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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funeral home surprises, July 25, 2008
Jennifer Graham's hubby abruptly annouces their marriage is over. Impetuously, Jenny packs her bags and two boys to move to an inherited piece of land that boasts a Herculean rundown mansion, once a funeral parlor. YIKES, not what they were expecting. Without the recourse to move back to Virginia, Jenny decides to make this enormous "Fairlawn" into a bed and breakfast. Many events impede this endeavor including that 12 other owners of B&B's in this small tourist town are NOT amused and less than inviting to her plans.
An elderly employee who has obligations to fulfill promised pre-paid funerals resides with the Graham family working in the confines of the funeral rooms. Curiosity drives Jenny to peek, watch him, and become fascinated. Soon she is doing a great deal of the work, and Fairview Funeral Home rises from the dead.
Many plotlines of other characters, the deceased, and the children, keep a spirited plotline flowing.
This is a Christian offering, but not in the least bit preachy. Also it gets rather graphic about how bodies are embalmed so if you are very squeamish be warned. I am, but my fascination with the story kept me going.
This will be a series. I recommend this read and hope you all find it as interesting, amusing, and intriguing as I did.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An unlikely inheritance yields unexpected gains..., September 4, 2007
This review is from: Doesn't She Look Natural (The Fairlawn Series #1) (Paperback)
Jennifer Graham never expected to be a single mom, but that's exactly what happens when her husband leaves her for their nanny and serves her with divorce papers. Left reeling and clinging to a faint hope for reconciliation, she quits her high profile job on Capitol Hill in order to re-group and care for her two sons. While the divorce is being finalized, Jennifer and her boys move in with her mother -- a temporary fix that puts additional strain on their already often-volatile relationship. When the job hunt yields no leads, Jennifer is thrilled to learn that a great-uncle she never knew existed names her as his sole heir. However, when the inheritance turns out to be a dilapidated funeral home, and the prospects for flipping it with a profit on the real estate market are nil unless she undertakes major renovations, Jennifer's life takes a turn she never saw coming.
Though the cover has a wonderfully retro, chick-lit feel to it, the first Fairlawn novel is anything but easily dismissed "fluff." Doesn't She Look Natural? is a completely engrossing novel, the poignant and often funny story of Jennifer's journey to yield her will to God's greater plan for her life. She's an entirely relatable heroine -- a believer whose life has gotten so busy she's forgotten how to be still and listen for that still, small voice of God. Every character and relationship in this novel is so well-drawn they practically leap living and breathing from the page. Hunt outdoes herself in the creation of Mt. Dora -- the town and its people possess an undeniable quirky charm, but they never fall into the realm of caricatures. And Jennifer's rather prickly relationship with her mother is one that I think will ring true for a lot of women. Their journey towards a greater understanding and appreciation of each other is one of the novel's greatest strengths.
Hunt's use of a mortuary as the catalyst for Jennifer's turning point is a stroke of genius. She not only gives readers fascinating tidbits of information about the "mechanics" of the funeral industry, but she also paints a heartfelt picture of how a business that deals in death can truly be a ministry to the living. Jennifer must learn to surrender and bury her broken dreams before she can begin living life anew. What she learns at Fairlawn is a powerful reminder that for believers, death is not something to be feared - in fact, everything Jennifer learns about dying teaches her how to really live.
Most of the novel is written from Jennifer's perspective using first person, present tense. I can't think of another novel offhand that I've read which uses this point of view combination. If a first person point of view isn't believable and relatable, I have trouble getting "into" the story. Happily this isn't the case with Hunt's latest release. Her strong characterizations and storytelling abilities shine so strongly in Doesn't She Look Natural? that I couldn't help being utterly absorbed by Jennifer's story. Jennifer's adventures at Fairlawn continue in She Always Wore Red, set to release summer 2008.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Completely Enjoyable, February 15, 2010
Only Angela Hunt can write a book about a funeral home and make me love it! Somehow she managed to make me laugh out loud while touching my heart with the celebration of lives well-lived. The characters are so real - Bugs, the adorable five-year-old that I just wanted to give a big squeeze; Clay, the temperamental teen; Joelle, caught between love and patience; and Jennifer, the newly-divorced Mom who keeps facing her obstacles head-on with energy and determination. The descriptions are delightful (crème brulee for a woman spurned, Clay the living "dead", Biddie, the 110 -year old who wants kazoos at her funeral...) I loved them all. Angela Hunt takes the craft of writing to the highest level and with over 100 books in print, I can count on many more enjoyable hours of reading!
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