Sourdough: A Novel

I didn't start start skipping pages until later in the book, so that was a good thing. Once it became ridiculous and a bit boring, I just went right to the unsatisfying end. I liked the goats and the llama, but they were only mentioned a few times, along with the unwashed guy who tended them and made cheese. I didn't actually care about any of the characters, or the Lois Club, or about the guys who ended up in Berlin. I just didn't care.

There's something entirely charming about Robin Sloan's writing in both this and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour bookstore that I'm really digging. Each seems to effortlessly combine whimsy with an oh-so-snugly feeling in the face of 'conflict.' In this case, I found myself overtaken with desire to get a sourdough starter and bake more homemade bread to slather with butter and jam! And how can that be a bad thing?!

This was a very light-hearted tale and, while the story can feel a bit 'precious' at times, it's really all in good fun so enjoy the good vibes!

This quirky, oddball book made me very happy. After finishing it, I wanted to start over again, just to keep the feeling going. I am often attracted to books that sound a little weird, but am often disappointed by the direction they take. This clever book really delivers though; from a magical sourdough starter and a club for women named Lois, to secret underground farmer's markets and microbial battles. I've never read Robin Sloan before, but am a fan now.

Read it with a mug of tea and a thick slice of chewy bread. I may just go do that again!

I've never read Robin Sloan's most famous book, so please proceed with caution. This book is an odd one, that will take many twists and turns so wild you don't know where it will go. Honestly, this book took a long time for me to get through, although I blame that mostly on my short attention span these days. It's got the classic components of "coming into your own" in a new city. If you're a person that can't get behind a multitude of characters, then look elsewhere. The amount of people that roll through this book is insane. The only characters that have a meaningful impact on the story are Lois and the two Mazg brothers and maybe Horace.

The magical realism in the book is integrated so well, that I wouldn't be completely astonished to learn that some of the elements are true. What I like most about this book is in the beginning Lois (the main character) is struggling alone in a new city and by the end she's trying to maintain a thriving community. If you've read through the book, you'll understand what I mean.

The book is not perfect, but it sure is fun to escape to California and the underground Farmer's Market that would certainly vibe with the San Francisco elite. The book is plot driven, the character development gets lost along the way and the book is over before you realize you don't have a good picture of who Lois is. Sloan's tone throughout the book is whimsical and packed with technology & bread baking action. I've never thought so much about what goes into baking bread.

Lois from Michigan lives an uneventful life until she is recruited by a tech firm to work on a robot arm in San Francisco. She’s happy until she gets her assignment (the arm) and she falls into a routine. That is until she gets a mysterious flyer advertising for a new food delivery service. She tries it and it changes her entire world.

The book is pretty enjoyable even though it gets a little too much into several aspects of microbiology and yeast slash sour dough starter. But the journey itself is as fun as the ride.

The Recipe

1 part Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel formula (bookstore/font = Farmer's Market/sourdough starter)
1 Evil corporation which wants to ruin food
1/2 glutinous plot
1/4 overt message
3/4 ridiculous denouement
1/8 tsp technology
8 trite caricatures

Mix together and foist on unsuspecting lovers of Mr. Penumbra, collect proceeds.

This book was so bad I'm angry. Sloan's first book was cute and fun because it was a surprise - this book was the same formula/different topic. Sorry, but you don't get a pass on originality. It was mercifully short, so I kept going because I couldn't believe that this book was really about bread. (It really was.)

It's a time in the world (which seems like exactly now) where people can choose to eat or live on Slurry which is a nutritionally perfect goo. Lois works at a tech company (duh, it's San Francisco) and one day she sees an advert for a spicy soup and sourdough bread, so she orders it, and becomes obsessed with it and eats it everyday. As a result she makes friends with the brothers who make the food and they decide to leave SF so they leave her some sourdough starter, and lo, she becomes obsessed and starts making bread which is apparently really easy and everybody loves and lo, she takes it to the Farmer's Market and they love it, but they want a robot to make so, lo, she buys a robot arm and the robot arm can make the bread. But lo, the sourdough starter is high maintenance and needs music and competition and lo, spoiler alert, evil corporation wants the starter because, lo ... see below.

Talking about the bacteria (in food) "they do things we only dream of. They are fecund and potent, they can speak to one another with chemicals and light, they can form teams, oh the teams they can form all working perfectly." Eye roll.

Dumb. I'm moving on with my life now, and swear not to eat gluten for a week. I may never eat sourdough again.

The resounding description across the web is "quirky," and I agree. It's about a recent college grad who goes to work for a robotics company. She learns to love baking in her new home, and teaches a robot arm to make the best sourdough bread so she can sell it in a unique farmers' market. Then, she goes on a quest to discover the origins of her sourdough starter. It was a really fun, random book

This was a wonderful read with just the right touch of humor. It also made me want to bake bread. The only problem was the ending in which I felt I had been transported to another dimension. I even had to backtrack to see if I'd missed something about a dream. Really nice writing, delightful characters, and just the right lead-ins from chapter to chapter make this a fun read. I still highly recommend it, despite the strange ending.

Sourdough is intelligent and entertaining (similar to the bread)! AND it made me want to get in the kitchen and create something magical.

Robin Sloan gives readers the perfect follow up to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. He gives us a great look at San Francisco foodie world, a protagonist working on finding herself, and a pretty much happy ending. The perfect read to put a smile on your face (and maybe on your bread!).

Fun read, interesting second novel after Penumbra. Instead of a bookstore, this time it's a robot/AI shop that forms the setting for the lead character to find out what they value. The live starter for the bread, and the faces that form are a rather supernatural element -- this author likes to mix modern technology with supernatural themes. A bit of a leap that there has to be a romance thrown in at the end, but a small quibble. Try it - you will like it.

It’s a sweet tale, nothing too ambitious but with a parable at its core. Sourdough is a quick read with a silly ending but wrapped around a lesson of life. I gave it four stars for it accomplished what it set out in an entertaining fashion. Not four stars because it is great fiction. Enjoy this like the bread basket they serve before the main meal.

I'm not sure if this is a "great" book, but I know that I had a great time reading it. Hard to sum it up, but if you enjoyed Mr. Penumbra (which I did like better), you will want to read this book. Not sure how or why, but Sloan seems to write just for me. These books are right in the sweet spot. I hope others feel the same way, as they are a pleasure to consume.

This book will not blow you away with its eloquent prose or its complex character development. What it will do is make you laugh! It was a very lighthearted, enjoyable read. One can find plenty to discuss about this book with its die-hard computer workaholics, the farmers market world, and the comfort that food can bring to anyone. A definite thumbs up!

I was a huge fan of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and I so hoped to love this one. Good News! I did! It took me awhile to realize the depth of it or perhaps it is imagined, but I really felt the start was a metaphor for anything unexpected that comes into a life. The book brought out the important steps needed to deal with the unexpected such as acceptance,confidence and adaptation. Lois certainly learned all these lessons. I can't wait to read it again!

As a foodie, writer and reader this is a really fun and funny novel. Sloan’s prose is busting with imagery and dry humor. The best part is the author doesn’t take himself too seriously. Much of the history of how sourdough bread is made is accurate and other parts of course wonderful fiction. Entertaining and enjoyable read.

This book was a bit odd. I love baking, reading, and science. The author seemed a bit confused in the science sequencing aspect, but nothing to ruin the plot line. It seemed to be grasping at ends and not going anywhere. I was able to read through all of it, relatively quickly, but was disappointed.

I am hooked on sourdough bread baking and want to build a brick oven in my backyard because Louis Clary (the protagonist) inspired me so. I now have successfully started a sourdough culture. It's thriving! The book is super entertaining. The Louis Club is hilarious. The legend of the sourdough starter reads a bit like parts of The Count of Monte Cristo, which I have yet to finish. The Ghostbusters scene near the end is over the top good. To me this is great story-telling.

You know those science fiction books that try to add a lot of real science to make you think "Hey, this could really happen", but that if you know anything at all about the real science, you just want to hold your head in your hands and say "Why couldn't they just leave out the real science?" And then there are those intriguing movie trailers full of your favorite actors and a bunch of quirky characters, but when you see the movie, you realize it is just a bunch of cameo appearances awkwardly dropped into a really thin story that leaves you with nothing more than what you saw in the trailer? That's Sourdough. On the other hand, it is well written, easy to read, and has likable characters, so there's that....

4/5. I really liked Lois' inner dialogue and character. I also liked all the side characters. I was very surprised where the story went, but I enjoyed it. Some parts were a little slow for me, but I liked the characters and the writing.

I really enjoyed the book. I selected it because of my love of making bread, a method of relaxation after my days working in the technology field.

The ending was a total surprise, I never would have predicted it. Unfortunately, surprises are not always good. The ending seemed out of place.

This quirky, hard-to-define novel had me smiling basically from beginning to end. It starts with a sourdough starter but it melds origin and technology into a a seemingly light, and quite possibly prophetic, story.

Excellent plot with interesting characters searching for meaning and building relationships in today's world. The depiction of the characters' relationships with careers in IT versus "old-time" careers such as bread-baking, is an ingenious was to bring that about.

Despite initial misgivings about reading a bread-centered book, I devoured Sourdough.

As a fan of the world of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, I approached Sloan's second book with hesitance. "Why couldn't we get the Penumbra sequel, Mr. Penumbra's 48-Hour Bookstore?" I asked myself and my dog. I wanted more of the same, but Sloan knew better.

There's still a bookish world hiding in Sourdough, but that's not why I read through it so quickly. Sourdough blends tech with food with a dash of love triumphing over the solitude of a corporate life. Ultimately, the book makes you want to do what you quietly believe you were made to do—if only you had the confidence to do it.

Foodies, techies, and appreciators of good writing should all enjoy Sourdough. It's a quick read, but I have a feeling its scenes and ideas will keep rising in my mind for some time to come.

Sourdough is quirky, a little bit odd, and I kind of loved it. The plot did take a left turn into decidedly weird when Lois gets into the Marrow market, and I wasn't quite as in love with the story from then on, but all in all it was a fun book.

*ARC via netgalley*

I just finished Sourdough a few weeks ago, and I thoroughly loved the strangeness that sits so cozily amid a story common to so many of us: feeling lost and excited and exploratory and nervous to take those big leaps which could change everything we do and see.

I've read Robin Sloan's other works, 'Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore' and 'Anabelle Scheme'. This one is definitely the most polished and evenly paced work yet. It is s a fun and light read from beginning to end with a satisfying resolution in the end. I look forward to reading whatever he thinks up next!

This was a fun little novel ... quirky and quick read. I laughed out loud a few times while reading it! Not one of those books which when you finish you have to recommend it, but certainly a light and fun read.

This book is a great read, but you need to be open to it. If you read only a certain genre of book, then go outside your comfort zone and give this a try. I found this funny, interesting, descriptive, educational at times ... it was definitely a story I wanted to keep reading. Yes, the robot arm and the futuristic food market is a little out there, but that’s what makes this story different and captivating. I’m glad I took a chance and read this, took me about 2 days!

Absolutely delightful. I devoured the book. There are books where it's hard to like any of the characters, but this book is quite the opposite. Each of the characters are interesting and well read. Such a lovely, funny, quirky story. I loved it!

Easy and enjoyable read. Somewhat predictable story line, but well written and a likeable set of characters. The end felt somewhat rushed, which is why only 4 starts. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I learned so much about bread from this book, as well as ambition. Quirky and outrageous at times, this book is thoroughly well written and provides just enough evidence of magic to let you know you are reading something by Robin Sloan.

Absolutely delightful. I devoured the book. There are books where it's hard to like any of the characters, but this book is quite the opposite. Each of the characters are interesting and well read. Such a lovely, funny, quirky story. I loved it!

Easy and enjoyable read. Somewhat predictable story line, but well written and a likeable set of characters. The end felt somewhat rushed, which is why only 4 starts. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I learned so much about bread from this book, as well as ambition. Quirky and outrageous at times, this book is thoroughly well written and provides just enough evidence of magic to let you know you are reading something by Robin Sloan.

Very infrequently does a book make me laugh out loud, but this one did. The various settings were described in a way that made them so relatable and interesting. Well written and funny. I think people who like to read will like this book. Lots of references to flour, though, so possibly not people who are gluten free. : )

What a fun read! As entertaining and quirky as his first novel, but in a different way. The story is sweet and engaging and poses some interesting questions about our relationship to food and tech. Loved the many references to SF Bay area icons.

Here's a review, short and to the point. You can't be a male writer and pretend to be a woman as the main character. Doesn't work. And all the technology stuff in the first chapter was a turn off. Couldn't waste time on this book.

If you're looking for a plotless (pointless) novel but have a weird burning desire to learn everything you never cared about sourdough starter, you will love Sourdough. It felt like someone converted an extremely well researched article about sourdough starter (not even sourdough bread) for the New Yorker and somehow convinced their literary agent they could turn it into a novel. Sadly, they didn't.

I'm thoroughly confused by the glowing reviews this book garnered.

This book was a complete waste of money and time. I do not understand Sloan’s obsession with technology being incorporated in his writings. Since Sloan had got so many good reviews I decided to waste my time reading the one about the book store. This was the worst book I have read in my whole life. If you are looking for a good read go somewhere else.

It was a fun read with good character development but I was left completely unsatisfired by the ending. The protagonist goes on a journey of self discovery only to turn into a vapid, shallow person who decides that the way to be happy is to chase a man halfway across the globe and try to get rich. Stupid.

After seeing many many positive reviews on this book, I finally decided to read it. I was not disappointed! I read a copy from the library, and look forward to adding the physical book to my collection.

Gosh darn it, I love a quirky book. Sourdough by Robin Sloan is just that. The San Francisco references abound, I could almost taste the bread, and I feel like I want to take up baking again. In sum, I loved this book.

Sourdough tells the story of a young tech worker, Lois Clary, who is gifted with the starter for her favorite restaurant's sourdough bread. From there, things just get crazy.

Lois is a lovable character, riddled with self-doubt and looking for a path forward. While the story has an undercurrent of sadness, it is also filled with wonder and hope. I never knew what would happen next, but I was just happy to be along for the ride.

I loved this book. It has a little bit of everything; baking, relationships, greed, technology, and lots of humor. It’s an easy read, but the characters and situations are well drawn. Highly suggested.