READER REVIEWS

Dear Readers,

When I released the book in November of 2019, I had an inkling there may be others who wanted the recipes, and maybe the stories, but mostly, I was the one who wanted them. I wrote it for me, for my dad, for my family. For 6 years I sold the book from my "platform" of website and social media. Over 4,000 copies! Now the book is represented by Rockin' Dog Studio, an international publisher, so they will be taking care of distribution. I received and published  158 actual reader reviews - but they cannot all fit here. These are some of my favorites. There will be a new batch of reviews that come from the wider world of bookstores and libraries, but this is the first. I'm grateful for your support over these first years.

Thank you for taking the time to leave your beautiful, resonant words from your hearts.

Happy Baking, Marcy

 · This is a wonderful book, both for the underlying story of Brenner family and for the recipes from Brenner’s Bakery - which was a mainstay in the Alexandria, VA area for decades. The recipes are perfect; adapted for the casual baker such as myself. In particular I was always a huge fan of their yeast donuts, they really were unsurpassed, and now I can recreate them! If you want to relive the ambiance, tastes and aromas of a classic neighborhood bakery, I think you will find this book to be indispensable.

· I grew up 10 minutes away from Belle View, Brenner’s Bakery in Alexandria. Their cakes, cookies and donuts were so delicious. You could taste every ounce of love her father put into it. To be able to read the history and tales behind the Legend was amazing. None of us ever imagined that we would be privy to ever seeing the recipes. It was an era gone by we simply missed terribly. 

· The smiles the book puts on faces from Vienna, Va to Arlington, Va to Belle View Shopping Center will warm your heart. It’s Marcy’s personal stories that bring that era to life again. It takes great thought and precise details to get memories that flow across the pages. The journey is very compelling you won’t want to put it down. Then you get to the recipes OH MY! The flavors she’s bringing the public will be included in their family traditions for years to come. Bon Appetit!

· This book seamlessly combines an inspiring family story and delicious recipes. It is a delightful history of an Alexandria, Virginia landmark bakery and the family who created it. The book is so well organized that you can quickly find a wonderful recipe or pause to read the story behind the baking, depending on your mood. The recipes are easy to follow, even for a non baker, and the results are amazing. Enjoy!

· You don’t need to bake anything from this book of scrumptious recipes to enjoy it: the book itself is something to savor - the photography, the layout, the overall concept, the exquisite tiny drawings, and most of all, The Story. A story, an American Story, is woven in and out of well-appointed chapters of baked goods and family. The artful and honest narrative allows us to see into Marcy’s family but in that we see our family story too, the struggles, the hardship, persistence, relationships, the secrets, discoveries, the I-got-here-from-there story, the this-is-what-made-me story. And love on so many levels! A labor of love to convert commercial bakery recipes to tested, scaled down ones we can enjoy in our own kitchen. For some, it means re-creating a special treat from the Brenner’s bakery they remembered, or for those like me, enjoy for the first time (Chocolate chip cookies!)

· Some of my favorite memories as a child came from Brenner’s Bakery in Alexandria. Every birthday was celebrated with a Brenner’s cake, as was my wedding. When my brother and I were good, my mom would reward us with cookies or donuts from the bakery. We were sad when the store closed. The employees were friendly and Max Brenner set the standard by which all future bakery goods would be judged.

· Many years have passed since our favorite bakery closed its doors. Suddenly from out of the blue a friend of mine contacted me and told me about Marcy Brenner’s book. I just needed to know three things: 1. did it have the recipe for their cakes, 2. did it have their recipe for their chocolate drop cookies and 3. where do I send the money? I received the book a week ago and have already put it to use. The recipes are easy to follow, and the magic has been revealed. I’m not as good as Max, but I think he would be proud of my first attempt at recreating his cookies. I can’t wait to try to make one of his cakes. Thank you Marcy for bringing back the magic with this book.

· Your cookbook has brought happiness to my heart and awakened so many memories of favorite childhood and family special occasions. Max Brenner’s treats for our family started in 1955.

· This amazing book is full of recipes that bring back fond memories of going to Brenner’s Bakery in Alexandria with my mom and grandmother! Now my own children can taste some of the magic in the macaroons and 7-layer cakes!

· I bought the books as gifts for my two sisters. As kids we would walk to the bakery hand in hand, lured by the sweet smells that emanated from the shop. Later as we got older, the shop was always a weekend stop to pick up rye bread and have it sliced for sandwiches to feed the crew while we watched the local teams on TV. The books are a touchstone, a reminder of a magical time, when we were young. Certainly, the smells, textures and tastes from your shop have accompanied and amplified those memories.

· I can remember as a child going in with my great aunt, or papa... and getting one chocolate top cookies to eat on the way home. This book brought back nostalgia and memories that I hope to keep forever. The Chocolate top cookies I will be trying soon! Thanks for sharing this with the world.

· Being a native Alexandrian, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Brenner’s was a huge part of my family’s life and traditions. What a wonderful heritage and legacy from the Brenner family to be enjoyed by generations!

· This is a lovely nostalgic walk down memory lane. The bonus is that the recipes make it possible to capture the scents and tastes of that nostalgia, too. It’s so much more than a cookbook, and more than I expected. I’ve not finished reading through it but have really enjoyed the parts I’ve read so far, and am delighted that there’s more to read!

· Beautiful book on so many levels. The photography, the layout, the stories (just as tender and sweet as the desserts), and the recipes and the helpful suggestions are so easy to follow.

· My sister bought this book for me because we grew up near the bakery. Reading this book brought me back to that time in my life. The stories of the Brenner family were so heartwarming. I’ve had a chance to make the chocolate top cookies and the molasses cookies, and they both were exactly how I remembered them...Delicious! I also bought the book for a friend of mine who is opening a bakery. She is in love with the book too! Thank you Marcy and Kristin for this trip down memory lane.

· This bakery conjures happy memories of my life. Having access to the recipes of my childhood is golden. The stories told along with the recipes show a family business that not only brought joy to its customers, but to the workers and family that owned them. Such a wonderful tale of a family that loved baking and shared this gift with the citizens Northern Virginia. Recipes are easy to follow and delicious. Bringing me back to happy times as a child waiting in the bakery for the box of cookies and cakes to be tied with string.

· Before I even received this book I immediately went out to the store and bought certain things I anticipated needing to make the chocolate top cookies and the fruit bars. When I received the book I couldn’t put it down because I felt like a little girl again reading Marcy’s memories and relating to so much. Everything I’ve made so far tastes exactly like Brenner’s. The chocolate finesse (top) cookies, coconut chocolate chip, icebox cookies and I literally cried after I made the fruit bars, as they were my dad’s favorite! This is an amazing book & am forever thankful Marcy took the time to share great stories and the best baked goods EVER!

· A wonderful book with lots of family tales about the bakery and wonderful recipes that I’m so glad to have. I particularly enjoyed the parts about how the bakeries were run. It is also an ode to love to her father who sounds like he was a lovely person. The tips with the recipes are also invaluable. I picked it up and read a lot of it as soon as it arrived and enjoyed the tale along with the recipes. Being a native of Arlington, VA, it was also nostalgic for me to read along with her family tales. Brenner’s Bakery was an institution that we all very much enjoyed for many years.

· This book was a surprise to me from my daughter. Funny, but I was going to ask her to purchase it for me and I would re-pay her. I really wanted this book because my entire 78 years have been here in Alexandria, VA. How many times have I been in Brenner’s Bakery? Too many times to count. I LOVE this book as much as I loved Brenner’s Bakery. Soooo many wonderful memories of the bakery. I have already made the Oatmeal and Raisin cookies and will try many more recipes. Thank you for writing the book, the recipes for all the wonderful goodies of the bakery and the story of you and your family. My best to you always.

· What an interesting story of a wonderful family and such an incredible history! Thank you for sharing the Brenner family story. I found it touching and heartwarming and the bonus was a lot of great recipes!!

· The recipe I tried first is for oatmeal cookies. I found the directions easy to follow and exactly as described. Thanks for all the helpful tips as well. They came out perfectly! I cannot wait to try more!

· I’m not usually a fan of memoirs since I prefer fiction, but Marcy Brenner has told an engaging, memorable story of her family and their bakery. You will absolutely fall in love with her dad! The recipes sound delicious. They made this “baker” want to whip up a fresh loaf of sourdough, pumpernickel, or whole wheat. Brenner has taken great care to render her father’s huge commercial recipes for cakes, cookies, all kinds of breads, and deserts into recipes that can be used by the home cook. I highly recommend this book for both the story and the food!

· I purchased this for my parents who grew up near the Belle View bakery location in the 50s-70s. They absolutely were blown away that this book existed, the care in which it was written, and the recipes that evoked a host of memories - simply put - I hit this Christmas out of the park with this book! As a second-generation Brenner kid - I loved reading the history of the bakery where I also got donuts, cookies, and special occasion cakes whenever we visited my grandmother. Wonderful book, truly special!

· I loved this book as it was a sweet loving tribute to a father and his livelihood. I really enjoyed finding out the family history behind the bakery I frequented in Arlington. Including the recipes along with the family anecdotes was a perfect way to unfold the delicious story.

· I recommend this book for anyone that loves family stories and delicious treats!

· This book is the perfect recipe of warm memories and yummy treats. I was lucky enough to visit the bakery each Friday morning (for 5 years) to pick up my law firm’s standing order of 150 donuts!! You could just feel the love and history - and that transfers to this book!

· This is more than a cookbook. It’s a journey through a life of hot ovens, cracked pots and endless moments of sweetness and laughter. A divine celebration of a daughter’s love and a Baker’s story, this book will inspire anyone to rise.

· “A Baker’s Daughter” is half engaging family story and half enticing recipes, well honed over decades. The story takes place in Northern Virginia, which many folks equate as a transient area due to its proximity to Washington, DC, but is only partly true. Many folks here are born and bred, or spent the majority of their lives, in NoVa. For these folks, the mere mention of Brenner’s Bakery puts a big smile on their face. Brenner’s is a mashup of warm memories and delicious baked goods. But don’t let that stop you from buying the book if you’re not familiar with Brenner’s. It’s a heartwarming story and full of delicious recipes.