Customer Reviews

Lessons at Blackberry Inn: Adventures with the Gentle Art of Learning

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you've read Pocketful of Pinecones then you will thoroughly enjoy spending more time with Carol and her family! If you haven't read the first book, this one can definitely be enjoyed on it's own. This book explores the lives of several of the towns folk a bit more in depth then the first book did. I found the experience to be similar to the Mitford series. As a homeschooler, I enjoyed the way the book illustrates the Charlotte Mason method being applied to everyday life. As a bonus, the book includes several wonderful recipes and other useful information. Simply delightful!

Just finished Lessons at Blackberry Inn and enjoyed it as much as Andreola's other work. You cannot imagine the soothing effect these living books have on a frayed heart at the end of the day! I appreciate the main character's (Carol's) transparency. I love the way Andreola allows us into Carol's thoughts, modeling for us the importance of discernment in how we act on what we feel. In regards to the lengthy negative comment above, I believe that while the author's intent was to show that home education is important, she also wanted to articulate that the mother who teaches at home also has a relationship with the Lord, with her husband, her family, and her friends. For a more "nuts and bolts" book on the Charlotte Mason approach, I highly recommend Andreola's Charlotte Mason Companion. In Lessons at Blackberry Inn, I especially enjoyed the "Author's Chatterbox" at the end of the book, a glimpse into the author's life. Ready for the next book in this series!

This is the sequel to Pocketful of Pinecones. I love them both. A fictional account of a home school mom in the early 1900s. She uses the Charlotte Mason approach and is not so different from many moms today. Lots of home school tips woven into the narrative and lots of inspiring quotes.

I have enjoyed Andreola's other books, Pocketful of Pinecones and the Charlotte Mason Companion, so was really looking forward to spending some time with her insights about homeschooling the Charlotte Mason way. Instead, I got a meandering, uneventful, poorly written piece of fiction with only the barest hint of homeschooling in practice.

The focus of the book is on Carol, a 1930s woman and her young family who live with an elderly woman named Emma, helping her run a B&B. There is a flavor of Depression-Era issues, including an episode with a hobo and his search for his lost family, the hard work and simple food, growing and preserving and cooking food from the garden and woods. But don't think any of this is in-depth. Not even the few examples of how she teaches her children (and, at one point, all the village children) in the Charlotte Mason approach are presented with anything more than brief snatches -- the whole description of this could have been distilled into one or two pages of a blog. Since this is what I bought the book for, I was disappointed to say the least.

Perhaps it will be argued that the book was supposed to be about "gentle living" more than gentle learning, but if that's the case, then were I to judge it on its merits as fiction, it would be sorely lacking. The dialogue is often stilted and uninteresting, the drive for the story is almost entirely missing (if there is any question at all, it's whether or not Carol will feel able to think of the house as partly her own rather than only Emma's, and I suppose this is sort of resolved at the end -- after the most gentle and, to my mind, unrealistic natural birthing experience on record), and the character of Carol is lacklustre.

Sorry to be such a kill-joy. I wanted to like the book and wanted to enjoy reading about homeschooling in action, but this wasn't the forum for it. I persevered till the end, and I'm still wondering why I bothered.

Definitely one to get from the library, if at all.

This book was wonderful. It's content is also a great source for homescooling curriculum. I especially liked the references to poems and paintings, and narration that I am now using in my homeschooling.

I have always enjoyed Karen Androla's books and enjoyed Lessons At Blackberry Inn. It is hard to find books that focus on the joys of making a home but this is a book that does just that. I enjoyed reading about Carol's days, as she canned, cook and schooled her children. I look forward to more book by Karen!!! Clarice @ Storybook Woods

This book is a breath of fresh air. The author writes in an engaging style that leads the reader through the "how to" of Charlotte Mason homeschooling without interrupting the storyline. A great book for someone interested in Charlotte Mason homeschooling.

I just finished this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While it's not a "page-turner," the story was definitely engaging and heart-warming. What I like the most about this book is how Carol(the main character) embodies the gentle mothering and living that I am aspiring to in my own life. Though the story is fictional, it is real enough to teach many truths about what an ideal family life is like. I found the methods of teaching Carol uses with her children to be an inspiration in my own homeschooling.
At the heading of every chapter is a wise and appropriate saying, worthy of copyig into my own journal. The pictures, generously placed throughout the book are uplifting. They were done by the authour's son!
This is not the kind of book you pick up if you want a heart-stopping story. But if you are looking for a fresh outlook in your homeschool, if you embrace homemakng and would like a companion, if you like to learn through inspiration, rather then being told exactly what to do, then this is the book for you! Be prepared with a notebook and pencil to jot down all kinds of notes- everything from sayings, to the books Carol uses with her children (many are still available today), to homemaking ideas.
You will not be disappointed!

If Andreola's goal was to teach about gentle schooling, she failed. Too few details, thoroughly uninspiring.
If she wanted to teach about gentle living, she failed there, too. Most women in the 30's stayed home and nothing about Carol's character causes the reader to want to emulate her.
If Andreola wanted merely to entertain the reader, WOW -- horrors. Plot, characters, dialogue -- terribly amateur, stiff and sometimes baffling. Painful to read. Shame on her publisher!!!
However, if Andreola's mission was to make some money while staying at home, plus giving her child (the book's illustrator) some publishing experience, I guess it was a homerun.
I don't intend any unkindness to Andreola. I just wish I had my money back because this was an utter waste, and I'd like to keep others from making the same mistake. I bought it to share with my teen daughter, but I just wouldn't want her to waste her time on such sub-par writing.