Ever since childhood, Ruth has found baking cakes to be a source of relief from the stresses of life. And now-as her husband loses his job, her life-of-the-party father arrives for an extended stay (much to the dismay of her mother, who also moved in recently), and her teenage daughter perfects the art of sulking-Ruth is going to need some serenity. But she also needs a plan. Because with funds running low and tempers running short, her family needs more than the perfect sweet. It's going to be up to Ruth to save the day, and let the crumbs fall where they may...

Customer Rating:
Summary: A slow-paced slice of chick-lit
Comment: There's nothing overtly engaging about this book. It doesn't start with a bang, and though there is plenty going on, it's introduced so gently and unassumingly, it doesn't seem exciting. And yet the story reads well and kept my attention, though I'm not usually one for the 'slice of life' type narratives.

In part what I liked about this book is that while horrible things are thrown at the characters, they react neither destructively nor with unbelievable aplomb. And even though a lot of things work out well, it's not a fairytale ending - the characters get their through their own hard work and, in some cases, by finding ways around their own shortcomings. They also band together to help one another, which gives the story a nice feel-good element (but not so much sweetness that it becomes sickening!).

If you're looking for something to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for something interesting, something to sit back, relax, and enjoy, and you like good slice-of-life character-driven books, I'd give this one a try! And if you're a baker, the included recipes sound divine (though I admit to not having tried any, they're fairly complex... at least compared to mixing a few eggs with a box of powder...).

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Customer Rating:
Summary: 6cd unabrid EXTREMELY SLOW START THEN PICKS UP
Comment: There is nothing wrong with sharing a cake with family and friends. But the author wanted to go into SO MUCH detail on the mixing, measuring, making, folding, smelling, seeing, tasting that it slowed the story. I nearly gave up.

Then the family dynamics came into play and that was interesting. But every now and then we had to put up some more baking and really strange combinations of cakes. I found myself saying get on with the story. I just wanted to know the next problem and how she fixed it.

If you could shorten the story by 10%, really cut back on the descriptions of baking I would have given it 5 stars.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Melt in your mouth yummy!
Comment: Never having read Ms. Ray before I found this just delectable. Her writing reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Berg. She knows how women "think." The humor under stress and in dire situations is what made this book so delightful to read. Ruth is a believable character, one you can't help but like. As life keeps handing her lemons, she keeps making cake, her way of dealing with stress.

A husband out of work, two eccentric aging parents living with her (who are divorced and hate each other), a typical self-centered teenage daughter, a son away at college and tuition to pay for, Ruth is overwhelmed, and not a minute to herself. Baking is what brings her comfort, even if it's in the middle of the night.

This has more than just baking and stress relief however, it is a tapestry of emotions - love, growth and acceptance. Both of Ruth's parents are pianists. Hollis, Ruth's mother, a teacher, taught music and specifically piano to support her and Ruth in the early years when Ruth's father, Guy, left them to make a career of playing the piano in night clubs. Now he's injured, no insurance or pension, and no one to help him through his recovery but his daughter, who just can't say no. The love of music was instrumental in weaving together the tapestry of this family in a satisfying way. An uplifting family drama, with a lot of humor and insight into what bonds families (or not) reinforcing yet again, that anything is achievable if one is willing to get past the icing and deep into the cake.

The dialog is engaging, the characters real, and the end result very satisfying, with some wonderful recipes thrown in. I read it in one sitting, and will buy copies for some of my favorite bookworms. Highly recommend it.

Footnote: after reading and reviewing this, I went on to read Ms. Ray's "Step-Ball-Change" (a tap-dancing term) also about women stepping up to the plate when needed. Wonderful characters, I'm not sure which I liked better, both books are great entertainment.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful feel-good read!
Comment: I am so glad that this book caught my eye! As someone who enjoys baking--not to mention eating!--cake, I read this entire book with a smile on my face. It started with main character Ruth's description of her "happy place," the place in her mind that she retreats to when stressed, and continued through her tribulations of dealing with a sulky teenaged daughter, a suddenly out-of-work husband, and two dependent yet still spry parents. To cope, Ruth bakes cakes...and bakes and bakes and bakes to the point that her entire family is sick of cake. Ruth never dreams that cake could turn out to be the solution to all of her family's problems, but that just might be the case...

This was a delightful little book that I finished in only two days. Author Jeanne Ray manages to create characters who seem genuine; they have plenty of faults yet still come across as likable and appealing. Overall, the entire feel of the book is warm and comforting, very much like...well, like a cake. :) Ray includes all of the recipes mentioned in the book--all of the cakes seem complicated but mouth-watering enough to make me want to attempt them. Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a great summer read; definitely recommended!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Comment: Eat Cake is a delicious book! I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for an easy read that is full of great humor and inspiration. It had me laughing out loud, enjoying pearls of wisdom, and hungry for cake! Jeanne Ray is an excellent writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work!
AS a gift, this book would be great wrapped in a pretty hat box or paired with a pretty cake server.

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