Customer Reviews

Julie

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Julie Wallace is 18 when her family moves to a small town in Pennsylvania. Her father has invested the family savings in a floundering newspaper. Julie becomes its star reporter and, in the year the book covers, she matures into a lovely young woman.

Exploitative labor practices in the local steel mill, a minister who defies the town powers to provide support for downtrodden workers, Julie's youthful idealism, her father's illness and struggle to build his newspaper and establish himself in the community all combine with teenage awakening and a couple of natural disasters to make a highly entertaining and spiritually enlightening book. Turns out the book is autobiographical and it's at least as successful as Marshall's CHRISTY.

Marshall's style is light and entertaining, never "preachy." But she gets a message across by demonstrating the power of faith and love in her characters' lives. Characters are full and vibrant, the story line moves tantalizingly and the language of the book is delightful.

I can't imagine anyone not enjoying JULIE.

Now after reading both Christy and Julie, Catherine Marshall has made herself and her books a home in my heart for all time. Julie especially is a special story that I know will never leave my memory nor heart. Julie, forced to move from her home town in Alabama to a flood-prone town in Pennsylvania, helps her dad take over a small and dying newspaper. She meets alot of interesting people, some welcoming her family to the community and others discriminating against her. Randolf Wilkinson, a man from the Hunting and Fishing Club, an elite place of gathering for Alderton's wealthy, instantly provides comfort and protection for Julie and her family. Rand and Julie's love is a very special part of this book, and in the end provides the strength and courage Julie needs to survive. Spencer Meloy, a local preacher, inspires Julie to keep reaching for her dreams and offers a friendship from the very start. Other characters, such as Margo, Julie's best friend, and Dean Fleming, an instant friend to Julie's father and the struggling newspaper, also help illistrate the love and meaning of this extremely well-written book. With all her family, friends, and most importantly, God, by her side, Julie finally starts on her quest to fullfill her hopes and dreams- her life.

If you are a Christian female or a female curious about Christianity, I highly suggest you read this fine piece of fiction, which is both highly entertaining and educational as well. I plan on rereading it soon. It is about a young woman who grows up when her family moves and experiences many struggles. Julie learns to make her faith in God her own (instead of just relying on her folks' faith) and falls in love for the first time. This is definitely a coming of age novel, although I think most females ages 13 to 80 would enjoy it. My mom recommended it to me when I was about 17.

I can't help wondering why this excellent book wasn't made into a movie or tv series like Christy was. I hope someday soon it is. It has to be true to the book, thought, like Christy was. Otherwise it will fail.

I read "Christy" several years ago and watched every episode of the television series when it was aired. I enjoyed "Christy" so much that I was anxious to read "Julie." I just finished reading "Julie" and it was excellent. The story is captivating and will keep you interested until the very end. Once I got to the last 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. Catherine Marshall has a way of allowing the reader into the hearts, minds, and emotions of her lead characters. I highly recommend this book. Curl up in a comfy chair with some hot chocolate and enjoy!

My mother introduced me to this book when I was a teenager and years later I still love reading it. It's got a bit of everything: action, suspense, politics, history, romance, social justice, theology. It never ceases to amaze me how much Catherine Marshall packed into this book. No wonder it took her years to write it! The majority of the story reads at a moderate to slow pace; it's all build-up and background for a spectacular climax unlike anything I've ever read. There are a few parts that are overly slow or cheesy -- keeping me from giving it a full five stars. Yet, I keep coming back to it and have probably read it ten times. Better than "Christy" in my opinion. Read it and find out for yourself!

I had read other books by Catherine Marshall years ago. My daughter-in-law put me in touch with this one - don' know how I missed it. It has everything, humor,romance, mystery, human interest, plus the Christian viewpoint. A well-written, meaty story which, I think, is hard to come by these days.

"Julie", written by Catherine Marshall, was a book that I enjoyed reading. It was a realistic account of a girl's life during a couple of her teenage years. Julie and her family moved to Alderton, in an effort to get away from some problems they had run into in their old town of Timmeton. Julie's father buys the town's newspaper business, to try to bring it back to life. The family suffers through many trials such as poverty, flood damage, and disagreements with other town folks. Because the story is realistic, it provoked different emotions within me as I read along. I felt a love for Julie and an appreciation for those who were involved in her life. I thought this was a good book that showed how important God is in a person's life, and how things seem to work out when people stick together during good times and bad, mountains and valleys.

I loved "Christy" and "Julie" is just as wonderful! Julie is a high school senior who works for her father's small newspaper and her family's and minister's beliefs and concerns for the town and its people secure the wrath of the wealthiest man in town and several others. It's inspiring how they deal with it and rise above it and find deeper faith in God. Also, I loved Julie and Randolph's romance. What girl wouldn't want to marry a man like Rand? A WONDEFUL book!

This was the best book I have ever read. I first read Christy, and thought it was good, then read this book, and thought it was even better! I loved the entire story. It keeps you wanting to read and read, and when the book is over, you wish it was longer! If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it!!!

After seeing the television series "Christy" I was very interested in reading more of Catherine Marshall's book. I went to my local library and found Julie. Julie is the daughter of a former preacher, now editor of a the local paper in Alderton, Pennsylvania. The story is set during the heart of the depression in the 1930's. Julie Wallace is an 18 year old senior and an up and coming reporter for her father's extremly small paper. Julie now becoming a fine woman is dealing with her emontions of both a family and romantic nature. The main conflict in the story is within Julie herself, but the physical climax is when the area dam breaks. After this the whole town must pull together and become one again. Julie is a wonderful book, so much so that I couldn't put it down. I'd recommend it to anyone with the soul for old fashion romance and time for a good book