Name: The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris
Rating: 4.5 (3 reviews)
Author: Evie Woods

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Book Summary

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop.

Nestled among the cobblestone streets of Compiègne, there existed a bakery unlike any other.

Rumours were whispered through the town that its pastries offered a taste of magic, chasing away the darkest of sorrows. Just one bite of a croissant might bring luck, unlock a precious memory or reveal hidden longings.

But dark clouds were looming on the horizon…

For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn't require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation and that's how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn't in Paris – and neither is Edie.

This might not be where Edie intended to be but she soon realizes it's exactly where she needs to be…

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

How does the protagonist's initial reaction to Compiègne change over time? What does this suggest about expectations versus reality?
Discuss the various ways food and baking serve as metaphors throughout the novel. What deeper meanings do they represent?
How do themes of family history and legacy shape the story and its characters?
What role does the bakery itself play in bringing characters together? How does it influence the community around it?
How does the author use sensory details - smells, tastes, sounds - to enhance the reading experience?
Discuss how tradition and progress are balanced within the narrative. Which characters represent each side?
What role does community play in the story? How do different characters ...

Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

See what our members are saying about this book in our Community Forum.

Have you read any of Evie Woods’ other novels, and if so, how do they compare to The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris?
I haven't but I'm going back to read her previous novels.
-Cindy_R

Overall, what did you think of The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris? (no spoilers, please!)
...name under "Evie Gaughan" back in 2014. It looks like it was about 150 pp shorter. I'm wondering if she reworked it later? Edit: Here's what I found: The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods is a reworking of one of her earlier books, originally self-published and then republished by an indie press before its current release by a major pu...
-kim.kovacs

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods
Please join BookBrowse in our book club discussion of The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods.
-kim.kovacs

What are you reading this week? (3/27/2025)
...en next up will be https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/20298/The%20Mysterious%20Bakery%20on%20Rue%20de%20Paris The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods - both for upcoming discussions here. I have one more stinkin' hour left in the trashy audiobook my husband wanted me to read (it's been something li...
-kim.kovacs

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This information about The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Reader Reviews

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Cindy R

Yummy love story
Whisk together some sugar, a touch of salt, vanilla beans, flour, and several other ingredients, plus some French joie de vivre and a bit of mysterious magic, and you have the The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris (OneMoreChapter). A delightful story that will warm up anyone's heart and put a smile on their face.

Edie Lane is ready for a change; she needs one badly. She leaves her small Irish town for what she thinks is a bakery job in Paris, but it turns out to be the small town of Compiegne, miles outside Paris, where rumors are the pastries offer a taste of magic. She decides to stay and ends up glad she did.

The whimsical novel, The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris, is full of love, and readers will fall in love with the engaging characters. It's the first novel I've read by Evie Woods, and I look forward to experiencing more magical realism in her previous books.

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Find books by time period, setting & theme
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Author Information

Biography

Evie Woods

Evie Woods is the author of The Lost Bookshop, the #1 Wall Street Journal and Amazon Kindle bestseller, which has now sold over a million copies.

Living on the West Coast of Ireland, Evie escapes the inclement weather by writing her stories in a converted attic, where she dreams of underfloor heating. Her books tread the intriguing line between the everyday and the otherworldly, revealing the magic that exists in our ordinary lives.

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