Cursed Bread

Paperback Published on: 11/01/2024
Price: £9.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Cursed Bread
Intoxicating Prose From A Master Stylist
Mackintosh takes as her source material the 1951 mass poisoning of a small French town, in which over 250 people were driven to madness or death. It is to ... READ MORE
Steve at Islington
Cursed Bread
Another darkly-sensuous tale from the author of The Water Cure
In a small French town shortly following the second world war, Elodie, the baker's wife, finds herself lonely and desperate to feel alive, to feel passion ... READ MORE
Martha - Trafford
Cursed Bread
A complete whirlwind!
This book was a whirlwind 184 pages. It felt like a fever dream. We follow a woman called Elodie who is reminiscing on a poignant moment in her life (based... READ MORE
IndiaReadsALot
Cursed Bread
A fascinating account of a woman's sexual obsession
More than the poisoning, the capturing element of this novel is the main character Elodie's obsessive behaviour and longing for a life that wasn't her own.... READ MORE
Toni
Cursed Bread
A darkly strange intoxication
Cursed Bread takes a real incident of mass-poisoning and builds a story of sex, repression, and obsession around it. Mackintosh tells her story through the... READ MORE
D Franklin (Glasgow Argyle St)
Cursed Bread
A bit of fact, a bit of titillation: an abundance of quality.
Did you watch 'The Last of Us' and at some point think, 'hmm, the origin of this profound disaster seems terrifying plausible'? Well, allow me to partiall... READ MORE
Louie
Cursed Bread
Atmospheric, complex, and haunting
A fictional take on the 1951 mass poisoning of Pon Saint Espirit, a small French village, this novel is an atmospheric, complex, and haunting read. Elodie'... READ MORE
Rebecca at Tunbridge Wells

Synopsis

From the Booker Prize-nominated author of The Water Cure comes a chilling new feminist fable based on the true story of an unsolved mystery.

Audacious and mesmerising, Cursed Bread is a darkly erotic tale of a town gripped by madness, envy like poison in the blood, and desire that burns and consumes. Elodie is the baker's wife: plain, unremarkable and unappreciated, she is desperate to escape her dull, small-town life. One day a charismatic new couple appear in the neighbourhood and Elodie quickly falls under their spell.

All summer long she stalks them through the shining streets: inviting herself into their home, eavesdropping on their conversations, longing to possess them.

Meanwhile, beneath the tranquil surface of daily life, strange things are happening. The animals expire in the fields for no reason. Ghosts are sighted after dark. A dark intoxication is spreading through the town, and when Elodie finally understands her role in it, it will be too late to stop.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241993903
  • Number of pages: 192
  • Dimensions: 197 x 128 x 12 mm
  • Weight: 142g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Cursed Bread
Le Pain Maudit
Sophie Mackintosh’s debut “The Water Cure” used a feminist dystopian treatment of toxic masculinity taken to its literal conclusion, as the starting point ... READ MORE
Graham Fulcher
Cursed Bread
not my style
Cursed bread was my first Sophie Mackintosh book. I want to give this author another go because I was lost in a fog of words while reading this one
june.reads
Cursed Bread
Not for me unfortunately
the writing in this book is phenomenal and captivating, when i'd pick it up i'd just want to read it all. however, the plot was lost on me if I'm being hon... READ MORE
Izzy
Cursed Bread
Good if you like to read in a fever dream
I read this as part of my Women's Prize for Fiction longlist challenge and I have to say it's one of my least favourites on the list (I've read 11 out of t... READ MORE
Alison
Cursed Bread
Could be so much better.
Such great source material - the real and unexplained mass poisoning in a small French town in 1951 - reimagined in this novel, should make for a great boo... READ MORE
Andrew Hammond
Cursed Bread
Women's Prize for Fiction Longlisted
Thank you to the publishers for this review copy, this hit my radar as soon as the Women's Prize for fiction longlist was announced. The story is gripping ... READ MORE
Fiona Sharp
Cursed Bread
Recommended
This book made me think of some Middle Age chronicles that talk about what happened when people ate food mixed with ergot. It's a strange story but it's al... READ MORE
AMG
Cursed Bread
Can I give it more stars please?
Fantastic book. Enough mystery to engage you but not so much you gent entangled with it. I imagine fans of “Chocolat” by Joanne Harris might enjoy this. I’... READ MORE
Natalie  Stoakes