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Title details for Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh - Available

Cursed Bread

A Novel

by Sophie Mackintosh
Genevieve Gaunt
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION NOMINEE • Best Book of the Month: The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Book Riot, CrimeReads • An elegant and hypnotic new novel of obsession that centers on the real unsolved mystery of the 1951 mass poisoning of a French village, by the Booker Prize–nominated author of The Water Cure
"Intoxicating, sumptuous, and savage.”—Alexandra Kleeman, acclaimed author of Something New Under the Sun
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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 4, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593666616
      • File size: 154217 KB
      • Duration: 05:21:17

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 13, 2023
      In the intense but muddled latest from Mackintosh (Cursed Bread), a pent-up woman falls for a set of newcomers to her remote French village a few years after WWII. The narrator, 30-something Elodie, anachronistically calls herself “matron-adjacent” compared to the younger sexed-up Violet, who arrives with her unnamed husband. Elodie’s husband, a baker, won’t have sex with her, and her longing is heightened after a party when she overhears Violet’s husband tell her “I know you want to fuck him” (about Elodie’s husband), and “If you eat the bread, you’ll die.” The idea of another woman wanting Elodie’s husband excites her, as does the virility of Violet’s own husband, and before it’s all over, Elodie comes close to sleeping with both. Along the way, she exchanges gossip with neighbors, and flash-forwards anticipate a wave of madness and deaths in the town. An author’s note alludes to inspiration from a mass poisoning in 1951 Pont-Sant-Esprit, but Mackintosh’s account remains gauzy; though the cause of the deaths is revealed at the end, big questions remain, including whether Violet and her husband are figments of Elodie’s imagination. Though evocative at first, the riffs on desire grow repetitive and fail to illuminate the material. This is a misfire.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Genevieve Gaunt performs this haunting novel with an intimate tone, a dramatic style, and a well-calibrated cadence. She has a lovely voice and gives Elodie, the baker's wife, an authentic rural delivery. Based on real events in Pont-Saint-Esprit, France, in 1951, the story begins with a mass poisoning that remains unsolved to this day. An American ambassador and his mysterious wife, Violet, arrive, and tragedy follows. Both Americans enchant Elodie, whose husband shows little romantic interest in her. The sensual Violet befriends Elodie. Elodie herself shares all of her intimate experiences, and much of the audiobook is told in letters addressed to Violet. The author reveals and conceals information. Her elegant spare prose suits this short, immersive listen. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      World War II has just ended, and the tiny French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit is experiencing collective delusions and illness. Elodie, plain as can be, is the wife of the town baker. Most residents do not give her a second look, and why would they? But then an ambassador and his sharp-tongued, glamorous wife, Violet, move into town. Elodie is immediately swept into their world, beginning a game of cat and mouse. When people start experiencing hallucinations and dying, there are speculations that it could be poison, a government testing program gone awry, or perhaps something even more sinister. Based loosely on actual events, the latest from Booker Prize longlisted-Mackintosh (The Water Cure) offers a dreamlike imagining of what might have happened during that time, employing a hypnotic, hazy atmosphere to blur the boundaries between fiction and reality. Narrator Genevieve Gaunt performs stunningly as a young housewife under the influence of others' power, intrigue, and desire. VERDICT Mackintosh's unsettling latest will be devoured by her many fans. Share with readers who appreciate atmospheric books where nothing is as it seems.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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