By: Sharon J. Mondragón
Jean's copy, paperback, 247 pages (including acknowledgements and a recipe)
Published: 2025
Genre: Christian realistic fiction
I was so ready for a "lighter" book and this one fit the bill! I've been on library waiting lists for a month, but I did find a pdf of the first few chapters online. Thankfully, a book club friend finished early enough to give me her copy in church yesterday. I purposely didn't take a sub job so I could finish it before book club tonight!
Grandma Ruth's health doesn't allow her to attend funerals any more, so she sends her granddaughter Sarah Elizabeth in her stead. The Southern charm is strong in this book and I loved the mystery of what exactly P.B. Harrington meant on his death bed. (We get the answer on the second to last page of the story!)
I'm surprised I stuck so many post-its in, since it's a pretty lightweight book. I think I just enjoyed it so darn much!
Page 27: "The macaroni and cheese casserole had been polished off long ago, but I didn't swing by the kitchen to take the dish home. Under Patti Sue's supervision, it was undoubtedly already washed, dried, and sitting on a counter, but I was under strict instructions from Grandma Ruth to retrieve the casserole dish one week after the reception, so as to visit with (read that check on) the bereaved."
Grandma Ruth was a wise old gal. She had Sarah trained well!
Page 31: "Grandma Ruth fixed me with a stare that told me I was indulging in wild speculation that bordered on disrespect. It was just a look, but it had all those words in it."
I love when people have a "look" that communicates so much more than words!
Page 47: "But as I looked into those kind eyes, something stirred, as if hope had caught its breath. I took a moment to clear the lump of gratitude from my throat before I went back into the parlor."
This is one of my favorite parts of the book! Doc Milford's words of encouragement were what she needed after having had such a bad experience with Jake. (I groaned when she was tempted by Jake coming back into her life and trying to sweet talk her back.) The image of "as if hope had caught its breath" really struck me. Hope is powerful!
Page 48: "I know most people my age keep their lives on their phones, but I like paper, section tabs, and fancy writing implements."
Me, too! I love office supplies.
Page 55: "She's been nitpicky about everything to do with words since high school, which explains why she has taken so well to working in a law office. I'm a numbers girl and could care less. Or is it couldn't care less? Never mind - you know what I mean."
This just made me giggle. I'm more of a words person than a number person, but I love this little aside.
Page 99: "During our final confrontation, the one in which I threw the engagement ring at him across the room, he told me that the situation was all my fault. He would never have taken up with Buffy if I had just given in.
He said calling off the wedding was a lucky escape for him, as I was probably frigid, anyway. It was as if he never realized just how warm my heart and all the rest of me was toward him, how my blood roared in my ears when he touched me, or how many times the only thing that kept me from going over the brink was the mental image of Grandma Ruth's piercing blue eyes."
He was such an awful creep! I understand her desire and temptation, but am SO glad that it was drilled in to her to not have sex before marriage. She experienced heartache, but not to the degree she would have had she "given in" to him.
Page 122: "I hated having to read between the lines, with all the suspicion and second-guessing that went with it."
She goes on, but my patience ran out. Stop jumping to conclusions!
Page 127: "Then, I cried and cried and felt that God was too big. Too big to care about me. My broken heart was a mere drop in the bucket of the vast suffering in the world."
God being too big . . . her grandma means it in a way that was meant to encourage Sarah to trust Him, not to make her think He was too big to care about her.
Page 161: "'I do not gossip, Sarah Elizabeth, nor do I pass gossip,' Grandma Ruth said through tight lips.
'Of course not,' I said. 'You gather information.'
'That's right, young lady, and don't you forget it.'"
The whole focus on gossip / not gossiping got a little old . . . according to the Bible, gossip is sin. Period.
Page 174: "Remember, 'if your lips you would keep from slips, five things regard with care -'
"I know, I know. 'Of whom you speak, to whom you speak, and how and when and where.'"
When Sarah's mom starts the saying and Sarah finishes it, I love that they have that common knowledge / teaching. That's a good way to raise kids - with sayings that help them learn the right way to live and speak.
Page 181: "It was bad enough that his credit cards were maxed out and it looked like I'd have to pick up the check. But he also didn't know which of his cards he'd maxed out. That says he doesn't pay attention to his money and probably lives beyond his means. So, it doesn't matter if he comes into an inheritance or not. It'll be gone in no time, and he'll have no idea where it went."
Ugh. People like this baffle me. Don't spend money you don't have. Don't live beyond your means. I love that Meredith saw this right away on a first date!
Page 226: "Yes, I know I told Miss Charlotte she looked lovely when she really looked like something the cat dragged in, but that's different. Completely, bless-your-heart different."
Lying is lying, Sarah. But the Southern "bless your heart" reference clarifies it.
I enjoyed the book and have even requested another title by this author. The recipe in the back was for the "famous" macaroni and cheese dish. I was kind of hoping it would be for the lemon bars . . . It will be fun to talk about this at book club tonight. I'm so glad I had the chance to finish it!
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