Sourdough: A Novel

I read this entire book in the airport and on a flight from Italy to Boston. I couldn't stop reading it....I LOVED this book....It was so well written, both smart and funny (I laughed out loud on several occassions...probably to the dismay of the travelers on either side of me). I tend to read a lot of books about food and cooking...but this is not your typical foodie novel. A few people have said it wasn't "believable" but I don't mind a bit of fancy, or fantasy, mixed into a story - - I actually quite like it. Having worked in the tech industry in the Bay Area , I really enjoyed the parts that took place at work. Loved the Lois Club and the Beo email arcs as well. I haven't read any other books by Robin Sloan, but I ordered one immediately upon finishing this one.!

Being a programmer and loving San Francisco, I loved the first part of the book. I thought the feel of working in Big Tech was spot on, as were the personalities of the people you find there. However, the second half went a little zaney/ twilight zone for me and really did not love it from that point on. It is well written and I had no problem reading the story each night. I am a little surprised that I did not see anyone mention one of the best features of this book. Here I am reading a section where yeasty creatures are blooping and blopping to the music and putting on a light show. So I finished reading this, turned out my red head lamp and turned my head to place the book on my nightstand. And something was glowing in my hand. I looked again, and realized that the spiral design on the front jacket was definitely glowing brightly in the dark. What a great effect. How fun.

I thought the beginning of this book was much more interesting than the second half of the book. Who knew there was a "Lois Club" but sure enough, it exists. The computer programming aspect of this book as it relates to baking was bizarre to me. The concept of consuming Slurry made me nauseous which I think set the tone for me for the rest of the book. All of the offerings at the Marrow Fair were so strange so my level of interest was minimal.Clearly I am in the minority given all of the positive reviews of this book but this one was not for me.

This is a very fun read, humorous in a light way and yet thoughtful and carefully constructed. The novel takes place in a very central San Francisco, at the intersection of the newer hipster wave of startup companies, the unabashed role of the immigrant experience, and California cuisine and related bay area foodiness. As a bay area resident, startup worker, and foodie, this all resonated... Sometimes with tongue in cheek, and sometimes with a critical of not accusatory eye. I loved the image of the robotics software developer who scarcely sets for in her apartment and certainly never cooks being presented with a gift that calls on her to learn to bake bread from a magical sourdough. The novelty of the Mazg culture (in multiple senses) is amusing and creative. The depiction of startups is quite accurate but hilarious with images such as the table of dedicated slurry (read Soylent... not the only such equivalency in the book) drinkers among those enjoying the free gourmet meals. The conflict element between or heroine and the forces of darkness didn't grab me as much, but it worked well enough.If of the above makes any kind of sense to you, or you just enjoy a good uplifting and non-dark read, give this one a try.

This book started out great and I liked its almost futuristic vibe - but it seemed stuck between the present and the future -and not in a good way. The main character’s love for sourdough and her new life never seemed to pick up speed and by the time I was reading the last 1/4 of the book, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. This book was all over the place for me and doesn’t make me want to read this author’s other very popular book. This book would have been so much better if it had been a little more futuristic or adventurous.

If technology and biology were magic this novel would be Fantasy Story set in the kingdom of San Francisco and the Alameda Air Strip would be the forest with the wizards. Instead it's set in the present day. The story bleeds quietly into the fantastical but not too far. It sits there on the edge of things I recognize and know exist but touches them ever so lightly with the aroma of magic. That feeling that there is so much more in the world than we comprehend making me feel like I live in a world where magic also sits.And then I realized. It's bacteria and fungus. Sloan managed to make me think bacteria and fungus was magical and quirky and likable and scary.It starts slow. I put it down after 2 pages and nearly didn't pick it up again. And then yesterday I remembered that Sloan has already proven his worth to me with Mr. Penumbra and so I picked it up again and did not regret it. Push ahead. Meet the starter.

A wonderful, smart, quirky and hopeful journey through America's rapid blending if technology and life. unlike many technology-laced writers, Sloan is hopeful and has faith in the goodness of us. Like Mr. Penumbras, this book is devourable whole and leaves you thinking. I want to think this is a smart allegory for our civilization. Or maybe its valuable just because its a wonderful story. Thank you, Mr. Sloan!

I have to confess Mr Penumbra’s 24 hour bookstore is in my top 10 favourite books so I have been eagerly awaiting the publication of Sourdough.I’m relieved to say I loved it. So much so I was close to skiving off work to finish it and found it very hard to stop reading it whilst I was there – I could feel it singing to me from my office drawer – very mazg!Once again it heavily features San Francisco complete with tech-creatives and a cool vibe. Sloan’s writing is refreshing and tongue in cheek without sounding too hipster.It should come with a warning that you will become obsessed with nurturing and baking your own sourdough bread after reading it – that’s definitely on the agenda for my weekend.In fact I enjoyed it so much that despite receiving a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I also purchased the hardback. Love love love it.

The fundamentals of this book - the character of Lois, the main character, and her journey - feel entirely real. The story follows her from an outwardly enviable situation - a well-paying job for a cool start-up in SF - through a series of decisions which lead her to take control of her life. It doesn't feel corny, or contrived, even though much of the rest of the story is unlikely.The love for food, and the people who make it, shines through - and the book is full of ideas. It's one of those books that makes me smile.

Lois Clary is a Bay Area robot programmer. To start with, she’s the furthest thing from a foodie you can imagine: she’s happy enough drinking “Slurry” meal replacement gel. But she’s so seduced by the spicy stew and sourdough bread sold by a pair of ethnic brothers that when their visas are up and they leave her with their sourdough starter, through their occasional e-mail guidance she becomes a devoted baker. “I needed a more interesting life. I could start by learning something. I could start with the starter.” Lois attempts to link her job and her hobby by teaching a robot arm to knead the bread she makes for a farmer’s market, but ultimately she has to choose between what her head tells her and what her heart draws her towards. Madcap adventures ensue. It’s a funny and original novel and it makes you think, too – particularly about the extent to which we should allow technology to take over our food production. I’d recommend it to those who enjoyed Kitchens of the Great Midwest.

I first came across Robin Sloan when I read Mr Penumbra's Bookstore last years, then I read the prequel - Ajax Penumbra. Then when I found this was on promotion for 99p I was delighted.This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It had all the sass, all the beauty and all the vivid imagery of San Francisco. It had the encroachingly uncomfortable technology industry. It had the incomer protagonist who was incredibly relatable, like in Penumbra. It had some really clever devices to tie together all these people. Then it had the Mazg tribe who are a soulful group, always on the move and who are close to food and music and all the best things in life. It just made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.It's a clever book, it's an intelligent book, it was just totally magnificent. If I could buy it again on Kindle I would. It's worth the full price £4.99, probably more. If I could buy it again I would.What am I on?Sourdough, obviously.

I loved Robin Sloan's first book, the quirky "Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store" and was hoping for something similar here. "Sourdough" tells the story of Lois, who works for a tech company in San Francisco. She programs robot arms and hates the man-made slop called Slurry that her boss encourages her to eat instead of real food. Craving something more tasty, she finds a takeaway leaflet for a nearby soup and sourdough shop and finds that their products are absolutely delicious. She quickly becomes their number one customer, until the brothers who run the business have to leave. Before they go however they give her their sourdough starter - the yeast-based mix they add to their bread - and Lois decides to try her hand at baking. Soon enough she finds that her bread is fantastic and decides to change her career, but then things take a surreal turn."Sourdough" has quirky bits in it but on the whole it really didn't engage me like Sloan's first book. I found that the second half of the book felt a bit bolted-on, as though someone had suggested that Sloan made the book more exciting, so he added a sort of horror movie cliche to the story. There were a few fun and sweet scenes to be found, but it didn't really work for me at all, although I was craving bread by the end as it sounded delicious.

I loved this book. I wanted to bake bread. I wanted to try spicy soup. I wanted to build an oven in my back garden and I don't even have a back garden. This book was an absolute joy and I will read it again when my heart needs lifting.

I enjoyed this in the beginning but after a while I got a bit tired of Lois's remarkable unbelievable successes. Not only does she make wonderful bread at her first attempt but then she also makes a robot arm crack eggs. Is there nothing this woman can't do? Then the sourdough starter goes a bit planet of doom and from being almost lovably wacky the whole book disintegrates into a sort of mild sci fi horror only so mild that I found myself nodding off. Not a patch on Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookshop.

A wonderful read from the author of Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Gentle, captivating and full of warm humour, this is a feel-good read that manages to be as charming as it is socially relevant. If you liked Robin’s Sloan’s first novel, you’ll like this. The style is unmistakable, the characters new yet familiar. Instead of books, the focus is food, and bread in particular. But the elements of a secret, a story within a story, are there, and there is a library, of course. A terrific, easygoing read.

Despite their efforts Amazon failed to stop me finding this gem by offering me suggestions that bear no relation to my interests / purchase history...and am I the only one who would have given this book 3 stars just for not being "book 1 of the <insert title> saga".Well written, totally absorbing and left me with a good feeling...as well as a temptation to try making bread and read Candide which is a credit to the skill of the author.Recommended, even if you don't like baking

I thoroughly enjoyed this fable about the clash between old and new, tradition and exploration, and idealism and commerce. As ever, Sloan' s protagonist is professionally rooted in technology, but discovers an intriguing doorway into a lifestyle where tradition or anachronism forces her to make a choice. Told with plenty of humour and suspense, Sourdough is as delicious as its namesake.

A thoroughly modern fable. Makes you think and makes you hungry! I will never see bread the same way again....

I really enjoyed reading this book. I only have time to read for a few minutes before I turn the light out to sleep and this kept my interest throughout.The subject was so original and the characters were good.

Loved it, you really can make bread this way and pay tribute to the old and new food providers of the world and back to the roots of a staple food. The story took me on a journey - social, and emotional, a reminder that we are a community.

I was given this book and had no expectations at all. That was good, and I read it in amazement and delight. I can't even describe what sort of book it is - just, joyful.

A mysterious starter enters Lois Clary's life and has her reconsider not just her choice of career but her choices in life. The story is out-there (a bit like Sloan's Mr Penumbra's Bookshop) but if you relax into this, you might just find yourself in the midst of a fun and not-too-taxing read.