Hidden History (Tales from Grace Chapel Inn, Book 3) [Paperback]

Melody Carlson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2007

While giving the laundry room of Grace Chapel Inn a thorough cleaning, Alice Howard finds an old hatbox containing her father's teenage journal dating back to the early 1900s. As Alice reads it aloud each evening to her sisters, Louise and Jane, the hidden history of their beloved father sheds new light on his life and their own. Meanwhile, a guest at Grace Chapel Inn turns out to be the sister of Mark Graves, veterinarian Alice dated back in nursing school. Jane invites him to dinner and Alice and Mark end up doing late night surgery on a plum-pie-eating pig. Will the time they've spent together lead to more?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Melody Carlson has published more than ninety books for children, teens and adults ? with sales totaling more than two million copies and many titles appearing on the ECPA bestsellers list.? Several of Melody’s books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards, including the Gold Medallion and the RITA Award.? Over the years, Melody has worn many hats, from preschool teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor and author.? She has two grown sons and lives in central Oregon with her husband and chocolate Lab retriever.? They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.

Product Details

• Paperback: 297 pages
• Publisher: Guideposts; Retail edition (February 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824947096
• ISBN-13: 978-0824947095
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melody Carlson has written around 200 books for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her books range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including the Rita and Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The novel's message that excitement, change and new adventures are possible for women in mid-life is appealing, June 6, 2007

By 

FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hidden History (Tales from Grace Chapel Inn, Book 3) (Paperback)

Melody Carlson, who launched the first book in the Tales from Grace Chapel Inn multiple-author series, returns to write this sweet, homespun third installment, which picks up seamlessly from the two previous novels.

In BACK HOME AGAIN, Carlson began the story with an account of three middle-aged sisters --- Alice, Louise and Jane -- who return to Acorn Hill, PA, after the death of their adored father, a minister. Together, they reinvent their old Victorian family home as a bed and breakfast. Author Judy Baer wrote book two, RECIPES AND WOODEN SPOONS, which centered on Jane finding an old cookbook full of notations from her mother who died when Jane was born. As the narrative of the three aging sisters unfolded, readers cheered them on as they discovered new gifts, forged a closer relationship and found a deeper faith in God.

In the third installment, Alice discovers her father's old journal dating back from his teen years in an old hatbox. As the three sisters gather in the evenings, taking turns reading aloud from the journal, they discover secrets about their father that illuminate how he became the man of faith they remember. "To think he once considered himself an atheist," exclaims Jane. As the journal details his difficulties at home, what they discover also helps them understand their cantankerous Aunt Ethel, a perennial although beloved thorn in the side of the sisters. "So it doesn't bother you to think that we may have some skeletons in the closet?" Jane asks her sisters. "Goodness, Jane, it is not as if anyone committed murder," retorts Louise. "Not that we know of," Jane says.

As the story progresses, Alice gets a makeover and fashion update when an old flame comes back into her life. Although she has embraced the many changes she has made over the past few years, deciding whether to welcome the attentions of the handsome veterinarian who once disappointed her may involve a bigger revamping of her life than she has anticipated. What will she do?

A more somber theme concerns a friend of the sisters who is suffering from a mysterious ailment. Alice consoles her by saying, "We're going to get you through this, Vera. Now, remember what you're always telling me. Instead of worrying, go to God. Ask Him to lead you through this and to make you well. That's what I'm doing." In the end, it is Alice who discovers the cause of Vera's ailment and saves the day. The way she stumbles across the diagnosis is contrived enough that even Christian readers may have trouble believing it. But it does give Vera back her health and show the small community of Acorn Hill that God is in charge of the smallest details of their lives, which is part of the point of the series.

This is a light read, which requires some suspension of disbelief. The "finding an old journal" is a stock element in inspirational fiction (and was used in a different way in the previous novel). The back-to-back dialogue keeps the plot moving along but doesn't allow for as much introspection as might be hoped. The absence of contractions makes the dialogue stiff and formal at times, something that easily could have been fixed. ("Does Alice think it is fun? I am not sure that she actually does.")

Touches of humor are sprinkled throughout. (Of Alice's old dog, her sister Louise notes, "Stupid as stone. Why, that dog used to chase parked cars.") A humorous thread throughout the story is a friend who buys a Vietnamese potbellied pig and treats it as a baby. It isn't long before Louise is knitting the pig a pink baby ensemble.

The novel's message that excitement, change and new adventures are possible for women in mid-life is appealing, and the three sisters are noteworthy for their independence, faith and courage. Readers who enjoyed the first two books in the Tales from Grace Chapel Inn series won't be disappointed.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hidden History, September 11, 2009

By 

Belle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hidden History (Tales from Grace Chapel Inn, Book 3) (Paperback)

I have enjoyed this book and the other 3 "Tales from Grace Chapel Inn" by Melody Carlson. Light reading but keeps your interest. I agree with another reviewer who said that this series is difficult to understand which books come next as they are written by different authors and seem to be numbered differently. So far I have only read the first 4 written by Melody Carlson and find them really good, especially since I have two sisters myself and can really relate to the characters. Can someone explain the series numbering order? Is there more than one series? What's the deal????

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing, May 7, 2011

By 

Mom's Reading Again (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hidden History (Tales from Grace Chapel Inn, Book 3) (Paperback)

I'm rather surprised about the good reviews of this book. I bought it for $1 at a used book sale, not knowing it was part of a series, although I don't think it matters if you haven't read others in the series.

The back of the book caught my eye with the plot line of a daughter finding an old journal of her father's, and learning things about him that she and her sisters hadn't known. Sadly, the writing was far too shallow and simplistic to keep me interested. It seemed to be written at about a 4th grade level with very little depth of character or literary style. I found myself skipping through the book just to read the father's journal entries, in order to learn what "secrets" were unknown to his daughters. But even that was somewhat disappointing and I felt like I had wasted my time, even though I didn't read the second half of the book in it's entirety.

If you like very easy, simple, light reading, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, I'd recommend skipping it.