This one was a fast read. I appreciate its heroine for her tender heart, especially in contrast to the heroine of Song of the Lark. There are similarities between Sara Smolinsky and Thea Kronborg, for sure, but Thea seems to lose her personhood as she seeks her dream, while Sara grows into her personhood as she seeks her dream. Bread Givers contained the feeling that, for me, was missing in Song of the Lark, as well as the more complex (and less perfectly nice) characters that make for more engaging reading.

As a sidenote, this edition has like 3 typos in it, which surprised and annoyed me.