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Lake Emily #1
A Can of Peas
Weaving together the strong threads of family and friends in a pattern of grace, forgiveness, and kindness, A Can of Peas invites readers into a place where every day brings a new story and neighbors are more than just people who live down the road. Sometimes funny and often poignant, these vignettes will draw both men and women into the reassuring rhythms of life as it ought to be–and as it still is in the heart of America.
After the death of his grandfather, Peter Morgan and his new bride, Mae, face a life-changing should they embrace the career-chasing ambitions of their family and friends in St. Paul or accept the absurd challenge of saving the family farm in the Minnesota countryside?
Enticed by the romance of a simple, quiet life, the Morgans set out to follow in the footsteps of Peter’s grandparents. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure as Mae struggles to find her place in Peter’s life and in the community. Will the strain of saving the farm tear their marriage apart? Was it a mistake to dream?
After the death of his grandfather, Peter Morgan and his new bride, Mae, face a life-changing should they embrace the career-chasing ambitions of their family and friends in St. Paul or accept the absurd challenge of saving the family farm in the Minnesota countryside?
Enticed by the romance of a simple, quiet life, the Morgans set out to follow in the footsteps of Peter’s grandparents. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure as Mae struggles to find her place in Peter’s life and in the community. Will the strain of saving the farm tear their marriage apart? Was it a mistake to dream?
312 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2002
15 people are currently reading
1261 people want to read
About the author
Traci Depree
17 books35 followersTraci DePree is the author of nine books. She loves creating new worlds where readers can escape the demands of everyday life and discover a deeper place of faith where true hope resides. She makes her home in a rural town in Minnesota where she fills her days with books, volunteering, gathering with friends and loved ones, playing a little tennis, riding dirt bike, as well as sewing and knitting! She and her husband of almost 26 years have five kids, ranging in age from twenty-two to six.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
November 11, 2008
Okay, it's my first book I have to like it!
July 31, 2019
The first 1/2 of this book was really slow and I doubted I would read the rest of the series but it picked up at the end and ended on an unfinished note. Peter’s grandfather dies and he decides to take over the farm. Peter and his new wife haven’t lived on a farm before and they are just one step above losing everything. When Peter takes over he farms, has dairy cows, his wife gets 100 chickens and plants a huge garden. It seems overwhelming and rather odd that a non farmer would try to do all things the first year he farms. -
January 13, 2009
An excellent book that will open your eyes to the troubles and joys of midwest farm life. Learn to have more appreciation for the simple joys in life, right along with Peter and Mae. After all as Leonardo da Vinci said: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
July 19, 2025
My fourth or fifth time through this series. It’s a sweet, simple story of country life on a quaint small Minnesota farm. It brings back so many childhood memories of times spent with my grandparents. The characters make me smile and give me a good chuckle. Ah, small town life.
May 24, 2020
I really enjoyed this slow-paced book that so accurately describes rural life in Minnesota. As a Minnesota native I recognize the landscape and the people, the hot dishes and the bars (as in desserts!), the county fairs and talent shows, and the spirit of pulling together to help someone out.
It’s set in Le Sueur, Minnesota, home of Green Giant corn and pea processing for nearly a century, in a fictional town called Lake Emily. The book accurately describes how hard it is to break into small-town life as an outsider, by both feeling the judgment and also overhearing back-biting comments made by those who have been there all their life. (And Peter had family connections to this farm, with a grandmother still living in town!) It described the importance of women’s extension clubs and the rituals of going to church and having Sunday dinner. It described the joys of being close to God by working the land and being in nature.
But mostly it so very well described how hard our farmers and their families work each spring, summer and fall to put food on our table. Not only working from sunup to sundown but even well past dark when there’s work to do in the fields. With a large head of cattle to be milked twice a day and hundreds and hundreds of acres to be planted and hayed and eventually harvested, with profits being at the mercy of both weather and driven by economic markets, the book will give any reader a great knowledge of and respect for farming. It was indeed an impressive undertaking for Peter and Mae to leave the Twin Cities and decide to take over this family farm.
With that at the heart of the story, there were relationship issues with Mae‘s mother, with Peter’s father, with Peter and Mae‘s marriage, and with Mae‘s sister falling in love with one of the Biddle boys down the road to keep the reader engaged.
I most appreciated the author’s use of vignettes inserted here and there in the story that were just a couple pages long, always in italics, and gave us insight to a character’s past history who is still living in Lake Emily. Very effective and enjoyable!
My favorite character is Peter’s grandma Virginia. I appreciated her strong and steady presence. She is such a gift to Mae and to Jessica, the little girl she mentored, and to the entire town. She was wise to move out of the farm house and give Mae and Peter some space to make it their own, but always ready to give advice and help with gardening, making a marriage work while farming, or raising (and butchering!) chickens. Her grief over losing her husband Roy was real and palpable.
I’ve never read Christian literature before and at times the insertion of prayer or scripture felt hokey to me, even as a practicing Catholic, but I was in TEARS by the last chapter of the book as we met Mae and Peter‘s child, saw parents show up when they needed to, and witnessed a town pull together unexpectedly to help them with both hotdishes and harvesting when they were most in need.
It’s set in Le Sueur, Minnesota, home of Green Giant corn and pea processing for nearly a century, in a fictional town called Lake Emily. The book accurately describes how hard it is to break into small-town life as an outsider, by both feeling the judgment and also overhearing back-biting comments made by those who have been there all their life. (And Peter had family connections to this farm, with a grandmother still living in town!) It described the importance of women’s extension clubs and the rituals of going to church and having Sunday dinner. It described the joys of being close to God by working the land and being in nature.
But mostly it so very well described how hard our farmers and their families work each spring, summer and fall to put food on our table. Not only working from sunup to sundown but even well past dark when there’s work to do in the fields. With a large head of cattle to be milked twice a day and hundreds and hundreds of acres to be planted and hayed and eventually harvested, with profits being at the mercy of both weather and driven by economic markets, the book will give any reader a great knowledge of and respect for farming. It was indeed an impressive undertaking for Peter and Mae to leave the Twin Cities and decide to take over this family farm.
With that at the heart of the story, there were relationship issues with Mae‘s mother, with Peter’s father, with Peter and Mae‘s marriage, and with Mae‘s sister falling in love with one of the Biddle boys down the road to keep the reader engaged.
I most appreciated the author’s use of vignettes inserted here and there in the story that were just a couple pages long, always in italics, and gave us insight to a character’s past history who is still living in Lake Emily. Very effective and enjoyable!
My favorite character is Peter’s grandma Virginia. I appreciated her strong and steady presence. She is such a gift to Mae and to Jessica, the little girl she mentored, and to the entire town. She was wise to move out of the farm house and give Mae and Peter some space to make it their own, but always ready to give advice and help with gardening, making a marriage work while farming, or raising (and butchering!) chickens. Her grief over losing her husband Roy was real and palpable.
I’ve never read Christian literature before and at times the insertion of prayer or scripture felt hokey to me, even as a practicing Catholic, but I was in TEARS by the last chapter of the book as we met Mae and Peter‘s child, saw parents show up when they needed to, and witnessed a town pull together unexpectedly to help them with both hotdishes and harvesting when they were most in need.
November 16, 2012
Great book!!! I especially enjoyed the sense of history that came with the "flashbacks." I recommend this to anyone that likes a good story where not a lot happens, but it's fascinating anyway - kind of like my life!
August 24, 2020
Loved this book, it has sad moments but so does life. Very uplifting and inspiring. It is a Christian book but not overly. I would recommend this to readers who like family stories.
February 27, 2022
A nice, relaxing book that I picked because it was based in Minnesota.
After his grandfather, Roy, dies, Peter decides to take over the family farm with his new bride Mae. He has never farmed before and the two have idyllic pictures and memories in mind. They quickly find out that farming is 24/7 and small town life is very different than the city life they were used too.
Although the characters never truly 'popped' for me, this book is certainly full of them. Not only do we have Peter, his grandmother (the sweetest), and Mae, but Mae's sister Trudy, the 'Als' who help Peter, and all the town folk. About every other chapter tells a brief vignette of someone in town and a major life moment for them. It was sort of strange because they aren't characters that are even secondary, but eventually I realized it gives the book that small town feel. Everyone knows everyone else's story, so we the reader should get the same treatment.
I think this book is more about the slow moving story than characters or setting. To enjoy it, you'd have to be in the mood for a quiet, small town life. I picked it up on a whim and I am very glad I did. **this book totally reinforces why I never want to be a farmer!! That's hard work!!**
After his grandfather, Roy, dies, Peter decides to take over the family farm with his new bride Mae. He has never farmed before and the two have idyllic pictures and memories in mind. They quickly find out that farming is 24/7 and small town life is very different than the city life they were used too.
Although the characters never truly 'popped' for me, this book is certainly full of them. Not only do we have Peter, his grandmother (the sweetest), and Mae, but Mae's sister Trudy, the 'Als' who help Peter, and all the town folk. About every other chapter tells a brief vignette of someone in town and a major life moment for them. It was sort of strange because they aren't characters that are even secondary, but eventually I realized it gives the book that small town feel. Everyone knows everyone else's story, so we the reader should get the same treatment.
I think this book is more about the slow moving story than characters or setting. To enjoy it, you'd have to be in the mood for a quiet, small town life. I picked it up on a whim and I am very glad I did. **this book totally reinforces why I never want to be a farmer!! That's hard work!!**
October 26, 2020
I read this series ages ago, before Goodreads, so reading them is hard. I remember enjoying them, but can't remember which one or one's I liked best. Since I know I liked them I'm guessing I rated them 3.5 to 4 stars🌟.
January 2, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It's about a young man named Peter whose grandfather just passed away. He has many fond memories of helping his grandfather on the farm in Minnesota and wonders why his father didn't stay there to take over the farm. He resents his father, who is a musician, for always moving around while he was growing up and for missing his grandfather's funeral. Peter is between jobs and he and his new wife Mae are staying in her parents basement, which hasn't been ideal. Mae's mom doesn't think Peter is good enough for her and Mae ends up leaving with their mother-daughter relationship in ruins. Peter's Grandmother mentioned one day that her husband Roy had always hoped someone in the family would take over the farm and Peter thinks that is what he wants to do. He talks to his wife and his grandmother and they decide on a trial period to see how it goes. Mae finds out very quickly that outsiders have a hard time fitting in with small town folks where everyone knows everyone's business. Peter loves farming but has a hard time keeping up and is worried about paying back his operating loan. The story continues to tell of some of their trials on the farm.
I really like how the author inserted short chapters in italics that tell a small story from the past just before a chapter where that person is involved in the present. That allows the reader to get to know the people in the small town and how they relate to one another. You learn a little bit of history right when you need to. The stories are very well written and make you feel for the people in the story. After reading this book you are left wondering what's next and there are two more books "Dandelions in a jelly jar" and "aprons on a clothesline".
This isn't just a book about farming. It's about being new and and trying to fit in where newcomers aren't welcome. It's about love.... and family. It's about coming through difficult times unscathed and knowing you are not alone in the world.
I really like how the author inserted short chapters in italics that tell a small story from the past just before a chapter where that person is involved in the present. That allows the reader to get to know the people in the small town and how they relate to one another. You learn a little bit of history right when you need to. The stories are very well written and make you feel for the people in the story. After reading this book you are left wondering what's next and there are two more books "Dandelions in a jelly jar" and "aprons on a clothesline".
This isn't just a book about farming. It's about being new and and trying to fit in where newcomers aren't welcome. It's about love.... and family. It's about coming through difficult times unscathed and knowing you are not alone in the world.
May 23, 2022
This was a quick, sweet read about a young man who takes up his grandfather's farm after the man passes away. As he's a city boy, it follows his struggles to learn the ropes, deal with the financial strains farmers face, and the time it takes from him and the strain it puts on his new marriage. The overall story has a small town Hallmark feel, with little character vignettes sprinkled through that don't necessarily advance the plot, but that give a little view of more cursory characters's histories. All in all, it was light and sweet, though the turn at the end surprised me, as it didn't wrap up like the Hallmark story I was expecting!
March 23, 2012
Come visit Lake Emily, where a charming small town community welcomes newcomers Peter & Mae Morgan into their midst. Share the laughter and tears along with the Morgans, as they struggle to save the family farm and embrace life in a close-knit community so very different from the life they once had in the city. A heart-warming story that leaves you feeling uplifted and thankful for the simple joys in life, appealing to readers of Janette Oke, Jan Karon (Mitford series) Philip Gulley (Harmony series) Beverley LaHaye, Terri Blackstock (Seasons series). Looking forward to reading the sequel.
May 3, 2020
I thought this was an excellent book about a young man and his new bride who take over operation of the family farm after the death of his grandfather. The book accurately portrays farm and small-town life. The man has only a limited knowledge of farming, so they encounter many obstacles and problems, but nothing that is unbelievable. Their Christian faith helps them cope, and I am interested in reading the next two books in the series.
August 7, 2023
I thought this book was sweet. It was one of the duller books I've recently read, but still nice. At some points, it was hard to keep going because it does tend to get a little slow at times, but it was worth it to see how Peter and Mae would make out. The ending was a bit of a surprise, not at all where I thought the author would take it...but overall, a nice quick read.
February 5, 2020
Read this with the Wifey, and we both really liked it. Excited to read Dandelions in Jelly Jars now :)
January 30, 2025
This is the first of the Lake Emily series (I read the last one first not knowing it was a series). It's all about life in a small farming town in Minnesota. Main characters, Peter Morgan and his new wife, Mae,have been living in St. Paul, and when his grandfather Roy dies, the family must decide what to do with the big dairy farm, along with the peas, corn and grain that they grow.
Peter and Mae are entranced by the simple, quiet life that his grandparents have lived, and try to decide whether they should leave St. Paul and move to the farm, or stay in St. Paul.
It's great how each character is introduced before a chapter, that gives the reader the background and history of that character. It's relaxing to read, and the author's word choices make everything very realistic.
Peter and Mae are entranced by the simple, quiet life that his grandparents have lived, and try to decide whether they should leave St. Paul and move to the farm, or stay in St. Paul.
It's great how each character is introduced before a chapter, that gives the reader the background and history of that character. It's relaxing to read, and the author's word choices make everything very realistic.
July 7, 2018
This book was a little slower but I really enjoyed it. I already reviewed this book and added some of my favorite quotes. The only problem is it didn't save and the book is already back on the library shelf.
So this is by memory...
There was a really good quote about you will always be you with the exception of the choices that you make. They will define you.
I also loved when the cute little grandma said, Some times you get your family where ever you can. And I need a granddaughter. So tender.
This was a great book and it really made me want to move to a small town.
So this is by memory...
There was a really good quote about you will always be you with the exception of the choices that you make. They will define you.
I also loved when the cute little grandma said, Some times you get your family where ever you can. And I need a granddaughter. So tender.
This was a great book and it really made me want to move to a small town.
August 9, 2020
I was SO disappointed in this book! It started out great, building momentum and then went straight downhill. When I read that Mae lost the baby, I didn’t even want to finish the book. A very depressing book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2022
Sad at the end and slow to start, but a rewarding and moving read. Not quite what I thought it would be. I guess I was thinking more like Louise Dickinson Rich. This is pure fiction but pretty factual about farming, so the author has either lived on a farm or researched well.
May 13, 2022
True Life in the Country's Middle
Rendering an accurate picture of modern farming, while also showing the innate goodness of the people of the Great Plains, is what this novel sets out to do, and accomplished it with God's help.
Rendering an accurate picture of modern farming, while also showing the innate goodness of the people of the Great Plains, is what this novel sets out to do, and accomplished it with God's help.
September 21, 2022
This was a simplistic story of farm and small town life. I did relate to the farm related descriptions of work and I loved the authors introduction by chapter of new characters and a significant story from their past. The ending was sad and I felt there should be a better outcome to end on.
September 7, 2017
I liked this sweet book, though I found it a little corny and predictable - I don't mind that if I'm in the right mood.
March 25, 2018
The "problems" in the book are a little too neatly solved and challenges are a little too neatly dealt with and resolved but this is a good book.
August 29, 2018
Enjoyed the book, wasn't crazy about the ending
July 28, 2019
First in the Lake Emily series. Very good, and explained a lot about the relationships I’d read about in DJJ (#2 in the series).
August 20, 2022
Real good book! Was glad I picked it up
September 1, 2022
Love the Lake Emily series. Just a set of feel good fiction
September 14, 2022
Enjoyed this heartwarming story of a young couple who leave the city for a farming community. Happiness and heartbreak await them
January 25, 2024
3 1/2 ⭐️
July 5, 2024
Sweet book...hope to find the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews