Customer Reviews

Hearts Divided: 5-B Poppy Lane\The Apple Orchard\Liberty Hall

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

*** In this sweet little story collection, past and present are bridged by a common thread of love and revealed secrets. Granddaughters learn lessons about love from their grandmothers' recollections of the past, of loves they had in the WW II era. The stories are connected by email messages between the three grandmothers, but they do have a common theme. Debbie Macomber's entry that opens the anthology is the strongest of the three, however, each one is a sweet, safe read for book lovers of all ages to enjoy. ***

Amanda Killgore

Of the three stories, I enjoyed the one by Katherine Stone the best. It was very sweet and the characters were cute. The bit about the grandmother's eyesight seemed sort of random, though... kind of like the author wanted to just throw in some information that people should know about cataracts.
The story by Debbie Macomber sort of seemed... a little dated, I guess. As I read it, I sort of wondered if it had been written years ago and was being republished, with a few updates to accomodate for technological advances (cell phones, email). It was just an impression I got from the characters, I think.
I have no real complains about the Lois Faye Dyer story. It was fine.
All in all, an okay book, but not a keeper.

"5-B Poppy Lane" by Debbie Macomber. In Cedar Cove, Washington, anti-war protester Ruth Shelton has been exchanging letters and email with USMC Sergeant Paul Gordon. However, he is coming home from Afghanistan on leave and wants to meet her in person. She has doubts because of his occupation

"Liberty Hall" by Katherine Stone. Former sergeant Jake Morrissey visits his friend Dan at the University of Washington Medical Center's rehabilitation Medicine Department where his brother in arms is getting an artificial leg installed. Jake meets English Professor Chloe Abbott whose group the Seattle's Women's Club has donated much of the medical equipment. They are attracted to one another form the start, but someone with a grudge plans to use her as a throw away pawn to get at Jake.

"The Apple Orchard" by Lois Faye Dyer. In Sarah's Orchard, Washington though he knows he will be punished by his mother's latest boyfriend, Nick rescues the toddler. Elizabeth's grandparents Charles and Clara are grateful. Years later, an adult Nick returns to Sarah's Orchard where to his shock Clara knows him instantly as Elizabeth's hero. He stays there basking in the grandparent-like love of Charles and Clara. When Charles dies he remains there for Clara. When Elizabeth returns home, she and her hero fall in love but he keeps his military experience secret from her so she has doubts.

These three terrific Washington State novellas star heroic military men and realistic women with doubts about a relationship with a soldier/veteran. The key to the tales is that diverse opinions on the Global War Against Terrorism is treated with respect and not wrapped inside phony for or against patriotic fervor while honoring the soldier.

Harriet Klausner

Usually there is one or two weak stories in an anthology, and I'm pleased that this collection contained three winners! I like how they were interconnected. The grandmothers in each story were best friends with each other, and kept in touch through newsy letters/emails that revealed or reinforced components of the plots. As well, there was a strong military theme that served as a reminder to support our troups, even when we have mixed feelings about the war itself. Freedom comes with a price.

5B Poppy Lane by Debbie Macomber: I'm always amazed at how Debbie Macomber can pack so much substance, with such a detailed plot and well-developed characters, into a 100 page short story! Grandmother Helen's story was quite heavy and almost overwhelmingly tragic. I like the way her story unravelled, as a supportive historical backdrop to the contemporary relationship between Paul and Ruth. Very well done!

Liberty Hall by Lois Faye Dyer. What a fascinating story, filled with action, mystery and danger! It contained a well-written suspenseful plot, with nicely drawn characters. I especially liked the collegate setting. Lois Faye Dyer is the only author in this collection whose works I hadn't read before, and I was quite impressed.

The Apple Orchard by Katherine Stone: Such a sweet story about the transforming power of love. Nick had such a heartbreaking start in life, and it was nice to see what a wonderful young man he turned out to be despite the odds. Another enjoyable story by Katherine Stone.

The first part of the book that Debbie Macomber wrote was great, but the two that followed by two other authors were not as good. They were ok and the story lines were good, but their style of writing was not as good as Debbie's. It is really obvious in the second story that you are no longer in Macomber land.

5-B Poppy Lane

Ruth is a student going to school for her masters degree. She decides to send a Christmas card to a soldier serving in Iraq. His name is Paul Gordon. Although Ruth and Paul disagree on the war, they develop a strong friendship and write to each other constantly. After a few months Paul informs Ruth that he will be on leave soon and he is hoping to see her. Ruth is excited and nervous. She plans to bring Paul to her grandmother Helen's house while he is there.

Ruth and Paul have an emotional and beautiful first meeting. But their huge political differences stand in their way. During their lunch, Helen reveals a secret that shocks and distresses all of them.

Helen's experiences help Ruth to deal with her feelings for Paul. If they can both bend a little, they may be able to work through their differences and embrace the unexpected love they have found in each other's arms.

5-B Poppy Lane is a blend of powerful emotions and romance. Helen survived heartache and tragedy and through her, Ruth learns the importance of love and acceptance. Ruth and Paul were strangers who end up finding their soulmates. It is so romantic. 5-B Poppy Lane is a very tender and moving story.

Liberty Hall

Chloe is a professor. She is helping her grandmother Winifred on a project when she meets Jake. Jake is semi-retired from the Marines. He is very interested in Chloe and Chloe is attracted to Jake as well. Their relationship gets jump-started when Chloe's life is in danger. Someone from Jake's past is out for revenge and Chloe becomes the perfect way to make Jake suffer.

Jake worries that the man who has targeted Chloe is the same man that has been following him for weeks. With help from a detective, Jake and Chloe discover who the stalker is, but before they can find him he locates Chloe and Winifred first.

Liberty Hall is an exciting and mysterious story. Jake's take charge personality is enticing and Chloe's intelligence and femininity are a good match for him. Their courtship is surrounded by passionate kisses and danger, but their relationship becomes solid because of the strife they face.

The Apple Orchard

Elizabeth has been betrayed by her fiancé, Matthew, so she heads to Sarah's Orchard to be comforted by her grandmother Clara.

Nick lived in Sarah's Orchard as a child. One night when he was a boy and Elizabeth was just a toddler, he saved her when she wandered away from her home. Nick left right after that with his mother and her, then, boyfriend. When he came of age, Nick headed out on his own, but he eventually came back home to Sarah's Orchard. After spending time with Elizabeth, Nick falls in love with her.

Through her grandfather's letters written to Clara during the war, Elizabeth thinks he was hiding things. Nick was also in the military and he understands the need to hide the awful truth of war from those you love.

Nick and Elizabeth find something special back in Sarah's Orchard. Home is truly where the heart is.

The Apple Orchard is a very sweet story. Nick is a lost soul and a good man. Elizabeth is a sweetheart and they make a loving couple. I love a story about love that transcends time. Nick and Elizabeth were meant to be. Sarah's Orchard is a lovely place. It's the perfect place to call home.

Hearts Divided contains a trio of heart-felt and moving stories. 5-B Poppy Lane is a story about acceptance and compromise. Liberty Hall has intrigue and excitement, and The Apple Orchard is romantic and tender. Helen, Winifred, and Clara are amazing women. Their experiences brought back memories of my grandparents and their war stories. Hearts Divided is a touching book that put a smile on my face and warmth in my heart.

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

As always Debbie Macomber comes through with another heart-warming, enjoyable journey into life. Although the ideas for her books may come from various friends, acquaintances or conscientious flashes, the end result always seems to make life through Debbie's characters something to cherish.

Hearts Divided consists of three short stories along the same theme: grandmothers who were soldier brides; granddaughters involved with soldiers. The grandmothers are friends from long ago, and the stories weave into one another.
5B Poppy Lane by Debbie Macomber is a Cedar Cove short story that occurs between 50 Harbor Street and 6 Rainier Drive, although it is not necessary to have read the Cedar Cove books to enjoy this romance. Ruth Shelton is studying in Seattle and has been corresponding with a marine, Sergeant Paul Gordon stationed in Afghanistan, although she is against war. Ruth's grandmother, Helen Shelton, lives in Cedar Cove, at 5B Poppy Lane, and was married to a soldier, Lieutenant Sam Shelton. When Paul and Ruth meet for the first time, they are very much attracted to each other, but Ruth's stance against the military and Paul's dedication to his military career presents them with a dilemma regards their ongoing relationship. When Helen meets Paul, she is reminded of her first husband, Jean-Claude, a resistance fighter in Paris during the war. She decides to tell of her wartime experiences, something she has kept to herself for over sixty years. Helen and Sam's relationship is echoed in Ruth and Paul's. A sweet romance.
Liberty Hall is the 16th romance story by Lois Faye Dyer. Professor Chloe Abbott is an English lecturer at the University of Washington. Attending a PR event about the donation of equipment for disabled returned servicemen with her grandmother, Winifred Abbott, Chloe meets Jake Morrissey, ex-Marine corps sergeant, now a demolitions expert. They are instantly attracted, and eventually begin seeing each other. Meanwhile, Chloe has the feeling she is being followed, a feeling Jake insists on treating seriously. When a document written in code drops through her mail slot, she enlists Winifred's help: Winifred worked as a code-breaker with her soldier husband, Richard, during the war. This is a romance with a bit of mystery and action added. A charming romance.
The Apple Orchard is the 24th romance story by Katherine Stone. Elizabeth Winslow is engaged to Matthew Blaine and looking forward to her wedding, although perhaps not as much as the mothers who are doing to planning. Just one thing is bothering her: her beloved grandmother, Clara McKenzie, seems convinced that Matthew is not the right man for her. When this proves, painfully, to be true, Elizabeth retreats to Clara's Oregon farm in the town of Sarah's Orchard, for the comfort only a grandmother can give. Although someone else is also standing by to give comfort: ex-Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Lawton, having saved Elizabeth once before, when she was too young to remember it, is only too eager to save her again. I thought the back-story for Nick was beautiful: a delightful romance.

I read it all in one sitting. I couldn't even take a bathroom break :) I highly recommend.

I have read every single book from Debbie's Cedar Cove series beisids all the other books she has published!! WONDERFUL!! Anyone would enjoy this series, if they love to read!!