and how each one represents something in Jenny's life. Each pastry represents a memory, from her childhood to her later years.
At 77 years old, even though she was happily married to Bernard, she was contemplating on doing something for herself. On that note, when the opportunity came up, Jenny joined the British bake competition. She kept it a secret from her husband, but it was revealed when she made it to the finals.
The characters in the book were so likeable, and it was easy to root for them. I felt that I was in the kitchen where Jenny baked all the treats, or on the bus when Jenny secretly auditioned for the competition. It was hopping along with her as she won one cake challenge after another. I also felt the burden -- a deep hole and longing that she wanted to fill -- that she was carrying along for most of her life.
I like the part when Jenny connected the baking process to the process of life. She saw the mixture of ingredients like eggs, sugar, flour, yeast, and extracts as all part of the finished product, just as joy, sadness, regret, failure, and success in life are all a part of what we can become.
But to tell you the truth, I wanted to read more when I reached the last page. It was a surprise to me, to see that the end of something could meet a new beginning.
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