Customer Reviews

Good Hope Road (Tending Roses Series, Book 1)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In and around the town of Poetry, Missouri, a sudden string of tornadoes have done a great deal of damage. Jenilee Lane ("white trash") and Eudora Gibson ("garden society") find themselves literally thrown together as a result. Though they've been neighbors for many years, the two would normally not be seen in each other's company -- would probably have never spoken to each other again, if not for the unusual circumstances caused by the tornado. Through alternating chapters, these two women reveal what they're seeing and feeling. Their stories and those of the other residents of Poetry make for fascinating reading. The setting and the characters are so real that you feel as though you could drive down the road and find them all in the next town. Lisa Wingate is indeed a gifted writer. _Good Hope Road_ is the best mainstream novel I've read in years.

Lisa Wingate tells the story of a young woman, discovering herself after a devastating tornado rips through her hometown of Poetry, Missouri. A woman named Jenilee Lane goes through the journey of finding her strengths and weaknesses for the first time. Her once sheltered life is turned upside down, forcing her to start over with the grieving townspeople of Poetry. For the first time, she gets to know her neighbors, she previously had avoided. This was especially true when she rescued a woman named Eudora Gibson, who's life, along with her grand-daughter's, was in danger after the distruction of her home. Wingate shows how humans level with their neighbor after surviving life threatening events. Often they will share a sense of be thankful for what they still have, and forget the conflict they had before. At the end of the novel, the reader is encouraged to embrace oneself, having the courage to face any one of life's challenges.
Wingate foreshadows the transformation our main character will go through with the metaphor of a moth shedding it's cocoon. Jenilee realizes something essential for her future journey, which is, "If not for the struggle....it would be a creature without strength, unable to fulfill it's purpose." The main theme of this novel is that with every conflict we encounter, we grow stronger if we want to. Jenilee lives up to her life long pressure of living up to her mother, and does so through her ecounters and events which occur after a tornado hits the small town of Poetry, Missouri.
I stumbled upon this novel, and was surprised by the author's style of writing from the first page. The one thing which kept me interested throughout the whole book is Wingate's simple and to-the-point plot. I have read many books which tend to focus too much on painting the picture for you. In "Good Hope Road," the reader is able to use their own imagination the create the characters and scenery for themselves. Also the plot was easy to understand and follow along, without struggling through meaningless detail. I give "Good Hope Road," written by Lisa Wingate, four stars because of the authors technique of sending a message of self improvement through the story of an ordinary woman named Jenilee Lane.

I just love Lisa Wingate's writing style. She writes as if she's sitting down at a table in an old farmhouse kitchen, writing as if she's going to write a letter just to you. She is very inspirational and very thoughtful. She writes as if she knows her neighbors even if they're down the road quite a ways away. She writes about human nature and how we all struggle to be good. She writes beautifully that makes you stop and think for a moment ~~ yeah, I know exactly what she's talking about.

This one is a relationship between two neighbors. There is Jenilee ~~ one of those "no-good white trash Lanes" that live next door to Euradora Gibson, who used to be best friends with Jenilee's grandma. Jenilee is one of the forgotten children. Born to an abusive father and a sick mother who eventually died of cancer, Jenilee barely scraped by in school, taking care of her mom, her brothers and her dad. Euradora is an elderly woman with lots of regrets in her life. She didn't realize just how bitter she has become till a tornado ripped apart her house. Jenilee rescued her and together, they set off on a journey that leads to many open doors to the future and to many door-shuttings of the past.

It is beautifully written. A must-read for all mothers and daughters, sisters and friends. It's lovely, inspirational and thoughtful. Wingate writes of true things that happens to all of us ~~ in each of us is a lonely, forgotten "Jennilee" or an unhappy "Euradora". I wouldn't hesitate reading any of Wingate's books. We need more writers like her around!

11-24-04

"On the afternoon of July 29, the entire town of Poetry, Missouri, was cast to the wind." Everything in the town is blown away, except for the Armory, where people gather for support, to grieve, to lend a hand, to reconnect...and the Lane homestead...where the poor, reclusive, suspicious Lane family has lived for generations.

Jennilee Lane is home alone when the tornado strikes. When she realizes what's happened, she sees that the neighboring farm has been leveled , the stand of pecan trees splintered and shattered, and she heads that way, to see if anyone has survived. She hears voices coming from the storm cellar and ends up rescuing Mrs. Gibson and her grandchild.

What happens over the next few days, as told by Jenilee and Eudora Gibson, comes together as a warm, touching story that makes one realize "faith" can be described and lived in different ways.

In addition to helping nurse the injured, Jennilee collects debris left behind in the storm...photographs, newspaper articles, love letters...the treasures that had been long stored in the houses that no longer remain. She tacks them to the wall of the armory and people search the display for parts of their past. One woman, a visitor who had been staying in a nearby campground, finds a photo of her baby...a baby that is missing in the aftermath of the storm. The photo greatly aids in the authority's search for the child..

I recently read a newspaper article about a series of tornados that set down in Wisconsin. "The storm was so strong, roof shingles, papers and other debris were found in the Milwaukee area, 60 miles away." This is something I'd never thought of before reading Wingate's book...pieces of people's lives, dropping from the sky.

For anyone who enjoys a rich, textured, story of regular people...their strengths, weaknesses, joys, troubles...this story is a must read. As a bonus, a few characters from Wingate's "Tending Roses" show up, as well...Kate, Ben and Joshua. As it turns out, Kate's grandmother was Jenilee's grandmother's sister. It was nice to visit with them for a while...as I enjoyed their story in "Tending Roses".

There's a quote from another of my favorite authors, Adriana Trigiani, on the cover: "Good Hope Road is a novel bursting with joy amidst crisis." In Jennilee Lane and Eudora Gibson...and all the other Poetry neighbors...Lisa Wingate has created honest, believable characters...characters who I enjoyed reading about, characters I cared about, characters who could be living down the road.

This book comes highly recommended!

Good Hope Road by Lisa Wingate is her strongest book to date. After the entire town of Poetry, Missouri is destroyed by a tornado, the people within it are changed to their cores as well. Jenilee Lane has lived her entire life ducking blows and trying to stay unnoticed. Eudora Gibson, her elderly neighbor, suffers from a bad case of judging others until Jenilee saves her life. The entwining stories of Jenilee and Eudora are woven together until as one strong cord, both women pull themselves out of their former selves and find a better future. Jenilee's idea to pick up all the photos and papers she finds on the road, in her yard and fields and try to return them to the townspeople who have lost so much is moving, especially after how she's been treated by them throughout her life. Wingate captures the essence of a family caught in the cycle of abuse and trying to break free. The scenes between Jenilee and her brothers are especially poignant. The dialogue is extremely well done. This book is peopled with characters that everyone in a small town knows, and after finishing the book will be sorry to leave.

After reading Ms. Wingate's two romances, I picked up Good Hope Road. Surprised it wasn't a romance, I almost tossed it, but the writing was so beautiful, I couldn't. This was a wonderful tale of reconciliation and survival populated with marvelous character that give real hope.

This is the 2nd in a great series to read. You may not see the connection until you read book 3, but still read them in order. (Tending Roses and Language of Sycamores.)

These books are a about family and the relationships between the different people in a family and how we interact with one another. I found I laughed and cried with them. I couldn't put the book down because I became involved with their lives and wanted to see what happened next. They are books that you can read more than once because there is so much there.

This is the best book I have ever read. I don't believe anyone could read "Good Hope Road" without learning a lesson about life. Read this now- you'll be glad you did!

This is the first of Lisa Wingate which I have ever read. Now I definitely want to read more of her books.

Jennilee Lane and her family were the "poor folks" on Hope Road. Her mother was ill with depression, and later had terminal cancer, and her Dad was a loser as well. The family struggled just to eat. The other people in the small neighborhood were middle to upper classed people. Eudora Gibson was a big gossip and spread awful rumors about people to whoever would listen to her gossip. And then there was the lawyer's family, Marcella, of whom were big snobs.

All of this changed, when in the beginning of the book, a tornado hit hard and many folks lost their homes and precious items. Many lives were taken, some spared, and the whole neighborhood had to come together all living in a shelter together.

Jennilee saved the life of Eudora, and her granddaughter Lacy, who lost her parents and won't speak to anyone. While they are in this shelter together, Jennilee does a lot to help rescue items people have lost by posting pictures up on a board. She cooks, cleans, and helps the injured as well during all of this disaster. People gradually come to love and admire her, even the very haughty Dr. Albright.

On the other side of this coin though, Jennilee has lost part of her family, (Dad and brother Nate), and can't imagine where they are when the storm destroyed their town. She fears the worst that they were seriously injured or even killed, and as the story continues, what happens comes to light, and whether they are lucky to have survived remains to be seen. Jen's older brother Drew is finally coming around as well, but Jennilee holds a lot of resentment there as Drew left when her mom was dying and they needed him there.

It is just a good 'down-home' type of book. I look forward to seeing what Wingate's others are like.

This book was one of the best I have read in a long time. All of Lisa Wingate books are wonderful. She has a way of writing that makes one cry. Many lessons to be learned from her stories. I have read all 5 of her books and am eagerly awaiting her next one which I have already ordered but won't be out until November.