The Art Of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughan

I picked up The Art of Baking Blind after seeing some positive reviews. I'm really glad I did. First, it's about baking. While I like cooking more than baking, I still enjoyed hearing about the various pastries. Second, the story is told though multiple characters. Reminded me of Moriarty's books. Enjoyed seeing the story from so many angles.

Kathleen Eaden is a baking icon. The wife of a supermarket mogul, she's revered for her baking even after her death. Her late husband's store decides to look for a "heir" to the throne, a new Mrs Eaden. Five constants are chosen: Jenny, a middle aged wife who's put her family first her whole life, Vicki, a young mother who struggles to manage her only son, Mike, a father who used baking to overcome his grief, Karen, a woman who puts on a front and hides from her family, and Claire, a young single mother, struggling to provide for daughter. I loved watching the characters interact in this competition. Vaughan really allows you to get to know the characters from all sides. Even provides the view from Jenny's daughters, Karen's son, the administrator of the contest, and the judges. Sometimes I had trouble figuring out who's viewpoint we were looking at, but it usually made sense pretty quickly.

And the baked goodies. This book is set in England so many of the deserts were foreign to me. Battenburg cake, lardy cake, Maderia cake, Victoria sponge. But it all sounded delicious. Made me want to bake more often. I always shy away because it has to be so precise. Cooking is a little more liberal. But there's something about baking from scratch that sounds so adult.

Overall I enjoyed The Art of Baking Blind. I look forward to reading more of Vaughan's books. Others who shared their thoughts: Rhapsody in Books, Book Chick City, 20something Reads, and Novelcious.
This was my seventh read for the Foodies Read Challenge.