by Amanda Cox
Scott County Library paperback 313 pages
Published: 2021
Genre: Christian historical fiction
Back cover blurb: "Present Day. After tragedy plunges her into
grief and unresolved anger, Sarah Ashby returns to her childhood home
determined to finally follow her long-denied dream of running Old Depot
Grocery alongside her mother and grandmother. But when she arrives, her
mother, Rosemary, announces to her that the store is closing. Sarah and
her grandmother, Glory Ann, make a pact to save the store, but Rosemary
has worked her entire life to make sure her daughter never follows in
her footsteps. She has her reasons--but she'll certainly never reveal
the real one.
1965. Glory Ann confesses to her family that she's
pregnant with her deceased fiancé's baby. Pressured into a marriage of
convenience with a shopkeeper to preserve the family reputation, Glory
Ann vows never to love again. But some promises are not as easily kept
as she imagined.
This dual-timeline story from Amanda Cox deftly
explores the complexity of a mother-daughter dynamic, the way the
secrets we keep shape our lives and the lives of others, and the healing
power of telling the truth."
I liked this book, but didn't love it. It kept me engaged as a reader to find out how the characters resolve their stories. Glory Ann, Sarah, and Clay were my favorite characters. We'll discuss this at book club tomorrow night (5/22/2023).
Page 51: "Most wouldn't consider him classically handsome, but she had witnessed firsthand the selfless way he loved, and he'd become so incredibly beautiful to her."
This is referring to Clarence and Glory Ann. Some people don't like referring to males as "beautiful," but I think it fits so well. Clarence was a beautiful human being - gentle, honest, loving, loyal. He was such a good man! (So what that he wasn't really good looking.)
Page 51: "'Then what do we have to fear? Tell me what troubles you. It's the things we don't say that have the power to rule our lives without our permission.'"
Clarence, again, being wise and compassionate as he talks to Glory Ann. Expressing our fears and concerns can be a powerful first step toward resolving them.
Page 109: "Glory Ann offered up a quick prayer for Mable as she straightened the newspaper stack. She didn't mind the idea of growing older one bit. It was a privilege to see this much life. But the thought of losing her memories? That was a beast she couldn't fathom facing."
I value being able to remember and think. My mom's dementia really took a toll on her, especially as she knew she was losing the ability to think clearly and remember. I agree with Glory Ann here!
Page 121: 'Maybe you and Aaron both made mistakes you can't undo, but you still have breath in your lungs and life to live. You have the chance for that fresh start you're craving. And you don't have to feel guilty about that. I've learned the hard way that punishing yourself doesn't help anyone.'"
Here Clay is giving life advice to Sarah. It was the idea of "punishing yourself" that caught my attention. I think we can be incredibly hard on ourselves sometimes. Grace is grace, and we all need it.
Page 125: "'The Good Book has a lot to say about giving. And about avoiding the bread of a selfish man. Old Depot Grocery isn't the selfish man of Proverbs. We don't give and lord it over people, forcing them to vomit it out for all to see what we gave them. We don't give store credit with the perspective of a lender. We give. And if it so happens they repay, we count it a blessing. I give carefully, Rosemary, as I can afford to do so. It might mean less lining my pockets, but my heart is fuller for it.'"
Clarence (in the past) taught Glory Ann so much by his words and actions about what it meant to follow Jesus!
Page 156: "Her grandparents were old and bent. Their expressions perpetually a bit resigned. Not at all how she'd pictured them based on Mom's sparse descriptions. Of how rigid and unyielding they were. Maybe that was true at one point, but now it appeared the years had not been kind. Or perhaps it was they who had not been kind to the years."
I disliked Glory Ann's mom and dad from the get-go. And the more I learned about them, the more I disliked them. They had some valid concerns, but did NOT deal with hard issues in a loving, Christ-like manner. They were awful! (The passage is from adult Rosemary going to visit them.)
Page 162: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
I have heard this prayer before, but it truly is a beautiful one. Reading it made me want to linger over the words, pray it, and savor it. Glory Ann is praying this as she ponders the future after Clarence has been murdered by a robber at the store.
Page 179: Rosemary finds a letter addressed to her mother and opens it! It's from a man named Jimmy and she is horrified by what she assumes the letter means. So she hides it from her mother. Ugh! I hate this! Secrets and misunderstandings are the basis of this book, but the cost of heartbreak is too high!
Page 189: "Call me anytime you are tempted to freak out about bringing a new life into this crazy ol' world. I've got your back."
Libby is such a delightful character. She is just the kind of person Sarah needed to reconnect with as her life changes dramatically. I like that Rosemary had Connie (?) the travel agent friend and Glory Ann had her friends (the poker and prayer group).
Page 210: "'Because you are drawn to the way the stories of the past help you make sense of the present.'"
Clay is observant and sees Sarah's love of memoirs, reality shows, etc. She is a very story-driven person.
Page 261: "I had been a good person who just wanted to make the world a better place, but I'd become so tainted by darkness I couldn't feel the warmth of the sun anymore. And while I was praying, it was like this calm came over me. Even though it was dead silent during that dark night, it was like I heard the words, 'It's not too late.'"
Jimmy sharing his life and what Vietnam did to him . . . powerful.
Page 295: "Thought I'd get a spanking for sure when I told them I did it on purpose, but they prayed with me instead and told me about the importance of confessing and repenting for the wrong I'd done."
(Adult Jessamine telling adult Rosemary that she had found BOTH their parents gluing together the little ceramic dog that had been given to Rosemary as a child.)
How could Clarence and Glory Ann have been so thoughtful and thorough with teaching Jessie life's important lessons (helping her to become a happy, healthy adult) and have missed the mark so much with Rosemary? I honestly didn't like Rosemary very much as a character. She spends her entire adult life playing the role of miserable martyr, which doesn't help anyone!
Page 296: "Live, Rosemary. Do the things you want to do. That can mean staying here in Brighton and never leaving. Or it can mean seeing the whole world. Living is about seeing past the challenges and not letting fear or false guilt be the decider for your life. Listen to the passions in your heart that your Creator put there. Maybe it's to stay. Maybe it's to go. Just listen for once instead of coming up wiht a list of reasons why you can't."
You tell her, Jessie!
Page 312: The wedding. The misleading info. Duh. Why?
Faves: Most of the men, but especially Clay. Jimmy. Sarah's resolve to do things differently. Glory Ann's attitude.
Least Fave: Rosemary. Glory Ann's parents. The lame ending.
No comments:
Post a Comment