Customer Reviews

Beyond the Picket Fence: And Other Short Stories

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a big, I mean huge, Lori Wick fan and have read every single book almost. I had shied away from this one because I wasn't really sure how I felt about the fact that they were only short stories. I hadn't found it anywhere except for the web and wasn't sure enough about it to buy it. I shouldn't have been worried though. I found it in a bookstore and fell in love with it immediately. I read the entire thing within 24 hours and felt deprived when there wasn't anymore. The last one, "The Rancher's Lady", and "An Intense Man" were my favorites. Some are quite lengthy, lasting for 40 pages. Others are shorter, but just as satisfying. If you are like me, any time you start a Lori Wick book, you want to do nothing else but sit down and read. This is easier because it is not one long story and is easier to break away from. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Reading!

Before I bought the book, I read the negative reviews and disregarded them, thinking that anything Lori Wick writes is excellent. Now after reading the short stories, I think that it is safe to say that she needs to stick with novels. Wick tried to put more information into the short stories then necessary, which resulted in a poor development of plot and characters. Even for a dedicated Wick fan, this was a huge disappointment.

As always, I was impressed my Lori Wick's fabulous gift to write down-to-earth stories with wonderful plots and loveable characters. Usually I am not a huge fan of short stories because I enjoy getting to know characters on a deeper level; however, Lori brought each person to life so when the charming story ended, I was sad to conclude a well developed story. A wonderful asset to the "Lori Wick Book Collection," and a great book to keep and read over and over again.

I like Lori Wick's books well enough, but I was a bit uncertain about a book of short stories as I'm not a huge fan of short story writing, especially in a book format. I find I lose focus too quickly. This collection was a delightful surprise, however. Each story stood on its own and all had a message - something that not all Lori Wick books contain. In fact, I found that most of the stories have a greater impact and message, as well as more realism than many of Ms. Wick's novels. One tiny point annoyed me, however. I seem to remember that in "A Rancher's Lady", Shasta, an Australian, mentions that she used to work on a sheep ranch. I am an Australian and I can assure any disillusioned Americans out there that we do not have "ranches" in Australia. We call them "stations" instead. A silly thing for me to bother about, I know, but I must be truthful. All in all, a lovely addition to the library of any fan of Lori Wick.

I love short story books, and this one, being written by Lori Wick, was wonderful. The title story, Beyond the Picket Fence, was charming. Intense Man was the best story, I felt, of the book. The "intense man" in that story was a rough man, with a bad temper, but the heroine of the story, being a good Christian woman, stood by and took his rantings. I got really emotional when I read this story because of the way Ms. Wick brought them together. The other stories in this book were really great. I loved the Christmas Gift, and Christmas For Two was very romantic. The first story about the singing group caught my attention, and the rest of the stories never let it go. I loved this book, and I hope that Ms. Wick will benefit us by writing more like this.

These stories are like the "heart" of one of her books. They can be read and enjoyed more than once. However, one story about an "intense" man is an example of how Christian women can be abused in the name of the Lord. Tread carefully with this story. Otherwise, I love Lori Wick's stories.

I have several of Lori Wick's books and have enjoyed them. I believe this collection of short stories is one of her best. The characters are endearing and again the writer makes believing in God personal and essential to our lives. I read it in one setting.

Soon after ordering this book, I realized that I already owned the book, SO I cancelled. Thank you for all you help. I never actually received this book the second time. I appreciate the help you give. Mary Townsley

I absolutely love this book. When I received this book in the mail, it exceeded my expectations on the condition of the cover and pages. With this purchase and previous book purchases, I have made a habit of looking for HippoBooks because of the quality and speed at which I receive this book. Thank you.

I really enjoyed this book, it was lovely to read. I
highly recommend it, for anyone who enjoys reading Christian
fiction.