Let Them Eat Cake

I liked this book so much, I scarfed in down almost as fast as I would a piece of my mom's legendary brownie chocolate cake. While I've enjoyed some Christian "chick lit" lately, some of it can veer into the self-consciously cute and trying a little too hard to be funny zone. Not this book. Sandra Byrd's humor is wryly amusing instead of broadly slapstick, her protagonist's interaction with God believable instead of goofy. The story is Alexandra "Lexi" Stuart, a 20-something who is having trouble getting her career bearings in a post-college world. When yet another job falls through, this Francophile decides to follow her heart and work for a much smaller paycheck in a French bakery. Her adventures at the bakery, her attraction to two very different guys, and her steps back to a relationship with God, make for some of the most enjoyable reading I've done in a while. Lexi is an appealing character, and by the time the story wraps up, you feel you've made a friend--and if you're like me, you'll applaud her choice at the end of the book. After reading this, I handed it off to my 20-year-old daughter, who also devoured it (appropos word for a book largely about food!) in one weekend. While this tale of a "quarterlife crisis" will go over very well with twenty-somethings, age won't matter when it comes to enjoying this book. It's a good story, told with humor and verve, and pages turn effortlessly. P.S. I really liked the way actual images were interspersed in the copy, such as those of e-mails, application forms, classifieds, personal notes, etc. And the recipes! I'll definitely be trying "Boyfriend Bait Stroganoff."

It's tough being the only failure in your upwardly motivated family. Lexi Stuart has just been fired from a job she hated, but she is afraid to tell her parents. Broke, unemployed, between boyfriends, and about to become homeless, she's between the proverbial brick and a cement block. She finally lands a job working the counter in a gourmet bakery. The pay is barely above poverty level, her fellow employee is snippy, and her parents are disappointed in her career choice. To make matters worse, her brother and his fiance are doing great--no problems, good paying jobs, no clouds on their romantic horizon. Lexi can't help feeling like a failure. She doesn't even feel she fits in at her church anymore. On the up-side, her boss is handsome, and seems attracted to her. Smart and sassy, Let Them Eat Cake is an enjoyable story about a woman who can't get anything right until she gets right with God. Good Chick-Lit that will keep the reader smiling. And the recipes are good too.

Lexi Stuart needs to find a job. She's graduated from college with a degree in French culture and literature but unfortunately there are no jobs that will pay highly with that degree. After turning in numerous resumes, the only job she finds is at a French bakery. While it is a step down for her, Lexi finds the job to be exactly what she wants. She can combine her love of cooking while being able to use her knowledge of the French language. She soon finds working there to be an adventure, from being with her cute French boss, dealing with her non Christian coworker, messing up orders and trying to find a place to live. It's enough to make anyone quote Marie Antoinette when they're about to lose their head! Do not read this book on an empty stomach, especially if you are craving something sweet. This book is filled with tons of food. After reading this, I so craved a cupcake. This book was so informative of bakeries and the French culture that I felt like I worked in the bakery myself. I know exactly how Lexi felt in the beginning of the book. I"m going through the exact situation about having a degree but not being able to find a job. It shows the struggle a lot of grads face when they have studied something they love but find out that society demands something else. Also, the story really shows how it's like to be a 20-something in this time period when you want to live on your but you can't so you're stuck with the parents. In fact I think this is one of the few Christian fiction books that I've read that actually has shown this. It doesn't show everyone being all happy that they are staying together. The story isn't preachy at all, in fact I enjoyed for once how a non-Christian actually is interested in learning about Jesus. This book was tons of fun to read. I loved the little notes and illustrations that would pop up randomly in the book. Loved especially the Wikipedia article. It was like reading one of those chain letter books with the letters and invitations that you get to read. It made the story more exciting, I think all books should have these because it really grabs your attention! This book has become one of my favorites of this year. Extremely recommended to read while eating a croissant with a cafe creme.

Sandra Byrd paints a story that put me smack dab in the middle of the action. I related to the main character's journey as the powerful and subtle metaphors echoed my own life experiences. Issues of meaning, friendship, love, family and worship are explored in the life of this 20-something woman named Alexandra (Lexi). Bonus: she is a true foodie, thus inclusions of mouth watering recipes. The book creatively unfolds in vivid word pictures that include many pop culture references (from Russell Crowe to Simon & Garfunkel) and adding special relevance to the mix. I laughed and cried and found myself wondering what happens to Lexi after reading the last page. Good stuff!