George MacDonald was a writer greatly admired by C.S. Lewis, and that is the sole reason I picked this book up at a used book sale sometime in the last five years. The premise of the story (the laird of a Scottish castle and his son struggle to make ends meet) didn’t particularly intrigue me. It’s certainly not a fast read – even though the version I had was an adapted version: the Scottish dialect was pared down and the book was shortened by a couple hundred pages. This book did not capture my heart quickly, but when it did, it captured it fully. Reading this book is a spiritual experience. MacDonald’s vision of God as a loving heavenly Father shines through clearly on each page. I found myself dog-earing corners so I could easily find certain sections again, and I never dog-ear corners! By the end of this book, my soul felt refreshed. There are not many books I can say that about. I can easily see why C.S. Lewis admired George MacDonald. I look forward to turning to him again in order to rejuvenate my soul.
 Meaning |
Natalie’s life is not going exactly as she planned. Her job is less than exciting, and her boyfriend of many years just decided he wants out of the relationship. Natalie’s best friend, Tom, devises a plan to cheer her up: each weekend, they would do something together, starting with each letter of the alphabet. He gets to pick the activity for A; she gets to pick for B; and so on, until they reach Z. Tom’s ulterior motive, however, is to turn his friendship with Natalie into much more. Interwoven with the story of Natalie and Tom are the stories of the families around them. Natalie’s parents and Tom’s brother and sister-in-law feature in their own dramas. Each story line shows people struggling to find love and the meaning in the love they’ve found.
The idea of the alphabet weekends is what drew me to this book, and what kept me there. It’s so intriguing, in fact, that I’m considering making my own list of alphabet activities (let’s see . . . R is for reading. . .). The characters of Natalie and Tom were fun to get to know. This is a good chick-flick, escapist sort of novel. Not terribly deep (although there were certainly serious moments), but a fun read with some enjoyable characters. And some alphabetical inspiration.
The idea of the alphabet weekends is what drew me to this book, and what kept me there. It’s so intriguing, in fact, that I’m considering making my own list of alphabet activities (let’s see . . . R is for reading. . .). The characters of Natalie and Tom were fun to get to know. This is a good chick-flick, escapist sort of novel. Not terribly deep (although there were certainly serious moments), but a fun read with some enjoyable characters. And some alphabetical inspiration.
 Characters |
This novel takes place eight years after Big Stone Gap, the first in the series, but the characters you know and love are still the same. Ave Maria and Jack are married, although that doesn’t always go as well as Ave Maria was hoping for. They’ve been through some rough times over the years, and that is starting to take its toll on their marriage. Big Cherry Holler is the story of a marriage in trouble (and hopefully without spoiling too much, it’s exactly the sort of story I was looking for in this Smiling Shelves Soapbox post). Trigiani’s characters shine through like always. She chronicles Ave Maria’s thoughts remarkably and honestly well. This is a fun book, but not a fluffy book. There are struggles and truth in here as well, and Adriana Trigiani brings it all to life.
 Voice |
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