Portraits of the Past

Tales from Grace Chapel Inn #5

by Rebecca Kelly

An antique trunk, a book of sketches and a peculiar guest at Grace Chapel Inn, who wears a bowler hat, lead the Howard sisters right into the middle of a mystery. What will they uncover as they put the pieces together? A little know fact about Acorn Hill's history, or something, perhaps, about their own ancestry?

Once you visit the charming village of Acorn Hill, tucked in rural Pennsylvania, you'll never want to leave. Townsfolk relax on their porch swings or gather to discuss the day's events at the Coffee Shop over homemade pie. It's the kind of town where friendship and faith flow together like a wide river on a fine spring day.

And you'll love spending time with the Howard sisters, who have begun a new life together in their childhood home, a gracious Victorian house now a bed-and-breakfast called Grace Chapel Inn. Here they rekindle old memories, rediscover the bonds of sisterhood, revel in the blessings of friends -- and meet many fascinating guest along the way.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Inspirational, Adult Fiction, Fiction

215 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

This page contains work by multiple authors with the same name

Reviews

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read other books in this series but it had been a while since the last one. In only a few pages, it was like finding a good friend and pulling up a chair with a cup of tea for a great chat. It was a very comforting feeling.

I love this series about 3 sisters who inherit the large Victorian family home after the death of their father, who was also the pastor of Grace Chapel. They turn the family home into a B&B. All 3 sisters, although very different, are wonderful people with challenges as well as talents. They try to honor God with their talents as well as rely on God for resolving challenges.

This particular book had a bit more mystery that took a while to be revealed. As the mystery played out, it was delightful to read about the sisters as they welcome guests into their home. These guests are usually part of the main focus of these books. Not all the guests are happy and charming and the sisters sometimes find challenges in dealing with them. How they do this, however, can be a lesson to us all.

All these books are delightful and uplifting to read.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unexpectedly satisfying. I expected Christian Chick Lit Light: you know, Little House on the Prairie-meets-Precious Moments heavy on the scripture and C. S. Lewis quotations, but instead I got a well-developed plot with believable, if often two-dimensional characters. My only serious criticism is that all conflicts were resolved with unrealistic ease. Kelly did partly offset that liability which a pleasant twist in one of the sub-plots. (BTW, we do get the scritpure and C. S. Lewis quotes.)

Quibbles: The dialogue is stilted, especially among the protagonist sisters. Intrusive adverbs and the occasional typo and factual error round out a text which needed better editing.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Howard sisters are still running their inn and watching for an undercover reviewer of their inn.They also find a book of sketches that leads to more questions about their past. Louise is still teaching piano lessons and is very upset when one of her best students quits and won’t tell her why.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

On to book number five in the series. Instead of the usual description of "This book centers around a mysterious trunk that breaks open and it has an old quilt and sketch books within from a mysterious author," this book is about the search for who drew these pictures and what is their connection to a children's book series in the church, a welcome/information/historical center is being built, a nasty child named Darla comes to town, so does a nasty guest at the inn, Gwen Murphy and an odd man named Basil with an even odder hat.

This book was probably my least favorite of the ones I've read so far, but that's only because the other ones really pulled at the heartstrings and made me cry. But this is still a good read, especially the story/ending with Gwen Murphy. I just love reading these books so much. It's always like coming back home. Getting to see all the fun little adventures the girls get up to as they walk around the picturesque little town and Jane bakes the best desserts/food in general that are/is available at any given time in the kitchen, always with coffee or tea on and a friend there to listen to how your day was.

Found: Bought on Ebay, a former library book

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great series I found on my own bookshelf! A gift from a fellow reader and a good friend. Love these 3 sisters and the small town full of interesting and delightful residents. Also, the bed and breakfast seems to attract very unusual guests.

[Mary Simmons-hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy and inspiring book. Great characters with a sense of humor.

[Linda Corrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice story with a bit of mystery

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy read. It's about 3 sisters that run an Inn in a small town. There's a mystery the sisters are trying to solve while dealing with some interesting characters staying at the Inn.

[PottWab Regional Library]

A

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

if there is a mystery or a problem to solve, just leave it to the Howard girls. My favorite part was the conversation between Louise, Sissy and Gwen. Very well done!

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book while working in the library. I needed something to read. I knew it was from a Christian religious publisher, so was not surprised by the main characters being good church-going, Christians. The story revolves around three sisters (one a widow, one divorced, one never married) who turn the family home into a Bed-and –Breakfast Inn. When cleaning out their attic they found a sketch book dating from the civil war.. but with no identification as to who did the sketches. Did the sketchbook have anything to do with the man staying at the Inn who was researching a mysterious author of children’s books? A good comfortable tame story.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Grace Chapel Inn Books are written by various authors, so the quality varies. Rebecca Kelly has done an above average job with this plot. I enjoyed reading about "hidden quilts" and was delighted to find out that the reclusive author of the children's series turns out to be not only a woman, but a relative of the Howard sisters. Both plot lines made for very interesting reading.
I did not like the dialogue between the sisters at times because it seemed a little too "smart-mouthed" compared to how the sisters were portrayed in the other books. Also the instant dislike between Louise and the guest Gwen was a bit confusing and too neatly resolved.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading another episode about the town of Acorn Hill and the Bed and Breakfast that visitors love to spend time at. The 3 Howard sisters are running the Grace Chapel Inn and found an antique trunk in the attic that presents many questions. Who made the drawings in the old sketchbook, and why is it in their attic? What about the collection of old books, and the old quilt with no clue to who stitched it? Why is Aunt Ethel and Mayor Lloyd having trouble between them ever since Lester Langston came to town? and Who is the critic that is staying at the Inn hiding his identity? This book has many unanswered questions that keeps a person guessing...

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book the Howard sisters have a full house of visitors. They think one of the visitors might be a B & B magazine critic. Basil is acting kind of strange so maybe its him. Gwen is an artist that upon meeting Louise becomes snooty with her. And Lester is a visiting lawyer that likes to joke about lawyers like himself. One day the girls find a trunk up in the attic and inside is a stetchbook that non of the girls have seen before. It has very good pictures drawn in it that look very old.

[Meadow Frisbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Three sisters are running their inn, when three people come in that will turn their lives up side down, finding out that they are related to famous people, a girl who gives up her dream, and some books worth thousands of dollars are just a little bit of theh excitement that goes on in Grace Chaple Inn.

[Kitty Tomlinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book of sketches found that tie into the Inn. Fun read.

[Sandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Grace Chapel Inn... What a wonderful place to vacation. The three sisters make your visit peaceful and happy. The work out problems of people in Acorn Hill and solve them with God's help. A wonderful series.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book from the Tales from Grace Chapel Inn. The sisters from the Inn have a mysterious guest. This guest leads the sisters right into a mystery. The pieces need to be put together.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished long ago. Can't remember what I thought about it.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner!

[Tana Lovegood of Dumbledore's Army✞~ Rogers/America · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book! Im trying to catch up on the series.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read! I love this series and coming back to Acorn Hill and visiting with these three wonderful ladies!

[Amy S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very good book. It was interesting and informative.

[Carolyn]

Fun, uplifting

[Theresa Lange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very good

[Cws]

YA GCI