Gretchen’s Comments (group member since Dec 06, 2016)

Gretchen’s comments from the Christian Fiction Devourers group.

Some of my favorites of 2023:



Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd

The Dive Team Investigations series by Lynn H. Blackburn





The Hanger's Horsemen series by Karen Witemeyer, especially books two and three

I loved this book! It was a five star read for me. I especially liked how the characters accepted the difficulties that came their way and moved on the best they could.

3. Cassidy struggles to reconcile her passion for flowers with her feeling that she must do something practical to make money and save her lando. Is it selfish to want t make a life at the same time you make a living?
I loved the way this was worked out in the book. It beautifully showed God's plan and care for each of our lives. Not many people are blessed to be able to combine their passion with a money making venture. But all of us can use what we have been given to make things better wherever we are. No, I don't think it is selfish to want to make a life at the same time you make a living.

6. Do you have a favorite family recipe? Why do you treasure it?
I have my grandma's recipe for Gingersnaps written in her own hand. The cookies are great, but I treasure it because it is handwritten by her. I also have a recipe for Pumpkin Bars handwritten by my husband's grandma. She was famous for her Pumpkin Bars and brought every time she visited. I am not a huge fan of Pumpkin Bars, but I loved hers because she put so much love into them.

I have already started this one. It's hard to put down!

I am planning to read and will probably also read .

Crystal wrote: "I'll respond to question 8. I can understand that Glory Ann wanted to protect Rosemary. However, Clarance proved his character to her over and over, and I believe he would have been very supportive..."

I had the same thought, Kate.

I am joining late, but didn't know if I was going to be able to get ahold of the book in time. I did and really enjoyed it! I thought I would answer some of the discussion questions.

1. This novel revolves around the stories of Sarah, Rosemary, and Glory Ann. Which character can you identify with most, and why?

I think I identified with parts of each of them. Sarah's determination to stop the lies, Rosemary's desire to please everyone and do what nobody else would do and Glory Ann's love for her daughters and granddaughter and her ability to make the most of what she has.

2. Clarence is a major character in this book whose point of view we never get to read. How do you think he had such certainty from the very beginning that marrying Glory Ann and claiming her child as his own was a good decision? If you were in his shoes, would you have found it easy or hard to have his strength and steadfastness?

I had a hard time imagining doing something like Clarence did with such a good attitude. It is so contrary to our human nature - I had to be only by the power of God.



3. History seems to repeat itself when Sarah finds out she is pregnant. What parallels did you start to see between her story and Glory Ann’s? What differences did you see?

Both Sarah and Glory Ann lose the father of their child and have to deal with that grief. I was frustrated with Sarah when she seemed to want to keep the news of her pregnancy to herself and was relieved when she chose to be honest.

4. As can be inferred from the title, secret keeping is a common thread throughout this book. What other major themes and messages did you take away from this book?


Themes of family, forgiveness, impressions (of people or a situation), expectations, shame, disappointment and the inability to communicate with one another.

5. All the characters in this book deal with grief in one way or another. Discuss how each of the characters worked through grief. Did one deal with it better than others? Can you learn anything from their experiences?

6. At one point, Clay tells Sarah, “The stories of the past help you make sense of the present.” Sarah saw truth in that; what do you think? Are there any stories from the past that have helped you in your present?

I agree! This is what I love about stories - whether fiction or true - they help me to things from a different perspective.

7. Jessamine tells Rosemary that she’ll never have the full life she’s craving until she accepts the life she has. Do you agree? How have you seen this play out in your life or the lives of those around you?

I do agree. When we are focused on what we don't have, it is hard to be content and live fully today.

8. Glory Ann admits to Rosemary that she didn’t tell her about Jimmy because she didn’t want to damage Rosemary’s relationship with Clarence. Do you think she made the right decision? How do you think things might have been diff erent if Rosemary had known all along that she wasn’t Clarence’s biological daughter?

I don't think she made the right decision. I don't think it would have changed her relationship with Clarence, at least from his perspective. Rosemary may have been even more apt to think Jessamine was the favorite, but that was a problem with her own perspective and she thought that anyway. If she had known Jimmy was her father, she would have had the opportunity to meet him sooner in her life.

9. Rosemary comes to realize that all her eff orts to protect Sarah had wounded her instead. Do you think this is true? Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? If so, how did you resolve the issue?

I do think this is true. She robbed Sarah of making her own choices and being true to who she was.

10. In the end, Sarah purchases Old Depot Grocery and decides to convert it into a community space for soldiers who have recently returned from combat. Were you surprised by this? What did you think of her decision and her plans?

I think this is a perfect fit!

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I'm going for the Big Kahuna! I like John's idea of choosing a theme to look for. I have been looking for "good works".

9. What did you find attractive or endearing about Lael?

One of the things I liked about Lael was that she didn't spend time feeling sorry for herself when things didn't go like she hoped they would. When she returned to her home after five years, things were very different. Rather than feeling sorry for herself, she just made the best of the circumstances and set up housekeeping alone.

I also liked that she was a strong woman, but what she wanted most of all was to be loved and cared for.

What did you find displeasing?

Her stubbornness and unforgiving spirit. Although, I think these attributes made her the strong woman she was.

Which attributes of Ian's do you think won Lael over?

I don't think she really needed to be won over : ). But once she realized that Ian could be trusted and that he wanted to care for her, she was won over.

Do you think they are a good match?

I think they are a great match!

Why or why not?

Even though Ian was raised in a civilized environment, he feels that he has been called to Kentucke and the frontier life. He seemed to fit in well on the frontier. Lael, while considering herself to be a frontier woman, did spend several years at finishing school, so Ian's civilized ways are not completely foreign to her.

I'm planning to join this month as well! Looks like I am the second Gretchen to join in : ). I'm looking forward to it.

Kelli said: "I was just studying Genesis 3 this morning and learned from MacAthur Study Bible that Satan chose to decieve Eve because she was the weaker one and needing the protection of her husband. I know this may anger some - with today's society and equal treatment etc. - but the truth is God had a plan based on His perfect will. "

Every time I read the account of the fall in Genesis I am reminded of my own tendency as a woman to be deceived and led astray. But I am also reminded of the protection God has given me through my husband. It is humbling to realize that as a woman I may not always see things for what they are and be easily influenced by Satan's lies. So many women in our world today are struggling with this and fighting against the protection God has given them. I am so thankful for God's Word and the protection he provides.

That's so good. Thanks for sharing!

This is a neat idea Loraine! Thanks for doing it.

Just wanted to correct the book in your first post here. It is called Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick. It's a great book.

This year is a bit different for us. We have one son living away from home and the other working away from home for the month of December. They were both home for Thanksgiving so I put up the tree. One walked by and said, "Oh, you put the tree up." The other one sat and looked through the box of ornaments while I hung others on the tree : / Oh well, it was just fun to have them around. We usually put the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. We also have a lighted Christmas village that we put on the tops of the cupboards in the kitchen and do that the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Our extended families live about 1 1/2 hours from us and we are usually with them for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. When our sons were small we started the tradition of opening gifts with them the Sunday before Christmas. We have kept this up and it still works well.