Customer Reviews

Hold Up the Sky

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

 

 

Patricia has done it again when she introduces new characters that we come to love and know as friends. One of the things I greatly admire about Patricia's books is her in-depth character development. Great read. I couldn't put it down and then was sad when I finished because it was like taking a trip and making new friends and then having to leave and wondering how they are doing. I wanted the story to continue so I could visit with them some more!

I have read many of Patricia Sprinkle's books, and this is my favorite. It is rare that a book makes me cry and laugh, but this one did. These wonderful women and their friends and family became real to me as I read. As with the other reviews, I didn't want this book to end, and I hope we get to meet the characters again.

Ms. Sprinkle weaves a comforting story about four resilient women who find themselves together facing overwhelming and life changing difficulties.
Billie Waits, the mother of a 5-year old girl with cerebral palsy, has been raising her child alone since her husband deserted her. Now he's missing and the checks she depended on have stopped coming. Mamie Fountain, Billie's childhood nanny, has been told that she`s dying but refuses to stop helping others. Margaret Baxter, Billie's sister, has just been informed by her husband, and father of their two sons, that he no longer wants to be married to her. Emerita Gomez is a Mexican illegal who, with her husband, finds herself in this circle of women when their car breaks down. Together the women spend a long, hot, drought stricken summer and find a kinship that will last long after Mamie passes on.

This is the first Patricia Sprinkle book I have read and I loved it! She is a great storyteller and you come to love and admire her characters....only problem with the book is that it ended!! I will definitely read more of her work.

I loved this book! I felt like I really got to know and understand the characters, which the author developed with care. This book is about those complicated, wonderful, blessed, painful relationships we have with our sisters.I was sad when the book ended, and even though the ending was a bit predictable, it felt comfortable as an old quilt.

Patricia Sprinkle came to speak at our Christian Authors Guild spring conference a few weeks ago, and I went with my husband, who is the prez this year. Hearing Patricia speak and seeing what a good storyteller and communicator she is, I knew I wanted to read one of her many books. I picked this one, being more in the mood for a novel than a mystery, after Patricia described the plot to me. It was right in line with my life right now, since I'm learning in our ladies' prayer group how good and necessary it is for women to share together and help each other in our struggles.
The book has so many good insights, many of which come directly from the mouths of the women characters as they share with each other. I loved Mamie's description of the love of God, and the emphasis on the sacrament of shared memories. I read the book entirely while on a 4 day cruise with my husband. The story was a page-turner; the characters became like close friends. I had a hard time putting it down, and I was sad when it ended. I hope to read more about the characters in the future. I highly recommend 'Hold Up the Sky'.

Hold Up the Sky is your quintessential Southern story. Sweet tea, lazy afternoons, and peaches are part of the lifestyle in the part of Georgia where the story takes place. Patricia Sprinkle has created a story where four women have to go out of their comfort zone and take control of their lives. Instead of depending on others as they have done in the past, the women must make choices and decisions entirely on their own. The story is told from Billie Waits point of view but also visits the lives of Margaret, her sister; Mamie, the woman who took care of her as a child, and Emerita, a Mexican immigrant who comes to their town. Billie's plight includes a daughter born with cerebral palsy. Sprinkle delicately handles the struggles of a single mother who tries to take care of her disabled daughter as well as make a living for herself. Margaret has to handle a husband who decides he doesn't want to be in a marriage with her anymore and the repercussions that come from his decision. Meanwhile Mamie and Emerita are facing issues that involving their own personal well-being.

I felt that the story focuses more on Billie and Margaret and less on the other two women. In fact, Emerita is not introduced until about 2/3s of the story. However, the four women are all intertwined and their faith is what keeps them going on during these tough situations. It also all comes down to accepting the fact they all need help and must push past pride to ask for it. There are faith elements in this story but they are not done in a way that is overtly pushing beliefs on the reader. Situations involving divorce, infidelity, and abandonment in marriage are topics discussed throughout the book. One character faces the issues of not knowing whether to start a new relationship if the old relationship is not completely severed yet. The characters are well developed and many readers will probably be able to relate to at least one of the women. The story reads as a slice of life story with situations that will seem all too familiar to some readers. The world that Sprinkle has written about is one that I would to visit again in the future.

This book is one of the best that I have read this year. The author portrays four women in crises, and they all come together for each other. Each woman has her own problems, but finds the important things in life.
This is a book that any woman can relate too, because our lives are not perfect, and problems do come into play. Having others to share with you and be there for you, even though they are working on their own situations, is a blessing.
This book should be made into a movie. Women would not only relate to the story, but would learn some important lessons that life does change, but there are solutions.

Everyone keeps secrets. Patricia Sprinkle, a master story teller, shares the downfalls of keeping those secrets in an authentic and masterful way. In her down- to- earth novel, the author creates a great mix of characters, who just like in real life, some would be a blast to hang out with, while others may annoy you. A wonderful southern tale that weaves life lessons throughout, the author shows us to how to make it through tough times and come out better on the other side. To do so, we must move from independence to interdependence. Hold up the sky is one those books that never touched one of my bookmarks and made it to my list of favorites. You are guaranteed to enjoy this read.

I chose this book based on the other reviews and that Patricia Sprinkle is a local author. SO glad I did. It brought me to tears.