Customer Reviews

Wishing on Dandelions (Maranatha Series #2)

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Wishing on Dandelions is the sequel to Watching the Tree LImbs. It continues the story of Maranatha, the young girl we met in the first book. A victim of childhood sexual abuse, Mara is a tenager now and living with her Uncle Zane. Georgeanne Peach, who was hired to take care of Uncle Zane after his stroke, takes over and before Maranatha relizes what has happened, Georgeanne has fired Zady and talked Uncle Zane into marrying her.

Georgeanne hates the old home that Mara has come to love and wants to move to a new house across town. With too many changes, coming too fast, Maranatha wonders if God really cares for her.

Sexual abuse of children is on the rise, and it's all too often the subject no one talks about. There are many Maranatha's whose story has never been told. Mary DeMuth brings it out in the open in a beautifully written tale that captures the reader from the beginning. Wishing on Dandelions is a story of love, redemption, and healing that will speak to many. If you liked Watching the Tree Limbs, you will want Wishing on Dandelions.

Wishing on Dandelions is another amazing work of art by the author, Mary DeMuth. The prose is beautiful, the story is riveting, and I loved the entire novel. The characters are so real. Some parts were so funny they had me rolling and other parts had me on the edge of my seat. I loved Watching the Tree Limbs, but I think I love Wishing on Dandelions even more. I love how the author shows true Christianity in her stories through the love that is shown to Maranatha by the people who care about her.

I also loved the honest portrayal of merely religious people and their stifling ways. They are often the people who stunt the growth of new and struggling believers. Oh, and the tension between Maranatha and the two Charlies was fantastic, and the racism issue very realistic. Plus, the reluctance Maranatha exhibited in regards to helping put the "bad guy" in jail is very typical of abuse victims. They are SO afraid. Totally believeable.

Georgeanne and the uncle are so classic--as is their relationship. I loved watching them grow emotionally by occasionally popping from behind their protective walls to show affection to Maranatha the only way they knew how. And I loved Camilla's quirky poem ministry to Maranatha. Great stuff! You have to read the story to get my meaning there. The long and short of this review is...I don't want the series to end. I want to see Maranatha get married and deal once again with the issues that will arise when she makes those sacred vows and bears children. I hope the publisher agrees! Highly recommended!

Can you trust God once more after your life has been broken? It doesn't happen overnight, as 17-year-old Maranatha Winningham learns in this well-crafted story. WISHING ON DANDELIONS is a follow-up to WATCHING THE TREE LIMBS, in which Maranatha is abused by a young neighbor. In the opening pages of Mary DeMuth's latest novel, the reader learns that Natha's best friend Camille has left the small town of Burl, Texas, for college. Natha, meanwhile, plunges into her senior year of high school.

Because both her parents are dead, Natha lives with her father's brother. Since his stroke, Uncle Zane moves much slower and, while never much of a conversationalist, talks even less. Natha's home life is in turmoil when Uncle Zane marries Georgeanne, who has her own ideas about how the household should be run and in what part of town to live. Throughout the story, Georgeanne tries to build some sort of a relationship with Natha but often ends up crossing some imaginary barrier and offending the teen.

Then Violin Charlie, the son of a judge who lives in a better area in Burl, invites Natha to the Homecoming Dance. Georgeanne pitches in and takes Natha to purchase a new pink dress, building a bit of good will. Ultimately, Georgeanne has plans to move the entire family to this better part of town, which throws Natha into a panic as she wonders if she will be able to leave the protection of the house she has always known.

The abuse from the past comes roaring back into Natha's life. One day she rides her bicycle to a property where she likes to think. A man named Jake Gully confronts her about trespassing and then offers her a ride into town. When she gets into his truck, he takes off away from town and acts suggestively toward her. Natha manages to escape and reports the incident to the police. Miss Nichols, the assistant district attorney, pressures Natha to testify against Gully. After being convinced that he will be freed without her testimony, a reluctant Natha finally agrees to take that big step, as friends and family gather to support her throughout the trial.

WISHING ON DANDELIONS will keep the reader turning pages to see how Natha deals with the various obstacles that life throws in her direction. DeMuth has written an emotionally-charged novel that will help others grow in their own faith relationship.

--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin

This book continues the story begun in Watching the Tree Limbs as Maranatha, now seventeen, still struggles to deal with her past and discover her place in the world. As in the first book, nuggets of insight shine as jewels, like the exchange between Maranatha and Zady about obedience and trust in God (pp. 266-67), which spoke deeply to me in a time when I needed it.

The author doesn't shy away from the hard questions of our faith--and yet the story goes on to answer the questions in the best way it can, in a style that's deep and rich and lyrical.

Not for the fainthearted, perhaps--DeMuth plunges right through some stereotypes of race and denominationalism--but a gorgeous reminder of how far-reaching is the redeeming hand of our Savior.

After reading Watching the Tree Limbs by Mary DeMuth, I couldn't wait to get my hands on her next novel. Now that I've read it, I can only say that it was well worth the wait.

DeMuth is unarguably one of the more gifted writers to grace any bookshelf in years. Picking up with Maranatha's story where she left off at the end of Watching the Tree Limbs, the author re-introduces the characters in such a way as to make the reader happy at being reunited with dearly beloved--if a bit eccentric--old friends. And from first page to last, DeMuth succeeds in making us cheer for Maranatha, as she struggles to overcome the demons of her past and fears of the future. May the saga of this little Texas town and its so-very-real inhabitants continue through the writing and publishing of many more books!

Wishing on Dandelions is a great follow up to Watching the Tree Limbs in the Maranatha Series. I'm glad DeMuth let readers see what happens to Maranatha. While this novel contains a love story, it's so natural and sweet that the book doesn't come across like a romance, but more of a journey where readers get to see Maranatha learn to let herself be loved.

If you are looking for a book that stirs your emotions and keeps you up until the wee hours of the morning, then I highly recommend Wishing on Dandelions by Mary DeMuth. WOD is the sequel to DeMuth's debut novel, Watching the Tree Limbs. Although it took me a little longer to be drawn into this second book, it surpasses the first. WTTL focuses on redemption, and as a natural progression, WOD focuses on learning how to accept God's love and growing deeper in understanding our redemption.

I found this story heavier that the first book, despite the fact that the main traumatic events occur to Maranatha in WTTL. For me, I identified on a deeper level with the struggle to fully grasp and accept that God loves me despite all my faults. While I enjoyed the first book, I connected more with the second. I appreciated the new characters Mary introduced as well. Some of them I liked immediately, and only wished to know them more. Some of them had to grow on me, but the more glimpses I got into their hearts, the more I wanted to know about their back stories. Still others I appreciated for the reality of their humanity. One character in particular I really thought was going to have a change of heart after he heard Maranatha's story, but he didn't. In fact, the depth of the judgment in his soul only became more evident. At first I was appalled, but then quickly realized that people like that do exist and therefore have an appropriate - even necessary - place in a novel like this.

One of the many things I enjoy about Mary's writing is that while she is a Christian author who discusses Christian values and issues, her books do not feel "Christian." Do you follow me here? Writing a great story is what comes first for Mary, not writing a Christian story that she hopes is great. Of course, Jesus pours out onto her page, but that's because He's so pervasive in her life, not because she has an agenda to write about Him. I applaud her for writing reality, writing authentically and writing with excellence. It's no wonder she's nominated for a Christy Award.

Wishing On Dandelions by Mary E. DeMuth couldn't come soon enough for me. I had devoured the first in the Maranatha series (Watching Tree Limbs) and was left wanting more. Part of the appeal for me was the raw Texas setting, since I lived several years in East Texas.
In Wishing On Dandelions, the main character, Maranatha Winningham is now a teenager trying to find her place in the world. Her history of sexual abuse taints the many events teenagers usually enjoy. She has more than teenage angst to blame for her struggles.
Maranatha also has to learn to deal with a new woman in her life. Uncle Zane married shallow Georganne Peach and brought her home amid many changes. While wedding drama is going on, Maranatha grapples with her feelings for Charlie. Was it wrong for her to love him as more than a friend? Nothing was black and white.
Reading this book will possibly be like rubbing salt in a wound. The same salt that stings, heals. As Wishing On Dandelions comes to a close, you will find issues resolved in your own life-issues you didn't even realize you were still struggling with. Go ahead, blow away the dandelion seeds and make a wish. It just might come true!

Sometimes you read a book that takes you to a place and a time and leaves you there. The things you read become your experiences, your realities. And when you close the book you realize your life is enriched by what you read.

Wishing On Dandelions by Mary E. DeMuth is such a book. From the first sentence, through the tornado to the last page the reader experiences life in small town Texas.

Maranatha Winningham, a teenager with a gentle spirit is trying to find her way in the world that stole her innocence. Trust holds no place in her heart. Hope often disappears as dandelion seeds blows across an autumn meadow.

In the way only a teenage can, Maranatha tries to under stand many things at once. How can Uncle Zane marry that horrid Georganne Peach? Is there really more to her than you can see? Why can't she share her true feelings with Charlie? And what does his color have to do with it anyway? Why does the owner of the General Store care for her so much? And will she ever be able to get the 'mark' of her past away from her?

Open the pages of this book and enter Maranatha's world. Grow, hurt, and find hope and trust with her. When you close the book there will be a smile on your face and joy in your heart. And a field of summer dandelions will forever be a field of wishes.

I'd never read any of Mary DeMuth's fiction until this book. Maranatha's story is well-crafted and will stir your heart--and your soul. Throughout the pages, the character grows in her faith and trust of God and others. I highly recommend it.