Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise

Bright's Pond #2

by Joyce Magnin

Newly widowed Charlotte Figg purchases a double-wide trailer sight unseen and moves to the Paradise Trailer Park with her dog Lucky. Unfortunately, neither the trailer nor Paradise are what Charlotte expected. Her trailer is a ramshackle old place in need of major repair, and the people of Paradise are harboring more secrets than Bayer has aspirin. Charlotte’s new friend Rose Tattoo learns that Charlotte played softball and convinces her to rally the women of Paradise into a team. Reluctant at first, Charlotte warms to the notion and is soon coaching the Paradise Angels. Meanwhile, Charlotte discovers that the manager of Paradise, Fergus Wrinkel, abuses his wife Suzy. Charlotte sets out to find a way to save Suzy from Fergus and in the process comes to a difficult realization about her own painful marriage.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Chick Lit, Mystery, Humor, Contemporary

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Um, I like cross stitch, baseball, my children and grandkids, but not elevators or laundry. I've been known to run from mayonnaise and I play RPG video games. I don't have a favorite author although I read a lot.

Reviews

[Melissa Mcginnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as free Kindle download a long time ago. Started today and finished in a few hours (never even got around to marking it "currently reading" on my Goodreads bookshelf).

Like other reviewers have said, Magnin knows how to spin a yarn. She has a definite control over language. I personally found the story intriguing, which is why I downloaded it. I found it to be an easy read but fun, and also inspiring. Charlotte Figg and her motley crew remind me of people I actually know in real life (maybe I know a bunch of odd people too lol), and they way they come through for each other is uplifting. I really enjoyed this book and will happily recommend it to others, even though I'm not much for softball. I do like fuzzy mutts quite a bit. :)

I found the last few pages (not part of the story) a little odd, but no big deal. I also found the ending slightly predictable but not unsatisfying; I saw it coming but it was OK by me. :D

What I do find somewhat strange (and frankly, irritating at times) is how other reviewers talked about the "hidden agenda" or the "overtones" of faith, God, and Christianity. If anyone bothered to read the first pages of the book they would see that Abingdon Press publishes faith-based books. One reviewer mentioned it wasn't as faith-heavy as a book published by Bethany House or Thomas Nelson, which are both Christian publishers as well. I personally don't get that. If you get a book from a Christian publisher don't be shocked or angry if it has Christ in it. Kinda like going to a dinner at a steakhouse snd being shocked to find meat. Just my 2¢.

Seriously, though, it's a good read, and I will be checking out more Bright Pond stories.

[Shari Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newly widowed Charlotte Figg purchases double wide trailer, sight unseen, in the Paradise Trailer Park. The trailer is not what she expected though, it's run down and needs a lot of repairs, and was nothing like the picture in the ad, but she is stuck with it. She meets her neighbors, a quirky set of characters but they help her to get settled in Paradise and become her closest friends. When her new friend Rose finds out she was a former softball champ, she persuades Charlotte to start a ladies softball team for the women of Paradise.

There is a lot of humor in this book, but it deals with serious issues as well, including domestic abuse. In dealing with her new friends and their problems, Charlotte goes from being a frumpy housewife to a woman with courage and strength. The author's writing style reminds me a lot of Fannie Flagg's; and if you enjoy her books, you will like this author too. This book has real heart, and I liked how the author was able to show the sense of humor some of the characters had of their physical disabilities, without making fun of them. I am also drawn to stories about people who are considered to be "outsiders", because I have often felt like an outsider myself throughout my life.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Charlotte’s domineering husband drops dead with a heart attack, Charlotte doesn’t know which way to turn. When she reads an advertisement, Charlotte buys a doublewide trailer, sight unseen, and moves to Paradise Trailer Park. Her rosy view of a trailer park crashes to the ground when she pulls up to her purchase that is far less than advertised. Another resident, Rose Tattoo, conveniences her to stay, and together they pull the residents together and form a softball team. There she finds her old self, long ago crushed under the abusive hand of her husband. Charlotte deals with her grief, her fear, and her mother, along with a colorful cast of unusual neighbors.

This story is laugh out-loud funny with the descriptions of Charlotte’s life, her choices, and the other residents at Paradise. It also pulls at your heart as the story touches on spouse abuse, and Charlotte’s search for the Lord. Though this book can be enjoyed by anyone, mature readers will be able to appreciate Charlotte’s struggle to grow after her husband’s death. I recommend this to anyone who has lived long enough to understand that life is a series of changes, and not for the faint of heart.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was the first in a series but in closer inspection it seems like it's the second but the first follow another protagonist but the characters are in the other books. Like that concept. This grabbed me from the beginning and this took a while to read and before I started to document it on Goodreads. I loved the characters, the plot was very entertaining and engaging to read and I'll definitely continue on with the series. The only reason it didn't get full 5 stars from me is that by the end I kinda lost my reading steam with this one but it was just probably a me thing. 4.5 stars

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlotte recently widowed, decided she needed a change in her life. After her husband suddenly passes away. She sells the house and most of her belongings and makes a big move to a trailer house in Paradise, a trailer park.

The story takes the reader on a journey of meeting new people, opening up and not trying to hid in your past hurts.

She organizes a women's softball team and gets the whole community in the trailer park involved. All this much to her mother's negative thinking.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts out fast and holds your attention until the last page, Joyce Magnin is a new to me author, with a writing style that reminds me of Fannie Flagg, its a story of a lady really becoming the person she was meant to be, all it took was the death of her husband, and a move to a trailer park!

Charlotte Figg's husband Herman was the top Fuller brush salesman in his area, basically a unhappy man, Charlotte seemed oppressed by him, but a few pages in he drops dead in the kitchen floor, and even though Charlotte doesn't realize it yet her life is about to change for the better.

When Charlotte finds a life insurance policy in the bottom of Herman's salesman's bag, she knows at least she wont have to worry about money for a while. One of the first changes Charlotte makes is allowing a stray dog, whom she calls Lucky into her life. When Lucky steals the neighbors mail, Charlotte starts looking thru one of their magazines called Road Tripper, a RV magazine. When she comes across an ad that says nice looking double wide for sale with the contact person being Fergus Wrinkel at Paradise Trailer Park, she gets a bit of wanderlust, the picture included in the ad shows an eye catching trailer with wide window and awnings hanging with pots of pink and purple verbena. So she calls and purchases the trailer site unseen. So after selling her home, she heads for Paradise, where she is shocked at what she finds, instead of the pretty trailer in the ad she has purchased a run down mobile home that has racoons living inside it, when she complains to Mr. Wrinkel he informs her she is stuck with the trailer. Charlotte feels like such a fool, but soon she meets some people from the trailer park and they assure her that they will help her get her trailer fixed up.

She meets a quirky bunch of people at the trailer park from Rose Tattoo, to Ginger Rodgers, the trailer park residents each have their own issues. When Rose realizes that Charlotte used to play softball, she convinces Charlotte that they should get a team going in the trailer park. While everyone at the park suspicions that Mr Wrinkel his hiding something, Charlotte believes he is abusing his wife Suzie. When Charlotte encourages Suzie to leave Fergus, she realizes it wont be an easy thing to do, and when Fergus threatens Charlotte will she back off or will she continue to try and help Suzie?

Taking a trip to Paradise with Charlotte was a real adventure. The trailer park was filled with such a cast of characters, and Charlotte fit in perfectly. After the death of her husband, whom she was married to for 26 years, she was able to start living her life the way she wanted, and even though she sometimes made mistakes it seemed as if she had friends that were there to help her, and friends was something she never really had while Herman was alive. This story had some very humorous moments, but also some very serious ones as well, the one thing that Charlotte tended to do when she was upset or worried was bake pies. I really enjoyed the way the author allowed Charlotte to grow from a frumpy oppressed housewife into a lady with courage strength and a sense of who God wants her to be.

The author does an amazing job weaving this story in a way that allows the characters to capture your heart, I felt like I was visiting old friends while reading this book.

If you enjoy a story with a quirky cast of characters, that deals with a few tough topics then pick up this book, you wont regret it.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me a review copy of this book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a roller coaster of emotion. Humor, loss, kindness, anger & love all wrapped up in an inspiring and uplifting little package.

Charlotte Figg was at a crossroads after her husband suddenly died. She decided to make a change and move, start a new life in a new place, with new people. As Charlotte's story unfolds she is hit with one stumbling block after another and must learn to stand tall and work though the problems she faces on her own. Even though she doesn't realize it at first, she is being used by God to heal her own life and to play a part in healing many others. Charlotte finds herself right in the middle of what some think should be a trailer park full of ex-circus workers. There is Asa, the one armed man, Ginger, the little person, Rose the tattooed woman, Hazel, the old, crazy lady and too many more to list. The story does revolve a lot around domestic violence and the ways people must come to terms with it.

The story is laugh out loud funny in places, tears streaming down you face sad in others and has some very profound thoughts too. My favorite one of all being when Charlotte is at Rose's house and they are standing in front of a large sculpture of a hand in Rose's yard and Charlotte is questioning the reason for the hand. Rose says, "Bible says that God has his eye on every Sparrow. Not one falls without his knowledge. That every hair on your head is counted, that he calls each star by name". Rose states that this is a physical reminder of that passage.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newly widowed Charlotte Figg purchases a double-wide trailer sight unseen and moves to the Paradise Trailer Park with her dog, Lucky. Unfortunately, neither the trailer nor Paradise are what Charlotte expected. Her trailer is a ramshackle old place in need of major repair, and the people of Paradise are harboring more secrets than Bayer has aspirin. Charlotte’s new friend Rose Tattoo learns that Charlotte played softball and convinces her to rally the women of Paradise into a team. Reluctant at first, Charlotte warms to the notion and is soon coaching the Paradise Angels. Meanwhile, Charlotte discovers that the manager of Paradise, Fergus Wrinkel, abuses his wife, Suzy. Charlotte sets out to find a way to save Suzy from Fergus and in the process comes to a difficult realization about her own painful marriage.

This was a free Kindle download and after I finished it, I realized that it is part of a series called Bright's Pond and this is the 2nd book in the series. The first one is Agnes Sparrow, which I also have on my free Kindle downloads, but haven't read yet. There are 2 more books in the series now, so after I read Agnes Sparrow, I will hunt out the other 2 books.

I liked this book, very quirky characters, a run down trailer park, and Charlotte is a pie baker, as I am, so I enjoyed the pie parts - cherry with walnut crumb crust sounded really good.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

First the book is a fun book. But it is also a serious book about domestic abuse and the damage done to a soul when it is physically and emotionally abused.

There is humor, from the names of characters to the situations involved. A softball team is created with some very unusual talented players. And though the team and the game of softball are important to the plot, this is not a sports story. It is a story of overcoming difficult times and dealing with situations and people that are harmful to the world.

But, at the same time there is an underlying theme of faith providing strength and the peace to deal with what comes in life. People who are not what is considered normal are the characters who are appealing and most interesting.

I would like to read more about the residents of Paradise. In fact, I would have liked this book more if there would have been a little bit more closure when it comes to relationships and outcomes.

All in all I would recommend the book to anyone who likes their fellow man. It held my attention and kept me reading to find out what happens.

[Rayni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Joyce Magnin's style of writing, reminds me of Fannie Flagg. One of the best lines of the whole book is when Charlotte & 3 of her friends go out to dinner.

Now, I would never say this to anyone ... I felt a little like the nurse taking the patients out of the asylum ...

One of the drawbacks of Kindle is I can't pick it up & riffle through the pages to find that line. But I did it anyway & found it 82% of the way through the book. I kept trying to find a stopping place, but I had read past the point of no return. I HAD to find out what happened.

[Judy King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I need these lighter books to space out the others - and I did learn to care about these folks in the paradise trailer park -- I liked the book -- it wasn't grand or fabulous, but a good solid light-type read.

[NancyL Luckey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little too religious but relaxing

Good light reading with plenty of quirky characters. Read it between deeper books when your brain needs a break. I did.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I will say that I enjoy books with strong female protagonists and this book most definitely had that in Charlotte. However, there were too many quite unlikely coincidences for me to give this book any higher than a 3 star rating. That said, it was quite readable and I did find myself cheering on Charlotte and the other characters who populated the book. In short, as the book opens, Charlotte's husband, Fuller Brush salesman Herman Figg has suddenly died. He had been a domineering man who mostly wanted Charlotte to stay at home, clean, and bake pies, which she had done. Thus Charlotte, childless and really only having one friend and possessing almost no skills with which to navigate the world on her own at the age of fifty-one had a lot of learning to do very quickly. At least she found a life insurance policy at the bottom of Herman's beloved Fuller Brush sample case, which gave her the money necessary to bury Herman and left her with a bit of income. Soon enough, a motley dog, whom Charlotte named Lucky "adopted" her and presented her with a neighbor's mail which included an RV magazine. While flipping through the magazine, Charlotte saw an ad for a lovely looking double-wide trailor. Charlotte, feeling that she could no longer live in her home, which still smelled of Herman, bought the trailor sight unseen. Of course, the trailor she bought was not in fact the one in the picture and was a run down piece of junk. However, soon there were neighbors who were helping her fix up the trailor and providing Charlotte with the friendship and camaraderie that she sorely needed. The trailor park included a motley crew of characters and Charlotte did soon become a kind of champion. We find that Charlotte's marraige had actually been a sad and troubled one and while one part of Charlotte still grieved for herman another side was finally free and able to become the person she probably was really meant to be. This was a quick, easy read and was for the most part engaging but there were too many quite unlikely coincidences for me.

[Tabi34 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun little read. I had some issues with it, but I'll get to those in a moment. Charlotte Figg's husband Herman dies and she buys a trailer in Paradise, from an ad in a magazine. She was married for 26 years and Herman made all of the decisions and well, she was in need of some practice - she was the victim of a bait and switch. The trailer is a disaster, but she and her dog Lucky move stay after meeting some of the people of Paradise.

It seems the trailer park is in a rut or scared and it takes a new arrival to shake things up and shake, rattle and stir the pot Charlotte does. She organizes a women's softball team. She befriends everyone and convinces people to stop hiding. There are many many secrets in Paradise.

This is a Christian novel with a lot of "preaching" woven in. So if hearing about Jesus and church isn't your thing, you might not like this book, but the story is good and the message is better.

I had a few problems with the story; the first being the time period. I originally thought it was set in the present, but then realized it wasn't, but I tried to figure out the time period and finally have it narrowed down to the early 70s. I had to doing some figurin' to come to that conclusion. Sometimes, I felt that the Christian references were too structured, almost as if they were put in but then not refined. People just don't speak like pamphlets - at least not in Paradise. It almost made them sound, mentally challenged at time. I think the author was trying to hammer home those points, but she didn't need too. Most people who will read this won't need the message hammered home and those who are non-believers aren't going to want it beaten in.

I enjoyed the book. It was fun and the characters were likable. I hope Magnin writes another Charlotte Figg book.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fast-paced and full of quirky characters. So much of the plot is totally implausible, but I loved it. I am looking forward to reading more from the Bright's Pond series. In this offering, Charlotte unexpectedly finds herself a widow at the age of 58. She does her duty to see that he has a proper funeral and burial; but honestly, she is ready to move on. Charlotte sells her home, buys a cute little double wide mobile home off the internet, packs up her belongings and moves to Paradise Trailer Park. The home isn't esactly like the picture on the website. Well, to tell the truth, it's not even close. It's a run-down, leaky. mint-green metal monstrosity. It would be so easy to admit defeat and move on. Instead, Charlotte, with the help of some newly-found friends turns her new metal home into something liveable and turns her new life into an adventure and along the way she puts some wheels into motion to bring the community together. Her supporting cast of characters include a one-armed man, a midget, a tatooed lady, a lady who wears hats all the time and collects bird feeders, and the shy, secretive wife of the man who is believed to own the trailer park. Oh, and then there is the huge cement hand that is planted, palm up in Rose Tatoo's front yard where everyone goes to pray when things need straightening out. I enjoyed my visit to Paradise Trailer Park and look forward to meeting more of the characters in Bright's Pond when I begin Griselda Takes Flight.

[Katherine Coble · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again Abingdon Press tries to sneak a little Jesus into the Frito Pie. This is yet another freebie for the Amazon Kindle that mentions nothing about faith, Christianity or religion. Then again, it also doesn't mention the man-hate. Cutesy and cloying, with too many eccentric-for-eccentricity's sake characters, this book is set in a trailer park in the 1970s, where all but one and a half of the male characters over 11 years of age are either violent charlatans or hickish rubes. In a few cases they're actually both. The book's main theme seems to be about women finding their inner strength; unfortunately they must do so because every man in the world (except Jesus) is awful. And we hear a lot about Jesus in this book. Granted, it's not as over-the-top preachy as books from Bethany House or Thomas Nelson tend to be, but for something that doesn't even mention God, there's an awful lot of religion slapping you about the face and head.

[Mae R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew that a book about forming a trailer park softball team could be so engrossing!! "Charlotte figg takes over paradise" is a legitmately fun and heart warming book. The characters, though quirky, are well fleshed out and it's very easy to become attached to them and I often found myself empathizing with them in their sorrows, rooting for them in their struggles, and being genuinely pleased when things worked out in their strange ways. For this is definitely a book which shows that while things may not always work out the way you planned, with faith and determjnatioj, they will work out. Though the main character isn't much of a church goer, there are Christian themes to the book (see the bit about twig and determination), the book never becomes preachy, suggesting instead that there are many roads to the Lord and many ways of expressing your religion, no one being better than the other. All in all, an enjoyable and amusing read, and a definite gem of the kindle free list.

[Mary Vernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely picked this one based on the cover/picture (colorful, quirky), the name (again, colorful, quirky) and the fact that it was FREE to download on Kindle (thanks to inkmesh.com and my good friend, Anna, who introduced me to the site). OK, so it's free, and I'm about 31% through the book (I'm starting to think about everything in percentages now... thanks, Kindle!). Having said that, it's not bad so far. Time will tell. I think I know where the story is going... but it's a enjoyable ride. I think it will end up having a good message, and I agree with many reviewers of this book so far in that it is a little Fannie Flagg-ish. So if you're a Fannie Fan, you'll probably enjoy it.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend like Charlotte would be fantastic, I wish I knew someone like her! Watching her become stronger, standing up for herself and for her friends, was inspiring. There were touches of religion, but I never felt I was being preached at. If you need a lot of action this is probably not the book for you, but I enjoyed this book very much. Very nice book, I would recommend it.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the kindle edition free on Amazon. Most religious fiction is a too heavy on the religion for me, but this one was just right. The story was really entertaining, although I found the ending to be rushed and unfulfilling.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun book. Great characters and the writing was good. The end was a little abrupt, but good. I would read this author again.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS

[Vannetta Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Joyce Magnin book, and I enjoyed it very much.
Quirky characters who made me smile ...
Well done!

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciated how the author was able to create a nice story without the ever-present romance in so many reads; but for me this book focused on women's abuse and disabilities way too much that left me longing for something fun to read. It lacked the humor I had read about in so many reviews. Rose makes a statement in the book that the women in the trailer park don't see each other much but we take care of our own we just don't have barbecues and such. I couldn't help but feel the story would have been so much better if the women did have something more in common besides despair and troubled pasts. I also appreciated that Charlotte was a 51 year old character unfortunately she did not read that way at all.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining book. Laughed through it quite a bit!!!! Welcome to the Paradise trailer park. After the death of her husband Charlotte Figg moves with her dog lucky. She discovers the trailer that she purchased is not what she expected nor is the neighbors. With encouragement from her new friend Rose she rallies the women from paradise into a soft ball team. She uncovers secrets alot of what she would like to keep hidden. Charlotte was never good at keeping secrets!!!!

[Pjlujens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a funny, light-hearted book. Her visuals as you read this book puts you right there with them. I was given this book and it sat there for almost 5 years. I Don't know why I passed it up every time for another book. I have loaned it out and when my friends read it they ask me can they let someone else borrow it. Everyone just loves it. I am now looking to buy more by this author. I'm glad the last person that borrowed it looked and told me it was a series.

[Joelle Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Charlotte Figg's husband dies, she sells her house in the city and buys a derelict mobile home in a trailer park in rural Pennsylvania. She unites the small community and finds purpose by starting a women's softball team. The author brings to life the motley crew of characters within a plot that has enough twists and action to keep the reader interested.

[Karen Densmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best in a long time.

This was a refreshing book to read. Strong, unique characters, good story line and life lessons in the mix. I will be recommending this book to my family and friends.

[Nena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joyce Magnin can sure tell a tall tale. This gal can write! This is one of those cozy mysteries that has a bunch of quirky characters weaved into a good yarn.

I would definitely recommend this as a good read and will be looking for more from this author.

[Kim]

This was a great book! The characters grab you almost from the first page. My daughter and I both very much enjoyed listening to it!! The paper book was difficult for me to read because of my vision. Once we started listening to it in the car, we finished it in a few days!!