The Potluck Club (The Potluck Club, Book 1) [Paperback]

Linda Evans Shepherd (Author), Eva Marie Everson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

A spicy-multi generational mix of women meet once a month to pray and share the joys of cooking, but they find a recipe for disaster in this contemporary, humorous tale of friendship and grace.

Real life. Real books. Novel ideas.
An unlikely mix of women from Grace Church meet once a month to eat and pray. Byt only when they invite God to the table do they realize that friendship is the spice of life and a little dash of grace, just like salt, goes a long way. With delicious characters and a tasty plot, The Potluck Club is a story to savor.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Meet the Potluck Club--six women who gather each month to share their insatiable appetite for good friends, great food, and a pinch of prayer. Their seemingly unlikely friendship brings a little spice to life in Summit View, Colorado. But when they send up enough misinformed prayers to bring down a church, things get interesting . . .

Evie's niece arrives with a broken heart and a big surprise.
Lisa Leann tries to take over.
Goldie's marriage turns sour.
Donna stews over a strange encounter.
Lizzie's librarian eyes are on the lookout for trouble.
Vonnie must come to terms with a secret she's kept hidden from her best friends.

But who knows what life will serve as The Potluck Club discovers that friendship is no piece of cake and a little dash of grace, like salt, goes a long way.

About the Author

Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson are award-winning authors, successful speakers, radio personalities, and avid readers of fiction. They've also led numerous Bible studies and women's retreats, and still find time to be wives and mothers. Linda lives in Longmont, Colorado, and Eva lives in Casselberry, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Revell; Reprinted edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800759842
• ISBN-13: 978-0800759841
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Cardboard Christian Cut-outs, May 29, 2006

By 

Cheri Cowell (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Potluck Club (The Potluck Club, Book 1) (Paperback)

This is the way Christian fiction should be written. No cardboard Christian cut-outs of sweet angelic women none of us can relate to. These women are real, just the kind of women I find in my own community. We/they are real, they struggle with their faith and how to live it out in the real world with real life problems and in real life situations. After reading this book you will be affirmed as I was not only as a woman, but as an authentic Christian woman. This book does not hit you over the head with a preachy message, but through the lives of these women you will see real faith, lived out in the real world, from real women. No cardboard Christian cut-outs here.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Potluck Club, December 5, 2005

By 

Cathy Barnes (Lemmon, SD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Potluck Club (The Potluck Club, Book 1) (Paperback)

Tired of books with no plot? This book will satisfy your need for something to exercise your mind. Many stories within the story rivet your attention, keeping you turning the pages till the very end. Through it all you see that God is, indeed, capable of taking care of even the smallest details and using them for the good in each person's life. You'll meet:

1.Evie - leader of The Potluck Club/prayer group, needing deliverance from the crushing weight of grief;
2.Evie's niece, Leigh - seeking God's direction for her life;
3.Donna - bitter and angry, learning to cope;
4.Lisa Leann - bossy from the word "Go" but grudgingly accepted into the group;
5.Goldie - in special need of prayer support;
6.Lizzie - rock solid in her marriage and convictions;
7.Vonnie - hiding a secret that will eventually come out;

All wrapped together by a nosy reporter, getting the scoop on The Potluck Club. Get yourself a cup of tea and one of Lisa Leann's cinnamon rolls (the recipes are included!) and journey into the world of the Potluck Club. You'll be glad you did!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Books about food are always good, October 6, 2006

By 

Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Potluck Club (The Potluck Club, Book 1) (Paperback)

I've always been the type of person that enjoys a good book when eating. Somehow reading a book about food always makes the meal tastier even if what I'm reading isn't what I'm eating. "The Potluck Club" is another one of those great eating/reading books. It even comes complete with recipes from the dishes mentioned in the story in case you get a hankering for beef brisket, cinnamon rolls or broccoli casserole. I really enjoyed this book. It gave the story from many different angles, with the characters all have different personalities. The premise of the story deals with a group of women meeting together for prayer and potluck. The women are real, experiencing funny and heartbreaking events together. Each character has a background story that they try to keep secret from the others. I am very glad that the book did not fault Goldie for her decision in her situation with her husband. Other books would have let the matter slide by or have Goldie give in. My favorite scene in the book dealt with a certain bear and a chocolate cake. I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. (Of course if I had been in that situation I wouldn't be.)

My only complaint was the character of Clay. I'm not sure why his viewpoint is in the story. I understand he's a newspaper journalisty trying to get a story for the paper, but he just came across as annoying, nosy, and stalkerish. I also hope the conflict with Lisa Leann and Evangeline is either resovled or more fleshed out. This is a good book for women, perfect for a book club to read and discuss over a potluck! and yes! the library just got book 2 in.