Book Club Recap: A Bakery in Paris by Aumue K. Runyan
A Bakery in Paris is a charming historical novel set against the backdrop of a beloved boulangerie. Alternating between Lisette in 1870s Paris and her great-granddaughter Micheline in post-WWII Paris, the story blends fictional characters with real historical events to show how hardship, resilience, and love can be kneaded together like dough.
At its heart, this book explores how two women, separated by generations yet bound by blood and by bread, face immense loss while building lives around a bakery that becomes a symbol of hope.
Main Characters
Lisette Vigneau (1870): A wealthy young woman raised in privilege who begins questioning her place in society. She falls in love with Théodore Fournier.
Théodore Fournier (1870): A National Guardsman from the working class, whose relationship with Lisette reshapes her future.
Micheline Chartier (1946): At just 19, she is raising her two younger sisters after losing her father in the war and her mother to mysterious disappearance. Determined to reopen her great-grandmother’s bakery, she studies at a baking academy while shouldering heavy responsibility.
Laurent Tanet (1946): A kind, handsome classmate at the academy who becomes both a supportive friend and a central figure in Micheline’s life.
Historical Backdrop
The story draws on the Siege of Paris (1870–1871) during the Franco-Prussian War, when Prussia’s superior military strategy encircled Paris and starved the city into submission. This devastating period sowed political division and paved the way for the short-lived radical government of the Paris Commune.
The author pairs this era of upheaval with post-WWII Paris, another moment of rebuilding and reinvention after unimaginable loss.
The Story
Both Lisette and Micheline live in eras defined by war and its aftermath, yet their journeys parallel each other in resilience and love of baking.
Lisette’s story is one of transformation. With the support of her cook, her love for Théodore, a fiancé who remains devoted despite heartbreak, and even a priest who later becomes her husband and father to her children, she learns to rebuild her life after devastating loss.
Micheline’s journey is framed by tragedy, her father gone, her mother missing—but also by the kindness of others. A generous neighbor funds her bakery schooling so she can reopen Lisette’s bakery. At the academy, she meets Laurent, who becomes her partner in love, family, and healing. Eventually, Micheline uncovers the truth about her mother’s disappearance, bringing closure to her family’s painful past.
Through both timelines, the bakery is more than a shop, it is a sanctuary, a livelihood, and a bridge connecting past to present.
My Take
This novel is as much about love, loss, and perseverance as it is about baking. I loved how bread became a metaphor for community and resilience—flour and butter transformed into something that nourishes not just the body, but the soul.
And yes, the best part really was all the baking! 🥖🍰
💭 Discussion Questions
How did you feel about the alternating storylines between Lisette (1870s) and Micheline (1946)? Did one resonate more with you, and why?
Lisette and Micheline’s lives mirror each other but also diverge. How do privilege and hardship shape their relationships with baking?
The bakery becomes a multigenerational symbol of resilience. How do Lisette’s choices echo in Micheline’s life?
Beyond sustenance, what role do food and baking play for the characters and community?
Was Lisette’s choice to risk her privileged position for love courageous, reckless, or both?
Did the ending satisfy you? What message about legacy and resilience did it leave you with?
How did the Franco-Prussian War and post-WWII setting influence each woman’s path?
What message does the novel send about healing and rebuilding after loss?
🇫🇷 My Paris Connection
Reading this book transported me back to my own short trip to Paris, where I was lucky enough to take an in-person croissant class with a French pastry chef. Learning the culture, traditions, and techniques firsthand gave me a deeper appreciation for the role bakeries play in French life and in this novel.
And because no Parisian story is complete without butter… here’s the recipe I learned:
🥐 Classic French Croissants (and Pain au Chocolat)
Ingredients
500 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted
50 g (¼ cup) sugar
10 g (2 tsp) instant yeast
20 g (1 tbsp) honey
10 g (2 tsp) salt
300 ml (1 ¼ cups) whole milk
50 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
250 g (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, chilled (for laminating)
1 egg (or yolk + splash of milk), for egg wash
Optional: dark chocolate sticks (for pain au chocolat)
Instructions
Make the Dough: Mix dry ingredients, add softened butter + milk, knead until smooth. Wrap and chill for 1 hr.
Prepare Butter Block: Pound chilled butter into a 5 mm (¼ in.) square. Chill.
Enclose the Butter: Roll dough, place butter in center, fold edges over.
First Fold: Roll, fold in thirds like a letter. Chill 2–3 hrs.
Second Fold: Roll, fold like a book. Chill 2–3 hrs.
Shape: Cut into triangles (for croissants) or rectangles (for pain au chocolat with chocolate sticks). Roll tightly.
Proof: Let rise 1 hr until doubled.
Bake: Brush with egg wash, bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15 min until golden and flaky.
✨ Yields: 8 - 12 croissants + 8 pains au chocolat. Enjoy with hot coffee, tea, or chocolate.
Happy baking!
