EAT CAKE

Jeanne Ray's lead character, Ruth, finds escape and solace in her frantic cake-baking. Ruth's world falls apart when her husband loses his job and her long estranged and newly disabled father announces his plans to move in with them--in spite of the fact that Ruth's mother already resides there. Ruth is forced to take things in stride and save her family's world. Ray reads her own work with relish, clearly enjoying the antics of her characters. Even better, she captures the unwritten nuances of each word, breathing humor and compassion into the novel. With all of their faults, Ray's cast is eminently likable, and her own reading, though a bit unpolished, fits perfectly with the makeshift domestic life she has created. H.L.S.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 04]