Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Cursed Bread
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
17 posts | 15 read | 10 to read
From the Man Booker-nominated author of The Water Cure comes an elegant and hypnotic new novel of obsession that centers on the real unsolved mystery of the 1951 mass poisoning of a French village. Still reeling in the aftermath of the deadliest war the world had ever seen, the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit collectively lost its mind. Some historians believe the mysterious illness and violent hallucinations were caused by spoiled bread; others claim it was the result of covert government testing on the local population. In that town lived a woman named Elodie. She was the baker's wife: a plain, unremarkable person who yearned to transcend her dull existence. So when a charismatic new couple arrived in town, the forceful ambassador and his sharp-toothed wife, Violet, Elodie was quickly drawn into their orbit. Thus began a dangerous game of cat and mouse - but who was the predator and on whom did they prey? Audacious and mesmerizing, Cursed Bread is a fevered confession, an entry into memory's hall of mirrors, and an erotic fable of transformation. Sophie Mackintosh spins a darkly gleaming tale of a town gripped by hysteria, envy like poison in the blood, and desire that burns and consumes.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
review
Tamra
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Mehso-so

Ummmmm, if you think you‘re going to get a story about the mysterious poisoning of a French village in 1951, it won‘t be in this one. 99% revolves around a woman unfulfilled in her marriage.

No quibbles with the writing, it‘s unconventional and there is plenty of engaging character development, albeit of dislikable characters.

Nonetheless, the blurb is very misleading. I really wanted the mystery!

jlhammar Yes, so did I! 5mo
Tamra @jlhammar what a missed opportunity! 5mo
batsy Thanks for the warning! I do want to read it but now I'll adjust my expectations. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews for the author and it's only heightened my curiosity 😆 5mo
58 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Tara
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Pickpick

What a bizarre little book. A mysterious and wealthy couple moves to a small French village (post wwii) and Élodie, the neglected wife of the baker, develops a psychosexual obsession with them. That is most of the book! Based on the real life mass poisoning ?☠️ of Pont-Saint-Esprit in 1951, I think I got more out of the book knowing that bit of history. (And also having read Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead.) I loved it but it‘s not for everyone!

blurb
Tara
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image

Me, absolutely delighted: WHAT is wrong with these people?

Not very far into this one so far, and I understand all of the mixed reviews/comments. It‘s totally working for me though.

quote
AnnRaz
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image

“The trick is forgetting for one moment and then forgetting for another moment and then look, the moments run together like a string of beads, and there is heartbreak in the forgetting of heartbreak, in the forgetting of pain, which returns bright and pulsing regardless of the seconds it has been put aside.”

blurb
RebL
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image

I recommend going into this book cold (knowing there will be some sexy bits, in case you aren‘t into that). Knowing the premise was a bit spoilery for me. Also, I suck at bread making, but I made, ate, & survived this.

14 likes1 stack add
review
MicheleinPhilly
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Mehso-so

This had its moments but ultimately was too 🦇💩for my tastes.

squirrelbrain Love the 🦇 💩! 🤣 And, yes, it was a bit! 10mo
jlhammar 😂 😂 😂 10mo
sarahbarnes 😂 I ended up taking this one back to the library without reading it. 10mo
62 likes4 comments
review
ClairesReads
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Pickpick

The kind of edgy fever-dream that I love, and I loved this. It‘s a particular kind of hazy read which won‘t be for everyone. Although this is definitely a vibe that works for me, knowing the historical case that inspired this novel before I began reading helped me to appreciate some of the more obscure stages of the narrative. I enjoyed this reading experience slowly. Mackintosh is the kind of writer you can do that with.

monalyisha Great review! This sounds like it could be for me, too. Any thoughts about where I could quickly learn more about the historical event? A podcast, maybe? 11mo
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
ClairesReads
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image

quote
ClairesReads
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image

Love a good epigraph

ChaoticMissAdventures I enjoyed this! Interesting that it was inspired by a true mystery. 11mo
37 likes1 comment
review
jlhammar
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Mehso-so

Blech. Way too much focus on sex for me. I didn‘t really get on with the writing style either (very decadent). Note to self: If a book is described as erotic, sensual or sumptuous, steer clear!

Such a shame because I love this cover and the true story of the 1951 mass poisoning of a French village is so fascinating and mysterious. Mackintosh was successful in creating a thick, fevered atmosphere, but I just wanted more. #WomensPrize

ashw21 That‘s a shame ! I am waiting for my library holds for this one 11mo
Tamra Oh, I have to reconsider! Why have sex fluff in an otherwise intriguing storyline? 11mo
batsy Those three words tend to make me pause, too! That's a shame; I was intrigued by this one. I think she made the recent Granta list. 11mo
Leniverse I honestly didn't find it very erotic or sumptuous or whatever. Not even sensual. There was sex yes. But the narrator was so in her own head all the time that the sensuality was missing, and it was all too bleak to be sexy. 11mo
jlhammar @Leniverse Yeah, good point about being in Elodie‘s head. She certainly was an unstable/unreliable narrator. The inside flap calls it an “erotic fable” and the blurb on the front “sumptuous.” I didn‘t find it sexy either, but I always find that stuff a turn-off in my reading so I‘m not the best judge. 11mo
77 likes2 stack adds5 comments
review
squirrelbrain
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Pickpick

This is a pick for me, but not a strong one. I kind of liked it but I didn‘t have a clue what was going on most of the time!

It certainly won‘t be on my #womensprize short list, but I can see why it made the long list it‘s the kind of quirky, weird, surreal book that often does well in these sort of competitions.

TrishB Not tempted at all by this one. Sounds exactly you like her other one which I didn‘t enjoy. 12mo
Hooked_on_books Definitely a weird little book. I‘m not sure what happened to Violet, though. She would never eat the bread, which suggests to me that she knew about or was part of the poisoning plot. But is she dead at the end or did she leave? I kinda thought the main character killed her. 12mo
Tamra Hmmmmm, I‘ve read that several times now. I might have to unstack it. 12mo
squirrelbrain For most of the time I thought Violet might be in prison @Hooked_on_books but then I thought she might be dead. The ambassador made her drink something a few times, or was that in Elodie‘s imagination? All a bit frustrating! 12mo
80 likes4 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Mehso-so

This is a very weird little book. I actually like the plot and the when/how the plotting is done. A lot is held back to the end, making you think back on the book. But I just didn‘t care for the writing. Just weird.

squirrelbrain Ha! Just finished this last night. I kind of liked it but didn‘t have a clue what was going on. I‘ll review it later….. 12mo
jlhammar Good to know! Looking forward to this, but I‘ll brace myself for some weirdness. 12mo
BarbaraBB I felt that way about her last book as well. 12mo
Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain I didn‘t really know what was going on either, but I liked how it came together at the end. I‘m glad it worked for you! 12mo
Hooked_on_books @BarbaraBB I read The Water Cure a couple years ago. Like this one, I liked aspects of it, but found it odd. If not for the women‘s prize, I would not have picked this one up. 12mo
44 likes5 comments
review
ChaoticMissAdventures
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Pickpick

Catching up on GR and realized I didn't review this anywhere yet.

I loved this book. It felt so French I looked up 2x the author's nationality. Set in a small 1950's French village revolving around the Bakers Wife it is a study of a town when a glamorous couple "the ambassadors" come to stay. A bit erotic, a bit mysterious, very character driven. I found it fascinating. How the women's lives revolved around the men in town & what that means

5feet.of.fury Everything about this pic is perfect. I love a lil cheese plate. 12mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @5feet.of.fury I could eat cheese plates every day and not be mad 😂. 12mo
Chelsea.Poole Your fridge! 😍 12mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole peel and stick wallpaper! 12mo
Chelsea.Poole Lovely! 12mo
28 likes5 comments
review
Twocougs
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Bailedbailed

I really, really tried. I‘ve loved her other two books but this one just didn‘t do it for me.

review
Leniverse
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image
Mehso-so

The prose was good, but the story was so vague and boooring until the last 15-20 pages of what was fortunately a short book. The reader is trapped in the fantasy/memory of what is clearly an unreliable narrator with a singular focus/obsession and no intention of explaining herself clearly. The prose, vague as it was, kept me going, and the end reveal made it almost worth it.
#WomensPrize 2023 #longlist

TrishB I didn‘t enjoy her last book and this sounds very similar. 12mo
Leniverse @TrishB This was my first book by her. I'll read another if it's less vague, but not if this is her whole style. 😂 12mo
squirrelbrain This is the one I‘m least looking forward to…. 12mo
BarbaraBB It reminds me of her earlier book too. Unstacking. 12mo
40 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
Rhondareads
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
post image

A French Village a mass poisoning an unsolved mystery .Sophie Mackintosh Booker nominated author has written an elegant thriller. @DoubledayBooks