Poppy's Story

Good Intentions Collection #2

by Kristina McMorris

In 1962 Virginia, with the world teetering on the brink, a schoolteacher searches for strength and hope in this moving tale by the New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday.

Poppy Turner has spent more than a decade teaching children grammar and arithmetic. Suddenly her days are steeped in fears that reach well beyond a classroom filled with air-raid drills and anxious young faces. As a mother-to-be, she worries about bringing a child into a time of such turmoil. To find stability, she will have to decide if she’s willing to look more closely at her own past.

Kristina McMorris’s Poppy’s Story is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

Genres: Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Historical

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2023

About the author

KRISTINA MCMORRIS is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of two novellas and seven historical novels, including the million-copy bestseller Sold on a Monday and, most recently, the instant international bestseller The Ways We Hide, selected as Target’s top-five reads of 2022. A recipient of more than twenty national literary awards, she previously hosted weekly TV shows for Warner Bros. and an ABC affiliate, beginning at age nine with an Emmy Award-winning program, and owned a wedding-and-event-planning company until she had far surpassed her limit of "Y.M.C.A." and chicken dances. Kristina splits her time between San Diego and Portland, Oregon, where she’s the proud mom of two teenage boys who recently stripped her of her longstanding boast of being “tall for an Asian.” For more, visit KristinaMcMorris.com

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Amazon Originals Good Intentions Collection of short stories is a series of seven stories reflecting on motherhood. When I saw that Kristina McMorris wrote one of the stories, I knew I wanted to read it as I have read and enjoyed three of her novels. Poppy is a minor character in her novel The Ways We Hide and reading this has me adding that to my list . Poppy is a wonderful teacher who loves children, yet she is anxious about what kind of mother she will be, fearing the world she lives in as the Cuban Missile Crisis looms in 1962. She’s also fearful of the kind of mother she will be given the secret of her past that she has kept from her husband. A story of identity, motherhood and family.

The kindle versions of the seven stories are free to prime members .

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: A short story that tells us more about Poppy, one of the minor characters in the novel, ‘The Ways We Hide’. Works perfectly as a standalone. The story has some interesting themes, but I would have like a greater exploration of certain emotions and a limited range of topics. Decent as a one-time read.

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Plot Preview:

1962, Virginia. Ever since the news highlighted some potential danger to the US through the USSR and Cuba, Poppy has been left unsure of her pregnancy. She wonders not just whether it is the right time to bring a child into the world, but also whether certain events from her past make her the right person to be a mother. As the story progresses, she realises that unless she faces the past, she cannot prepare herself for the future.
The story comes to us in Poppy’s third person perspective.

This is the second standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood.”

The introductory note by the author reveals how she came up with the decision to write Poppy’s Story. Until I read this note, I had no idea that Poppy was a minor character in the author’s WWII novel, ‘The Ways We Hide’, a book I have read but only remember vaguely. Thankfully, the story is a standalone, and though there are allusions to Fenna Vos, the main character from the novel, there is no gap in understanding the events of this story even without knowing who Fenna is.

I liked Poppy’s character, especially her portrayal as a teacher and her struggle to accept some events from the past. However, as she takes so long to ponder over an important decision, a substantial portion of the story feels very repetitive in its exploration of her thoughts.

Moreover, the story took on too much. I don’t want to reveal much beyond the missile uncertainty, but there seemed to be a wide array of things troubling Poppy, and this overload of topics killed the importance of each individual issue.

One hurdle in connecting with Poppy came from my side. I have no idea about the “Cuban Missile Crisis” of 1962, and the story doesn’t offer any details except the bare minimum. (Not that I blame it – it is just a short story of 44 pages, after all.) Perhaps those who are aware of the events of 1962 will be able to understand the environment Poppy lives in and the reason for her reaction.

I did, however, connect slightly better with her fears about the impending motherhood. The world always seems a scary place when you think of bringing a baby into it, so it was interesting to see how Poppy grappled between her past trauma and her present confusion to ensure her future peace of mind. Then again, did I feel emotionally impacted by Poppy’s fears? No. Somehow, the writing keeps her distanced from us.

Poppy’s husband Everett could have been an interesting character, but we barely get to know him. The story is, as the title suggests, Poppy’s, and Poppy’s alone. But certain more details about their married life and Everett’s general nature would have helped us understand why she was so unwilling to trust him with her news. It couldn’t have been just that one reason.

All in all, a decent story with some good themes, but it doesn’t pack as big an emotional punch as I had hoped for. It might have worked better had I connected more with Poppy. If you read this, I hope you do. It’s free, so there’s nothing to lose at least in the financial sense.

2.5 stars.

This standalone story is a part of the ‘Good Intentions’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

This collection is not going well for me so far. Fingers crossed for the next story! All the remaining stories have strong ratings on GR, so I do have hope.


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[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

No 2 in the Amazon Good Intentions series of short stories. It’s set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis which adds edginess to the storytelling. It’s a bitter sweet story of motherhood with Poppy as the central character. Understandably, she is unsettled as the world teeters on the brink which leads to much reflection. As for that cover - brilliant!

Kindle Unlimited read

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Sweet.

Another salute in the form of a short story about Moms and Mothers Day. Poppy is pregnant but hasn’t told her husband even though she knows he will be thrilled. Poppy first has to find the answers about the woman who gave her up for adoption.

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story taking place during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

We follow the character of Poppy and her trepidation of finally being pregnant. There's a reason why Poppy is hesitant to tell her husband and why she wonders if she will be a good mother. Great read!

[Kristina McMorris]

At its core, POPPY'S STORY is a heartfelt tribute to mothers (in various forms) and teachers. Although it's a standalone story, readers of my novel THE WAYS WE HIDE will surely recognize the main character (now as an adult), along with mentions of Fenna Vos.

As explained in my Author's Note, in the epilogue of THE WAYS WE HIDE, Fenna wondered what ever became of her dear childhood friend, Poppy. Well, this story is the answer to that question. I hope you enjoy reading about Poppy's journey as much as I enjoyed writing it!

(Free for Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible members.)

[rach⭑ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭑

Wasn’t a big fan of the dialogue in this one but it made me tear up so bonus points for that

[Mary_ame · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poppy, a dedicated teacher in 1962, seeks to find answers to her own background as she holds back telling her husband about their future. Sweet and evocative, this is another of the Good Intentions series of stories from amazon focussing on mother/daughter relationships. Not particularly original in content, but well done.

[Maria Lew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Wonderful, (learn the past to help the future)

In "The Ways We Hide" we are introduced to Poppy. In this beautiful short story she is a teacher & married to Everett Turner. We learn about her present and a little about her past. We learn about Adeline Sutcliffe, she likes yellow colored roses and her favorite flower is the poppy. In this story Poppy tries to learn what happened to her when she was 3 years old before she has her own child. Will she discover what truly happened?

I enjoyed the audible narration by Megan Tusing. This is my sixth book 📖 by the wonderful @Kristina McMorris, it's absolutely beautiful, as all of her other novels that I've read.

Teachers spend so much time with our children. They help with not just the teaching of numbers, words, science, history, and so much more. They teach children the love of knowledge and they help them feel safe in this crazy world 🌍. We all must learn to deal with the thrill of the unknown and the sense of promise that lies ahead, as Kristin McMorris says.

I love pineapple upsidedown cake too. Enjoy ❤️.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visit from an old friend

I loved the character Poppy from The Ways We Hide and missed her when she moved away. Meeting her again in this story was like reuniting with an old friend. I'm glad she found happiness, peace and love after her troubling start in life. Wonderful story!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schoolteacher Poppy worries about bringing a child into such a tumultuous time as the Cold War.

Poppy's Story is part of the "Good Intentions" collection of short stories about "the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors." Based on a minor character from The Ways We Hide, which I have not read, I was touched by this tender look at motherhood in the 1960s. Unfortunately, there are similar parallels to the fears of nuclear war faced then and the fears of school shootings now.

Location: Virginia

Audiobook, Free on Kindle and Audible

[Maria Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

How we became a family is no one’s business but ours, Mama told her more than once, the first time brightly pointing out in a mirror that they even shared the same nose. You see? It was always meant to be!

Poppy is a wonderful teacher and there's no doubt she would be an amazing mother too. We soon learn that she was adopted by a lovely couple that did everything to give her the best life she could ever want.

But it doesn't matter how loved she was by her adopted parents, she felt stuck with the nagging questions of why her real mother abandoned her... she didn't love her? Poppy found that the only way to move on and enjoy the news of been pregnant is to find and talk to her birth mother.

“Heavens, Poppy. Every mother-to-be worries she won’t do things right. If you weren’t concerned, then I’d really be worried about you.”

This is the point where I dropped some stars to the rating, while I understand Poppy's desperation for answers... the way she just treated the lady made me mad.

[Christine Savukinas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet story about motherhood and how no matter what your family history, no one is truly prepared for their first child. Poppy was an orphan and she is very concerned about how motherhood will make her feel and act. She realizes when she shows her fears that she is not alone.
This short story is part of the Amazon Good Intentions collection.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really disliked the writing - instead of feeling like it was set in 1962, the dialogue and descriptions just beat you over the head with listed products and current events from the time without creating a believable atmosphere. I also didn't find the story worth reading at all, but I did not read the original novel Poppy appeared in either, so that might be why.

[Sue Dix · Rating 5 out of 5]

The eternal question: is there ever truly a safe time to bring a child into the world? And also: as parents, will we, will I, be enough? Struggling to reconcile her past and to face her future, Poppy finds answers that are not perfect, but are good enough.

[Luba · Rating 2 out of 5]

mir gefällt es nicht, wenn Geschichten um jeden Preis als eine feel good Geschichte geschrieben werden, obwohl da ein schweres Thema verhandelt wird und als Konsequenz dessen sehr viel Tiefe verlieren

[Theresa Petty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying this collection about mothers from Amazon. Two short stories in and I love these different aspects of motherhood that have been captured in these beautiful stories. Excited to continue. Also, this story makes me want to read the original book that Poppy was in. Maybe sometime soon.

[Kai (CuriousCompass) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during the Cuban missile crisis, this tells the story of a young teacher pregnant with her first child, attempting to meet her birth mother for the first time and break the news of her pregnancy to her husband. Sweet, heartwrenching, and well written, I almost teared up a little.

[kayce ⟡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story set in the 1960s. It is rich in the atmosphere of the time and a character that is both relatable and admirable. I enjoyed this short story and felt hopeful after finishing it.

[Brianna Bello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short story. Poppy’s longing to be a mother but also how terrified she is. Her hopes to finally meet her birth mother only to be crushed with the realization that she will never get answers due to her birth mothers condition. And finally, her acceptance and excitement at the end. It was so beautiful to see it all come together in the end.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I really enjoyed this one. All kinds of emotions were felt.

[ChaoticBookoholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but I felt we needed more info on her past. Left me with questions.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet short story

[Molly Pie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mid

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Shenelle Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super sweet short story about fear of motherhood, nervousness about the future, and coming to grips with the past.

[Angieleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I decided to read this, but it's one of the best short stories I've ever read in my life. One that I will revisit time and time again.

One of my favorite episodes of Call the Midwife has to do with the impending Cuban Missile Crisis because Trixie finally steps out of her comfort zone. I'm reminded of that because while it's a focus in this short story, it's not actually THE main focus. Poppy needs to step out of HER comfort zone in order to accept the changes that are going on in her life

Kristina wrote this emotional story about a woman who can't come to grips with her past, but when she finally does, it's the most beautiful moment .

[Annemarie Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this short story! It was a brief glimpse into the life of this character, but I left it feeling like I understood the details of the setting very well.