BOOK REVIEW: Sourdough

Sourdough by Robin Sloan
Audiobook narrated by Thérèse Plummer

So, Robin Sloan’s other book, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, has been on my TBR for about 2 years now, and I still haven’t gotten around to reading it. But, when I saw his new book, Sourdough, on Scribd and I knew I had to listen to it ASAP, and I’m so glad I did! This book tells the story of Lois Clary, a new-ish resident of the Bay Area in Northern California. She works at tech company that programs mechanical arms to do everyday tasks, and in the beginning, Lois becomes addicted to the food from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant run by two Mazg  brothers. When they leave due to visa issues, they leave their “#1 Eater” with their live sourdough starter. As the book progresses, Lois learns how to make bread and shares it with the people around her, later getting involved with a Farmers Market of sorts. Sourdough is a perfect blend of mundane normalcy and futuristic technology.

What I Did Like:

• The narration was great. Thérèse Plummer made the characters realistic and her enthusiastic voice helped add to the layers of wonder and excitement that are at the core of the book.
  • I think this book is definitely one of my most enjoyed listens!
• This book is good at keeping you on your toes. I had no idea what was going to happen next for most of the book and I really enjoyed it.
• The subject matter was really interesting! Between live sourdough starters and giant robotic arms, I can definitely say I learned more than I do with one of my usual books.
• It wasn’t a super long listen. (I guess this could technically be a negative for some people.) I think it’s nice to have an audiobook be less than 7 hours once in a while.

What I Didn’t Like:

• Not a whole lot happens in the plot, i.e. there are very few big plot twists. Even with that being said, I was still thoroughly hooked for the duration of this book.

Recap:

Overall, this book is filled with the exact right amounts of wonder, futuristic tech, bizarre sourdough starter, Masg culture, and the awe of it all blended together. I’m so glad I picked this audiobook up, and I can’t wait to read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. I recommend reading this book if you like bread, weird tech, or want to read something out of your usual vein.

4/5 stars

xoxo, Bree