• How to Bake a Perfect Life

  • A Novel
  • By: Barbara O'Neal
  • Narrated by: Tanya Eby
  • Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (154 ratings)

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How to Bake a Perfect Life  By  cover art

How to Bake a Perfect Life

By: Barbara O'Neal
Narrated by: Tanya Eby
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Publisher's summary

In a novel as warm and embracing as a family kitchen, Barbara O’Neal explores the poignant, sometimes complex relationships between mothers and daughters - and the healing magic of homemade bread. Professional baker Ramona Gallagher is a master of an art that has sustained her through the most turbulent times, including a baby at 15 and an endless family feud. But now Ramona’s bakery threatens to crumble around her. Literally. She’s one water-heater disaster away from losing her grandmother’s rambling Victorian and everything she’s worked so hard to build.

When Ramona’s soldier son-in-law is wounded in Afghanistan, her daughter, Sophia, races overseas to be at his side, leaving Ramona as the only suitable guardian for Sophia’s 13-year-old stepdaughter, Katie. Heartbroken, Katie feels that she’s being dumped again - this time on the doorstep of a woman out of practice with mothering.

Ramona calls upon a special set of tools - patience, persistence, and the reliability of a good recipe - when rebellious Katie arrives. And as she relives her own history of difficult choices, Ramona shares her love of baking with the troubled girl. Slowly, Katie begins to find self-acceptance and a place to call home. And when a man from her past returns to offer a second chance at love, Ramona discovers that even the best recipe tastes better when you add time, care, and a few secret ingredients of your own.

©2011 Barbara Samuel (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This book will have you smiling and crying and pining for an old love, or just a hunk of really good fresh-baked bread. I loved every single delicious bite." (Jennie Shortridge, author of When She Flew)

What listeners say about How to Bake a Perfect Life

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Listen...

I am attracted to books about bakers or cooks of almost any kind. But I truly love bakeries.
I believe making bread is very rewarding, it is woven through this book. Loved that! This is a good story mainly about women of different ages, how they interact with each other, how they need one another. It is a good story with a good theme relates to todays problems and allows some the best things of the past to remain. Well paced unless you want a really fast book.
The narration was good. I took one star away because I didn't appreciate her male voice not a problem normally. Her male voice brings the visual in my mind of a cartoon hound dog. Sorry I don't want to be mean, in my head every man had a hound face, lol. Well, produced.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Simple story

Would you try another book from Barbara O'Neal and/or Tanya Eby?

No, I don't think so. The writing is good, but the storyline was rather boring - not that problems of the characters are boring, it was just something other writers have covered as well.

What three words best describe Tanya Eby’s voice?

she was ok.

Do you think How to Bake a Perfect Life needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Any additional comments?

Glad I got it on sale

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice, Easy Read with Recipes

I love when food becomes a character in a book. The story here was warm and sweet, and it was nice to have a relaxing read. Great narration, too.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Perfect life has its ups and downs

I love the way this author writes. She makes her stories beautiful and luscious. All the description are so detail and inviting it makes me want to know the characters and be in the story. The stories always make me happy and comforted.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The characters…the breadth of the plot

I like the hint of a “history” among ALL the characters. It made me want to peel back the covering up of the understory and the lies and self-lies.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My favorite baking romance

I bought the book back in 2012 and have read it many many times, it is such a heartwarming, emotional story that I absolutely cannot recommend enough. ❤️

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Predictable

I like the inclusion of details of starter doughs and baking breads.Too predictable—No surprises.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF 2022

I just loved this book. I enjoyed how each of the characters were developed. The author wrote in such a way, that I just fell right into the story. The family dynamics were very believable. I am very happy that I stumbled upon this book! It would be a great book to discuss at a book club! I highly recommend this story!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • 00
  • 02-27-22

Great story and lots of bread recipes

Very heartwarming story of family and new beginnings. Loved all the bread recipes in it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable read

Love reading stories that bring together family, friends and foods that all warm the heart.

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