*One of Amazon’s 20 Best Books of 2017* Named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Barnes & Noble, and Southern Living In his much-anticipated new novel, Robin Sloan does for the world of food what he did for the world of books in Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with … at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers close up shop, and fast. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her–feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it.
Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves daily to the General Dexterity cafeteria. The company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market, and a whole new world opens up.
When Lois comes before the jury that decides who sells what at Bay Area markets, she encounters a close-knit club with no appetite for new members. But then, an alternative emerges: a secret market that aims to fuse food and technology. But who are these people, exactly?
Leavened by the same infectious intelligence that made Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore such a sensation, while taking on even more satisfying challenges, Sourdough marks the triumphant return of a unique and beloved young writer.
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I loved Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, so I pre-ordered Sourdough and enjoyed it nearly as much as the author’s debut.
Lois Clary is a relatable, interesting, slightly lost character that feels closer to the men from whom she orders takeout every night than she does to anyone else. When they leave town, the brothers gift her a sourdough starter that puts her on an unexpected path to abandon her life as a software engineer in favor of focusing on food and new friends.
There are many aspects of a more traditional women’s fiction novel, but Sloan throws in a characteristic fusion with technology (and a bit of magical realism) that makes this more interesting for a slightly younger crowd. I also learned a fair bit about baking and sourdough, which was unexpected but really enjoyable.
Overall a quick, funny, feel-good read. Definitely recommend.
Another stellar novel from Robin Sloan. Fans of Mr. Penumbra” will love this similarly-written work, which, dare I say, I may have liked even a little bit more. The world building and character development is exactly what it should be in this farmer’s-market-world-gone-mad, and it makes you want to quit your job, be braver and pick up bread making. I eagerly await Sloan’s next book.
I think Robin Sloan is one of my favorite finds – his books are these delicate confections of humanity in all its imprecise, foible- and quirk-filled glory. That’s not to say they are light fare – they are surprisingly dense and full of insights and giggles and wry tidbits, but they read so easily and compulsively that you don’t even realize what you’ve learned about yourself/other people until after you are finished and think back about what you just read…
Sourdough is a story about realizing that what we are good at and what we want to do aren’t always the same thing – and that there is never a point at which it is too late to realize this. It’s about the importance of being true to who we want to be, even when it doesn’t mesh with what other people see or want from us. And it’s about the healing power of food – which is more than just sustenance for our bodies, but also nourishment for the secret, inner parts of ourselves that need care-taking too. It’s an absolutely marvelous book because it’s all those things AND a gloriously fun, utterly enjoyable tale about San Francisco and 20-somethings and the magic of technology and the foolishness of technologues (my personal word for ideologues obsessively focused on technology).
Pick this one up – you won’t be sorry!
A total delight! Starts in one really fun place and finishes somewhere entirely different — and amazing.
The perfect tired-of-quarantine book.
If you start this book and think it’s just another whimsical coming of age book set around the idea of baking bread, you are mistaken. This book takes many fun twists and turns and all the while reminds us that it’s important to be searching outside our comfort zone in life and expand our horizons. I loved it.
I loved this book when I read it several years ago, the story of Lois and her strange transition from being a robotics engineer in San Francisco to becoming an artisan baker selling her goods in a surreal marketplace across the bay. The real magic in this witty and clever book comes from the sourdough starter given to her by two men who run a mysterious food delivery service. When they leave the area, they bequeath their sourdough starter to Lois, and that begins her journey. I found it even more entertaining when, at the start of this pandemic, I decided to get my own sourdough starter. Sourdough, the book, convinced me that a starter is a living thing. Every time I feed mine, I wonder what it’s been thinking in its corner of my fridge. I highly recommend this delightful book.
Sourdough was written in that delightful style (magical realism) that made Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore such a good book. The plot of Sourdough was cleverly intertwined with the legend of the Mazg and I enjoyed being in the slightly fantastical world that Mr. Sloane writes so well. And who knew that the Lois Club is a real thing??
This shouldn’t have taken me so long to read, but I just couldn’t get in to it. I slugged thru this weird story. Some will love it, but for me……..meh.
A fan of Robin’s “Mr. Penumbra”, I expected this story to be fun and it most definitely was. The Lois club in particular was unusual as were the various names of characters from all parts of the story. Living in the Bay area, I couldn’t help but think the character who surprises us in the end was in some ways Alice Waters, the founder of Slow Food and Chez Panise, though he did a spin on her that’s fun and unusual. Thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it for something light and fun
I chose this quirky little novel after getting reader burn-out on historical non-fiction. It did not disappoint. The story follows the adventures of Lois, a robotics software engineer who works long hours, existing on spicy soup and sourdough bread, to Lois becoming baker extraordinaire at a sideshow farmers market with her singing sourdough starter and robotic arm assistant. You’ll find unlikely friends, humor, interesting food and a little bit of romance in this charming story.
What a delightful way to combine the mystery of sour dough starter and robotics.
A foodie’s fantasy sci-fi tale. I was very amused. Do not take it seriously. Except, possibly, the food.
Need more books like this”’ it dares to wander outside while remaining inside.
Looking forward to the next book.
Loved Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore and Sourdough is just as entertaining to read! Keep writing, Robin Sloan! Come back to the Bookmarks’ Festival in Winston Salem, NC!
A great spoof on the high tech world. Unpredictable.
It is a great read. I have had my sourdough starter for for 44 years and take good care of it and share when people are interested.
Had a hard time getting involved in this book.
A fun read, especially if you know the area where the story takes place. Who doesn’t love the Bay area!
Very fun, very local to the Bay Area of California. Nice ending.