Synopses & Reviews
Sunya, a young, Indian woman, is the head baker and owner of Pastries, a warm and comfortable bakery in Seattle. Sunya loves baking and has transformed her fabulous cakes and tarts into delicious works of art. The success of her beloved bakery is put in jeopardy, however, when a chain bakery threatens to open up down the street from her. To add to her misery, Roger, her hip, Japanese boyfriend, has left her for a "perfect" Japanese girlfriend and her mother has just become engaged to a man Sunya detests. All of this misery pales in signigicance next to her main worry - she has lost her touch for baking.
When a new baker at Pastries tells Sunya about a baking school in Japan that helps people with their baking skills and helps them to center themselves spiritually through a form of Buddism, Sunya feels that this just might be the answer to her problems.
Review
"Kirchner deftly weaves an intricate tangle and then gradually unties the knots toward the end, much like a Bollywood blockbuster."
- The San Francisco Chronicle
"The best of Pastries is the frantic life behind the serene scenes in the cafe and the menu. Brown-butter nectarine layer cake. Mango cheesecake. Creme bruless drizzled with persimmon coulis - Ok, you're drooling."
- The Detroit Free Press
"There's a sweetness to the bakery's singular desserts; while in the end, Kirchner's characters receive their just desserts."
- Seattle Weekly
"Seattle, a town where food is taken very seriously, is the perfect backdrop for a pastry war."
- LA Times
About the Author
Born in India,
Bharti Kirchner worked as a systems software engineer for many years before becoming a prize-winning cookbook author. she is also the author of three novels, including
Darjeeling. she has written numerous articles for magazines, newspapers and anthologies. Ms. Kirchner lives in Seattle with her husband.