Garden of Faith: A Novel [Hardcover]

Lynne Hinton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2002

Welcome back to the charming world of Hope Springs, the small southern town at the center of bestselling author Lynne Hinton's Hope Springs trilogy. In this sequel to Friendship Cake, the same delightful women have finished the cookbook that brought them together, showing each the true meaning of friendship. Now these bonds are challenged by Margaret's sudden illness, Nadine's mourning for her lost daughter, and Jessie's desire to see the world outside the confines of a small town. Even Charlotte, the steadfast young pastor, has a spiritual crisis and finds herself questioning her calling.

Standing by each other through tragedies and triumphs, these unforgettable women come to realize that true friendship, like faith itself, is a garden that needs to be tended and nurtured. In the end they learn that there is more to living than just surviving -- they discover a life of health, courage, and freedom. Interspersed throughout this heartwarming tale are amusing and handy gardening tips from Bea's Botanical Bits -- memorable snippets of advice that help to cultivate the spirit, as well as the garden. Watered with tears of laughter and sorrow and fertilized with a touch of humor, Garden of Faith is just plain good for the soul.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Rebecca Wells in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Hinton has a knack in her novels for tapping into a woman's longings for lifelong, authentic, messy friendships. In this engaging follow-up to The Friendship Cake, Hinton picks up the threads of the lives of the five quirky women who make up the North Carolina Hope Springs Community Church cookbook committee and spins out more of their stories. She hangs her narrative on gardening as a metaphor for life, occasionally succumbing to clich‚s ("They were rough and spindly souls with very shallow roots"), but usually handling the theme with subtlety. There's plenty of room for metaphor. Pastor Charlotte finds she has lost her faith as she attempts to help Brittany's mother, Nadine, recover from her second suicide attempt. Louise ponders grief and love; Bea enjoys her newlywed status; Margaret wrangles with breast cancer; and Jessie battles fear that James will abandon her again and agonizes over a possible move. Hinton admirably mixes poignant moments (the friends shaving their heads in solidarity with Margaret) with amusing incidents (Louise notes, "This tea tastes like shit, Beatrice" and discovers it's Easy Movement, a laxative drink). While she avoids tendering pat answers to difficult questions of faith, Hinton folds themes of hope and redemption into her story. Conservative CBA readers may shrink from such expletives as "Jesus!" or "horseshit!"; Louise's lesbian status; feminine gender references to God; or the occasional sexual description but many readers of faith should find this novel both entertaining and tender.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The sequel to Friendship Cake (2000) is not the proverbial icing. Things aren't going too well for Charlotte, the pastor of the Hope Springs Community Church. After she struggles to revive a suicidal woman's faith after her daughter dies in a car wreck, she ends up seeking counseling for help with her own spiritual doubts. Margaret learns she has a lump in her breast, and is reluctant to tell her best friend, Jessie, since Jessie's husband has returned and wants her to move to California with him. Louise stays on the fringe, making the occasional pithy comment, but Beatrice is happy in her second marriage and having fun writing a gardening column. Not only have most of Hinton's characters lost control of their lives, they even lack distinctive voices. Worse yet, Hinton glosses over the seriousness of breast cancer by using it in an attempt to add drama to a disappointing imitation of earlier success. But fans of the first book will want to read the second, so larger libraries may consider purchasing. Melanie Duncan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1st edition (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062517465
• ISBN-13: 978-0062517463
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,198,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get reacquainted with old friends, June 2, 2002

By 

Mary G. Longorio "Texasbookgirl" (Eagle Mountain, UT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garden of Faith: A Novel (Hardcover)

It is time to return to Hope Springs. The Cookbook Committee continues to meet, even after the cookbook has been finished, but the group keeps meeting, and each woman keeps an eye and her heart out on the others. The pastor, Charlotte Stewart is troubled by the undercurrents she senses, and the questions she struggles with. Nadine struggles with her daughter's death by trying to follow her, as the other women try to tempt her to stay. Margaret faces a health crisis as Jessie renews the marriage long given up as dead, and looks to new horizions . Framed by the Hope Springs Community Garden Club Newsletter the book unfolds as each of these women try to meet her challanges. It is the friendships that these women have forged that enable each to rise to her individual challange, but realize that the friendships that bind them are irreplaceable. Lynne Hinton has been able to continue the story that began in Friendship Cake and has continued to develop the characters that have grown so dear to our hearts. A wonderful book that does not disappoint, and leaves me wishing the next would be out sooner.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Steel Magnolias, April 30, 2002

By 

Readers Paradise "Book Club" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Garden of Faith: A Novel (Hardcover)

Lynne Hinton's Friendship Cake used recipes to metaphorically show true friendship amongst 6 delightful and charming women. In the sequel, Garden of Faith the metaphors are beautifully placed in "Bea's Botanical Bits, Hope Springs Community Garden Club Newsletter."

The women of the Garden Club grew to understand her own faith. Young Pastor Charlotte is questioning her understanding of faith, while Margaret undergoes the first steps of dealing with a serious illness that could change the way she feels about what makes her a woman. Jesse is having a mini battle with her devotion of Hope Springs and what adventures lie beyond her small town and lastly Nadine whom we all remember from Friendship Cake lost her daughter in a car accident. She struggles with feelings of guilt about the death.

With all these weeds sprouting throughout the lives of the women from the Garden Club, Lynne Hinton shows us how God gives us all what we need when we need it. I truly enjoyed this book it was a fast read, and a page-turner. If I had to sum up my emotions, I would say Garden of Faith is a "feel good read." It's a book for everyone and a must read.

Missy APOOO Bookclub

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tend your soul's garden with this book!, October 21, 2002

By 

mamareadssomuch "mamareadssomuch" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garden of Faith: A Novel (Hardcover)

Charming story about friendship, grief and the power of one's faith. Chapters begin with newsletters from the Garden Club illustrate the garden of our life.

Thoroughly enjoyed this read and highly recommend it. The story revolving around grief and how to carry on is most powerful and makes you want to go out in your garden and tend to your soul.