Women's Intuition (Paperback)

~ (Author) "FLANNERY DESERVES TO KNOW THE TRUTH about her father..." (more)
Key Phrases: prayer lady, surprise wedding, dessert time, Baby Girl, Father Charlie, Johnny Josefowski (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Samson, author of The Church Ladies, stakes out her claim as a novelist of distinction for readers who enjoy evangelical Christian fiction but often choke on the pabulum that passes for it. Larkspur Summerville is a 41-year-old paranoid virtual recluse who for 20 years has kept a secret from her family-a secret that now threatens to become her undoing. Raised Methodist, her sanity is partially tethered to playing the organ for St. Dominic's Catholic Church and experiencing the loving friendship of its priests, although Lark admits, "The whole Mary thing unsettles me." Lark spends most of her free time running a toll-free prayer line, 1-777-IPRAY4U. When Lark's house burns to the ground, she is forced to seek refuge with her estranged mother, Leslie, and Leslie's live-in housekeeper and Internet guru, Prisma Percy. Rounding out the household is Lark's hip, artsy daughter, Flannery, a barista at Starbucks, whose sanity is the glue that holds her strange family together. The finely crafted, first-person narratives alternate among the four women, with a short ending chapter from Lark's brother, Newly. Samson occasionally overwrites and is a little heavy on the dialogue, but her prose is mostly excellent, and the characters appealing and compelling. The centerpiece of the novel is its beautiful depiction of faith and fear that avoids canned Christian gospel presentation scenes but is clear in its message. With this offering, Samson places herself in the ranks of the CBA's best novelists, with writing that has the potential to find a general readership as well.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Lark Summerville’s life has few surprises–and that’s just how she likes it. All she wants is to live out her angst-riddled life in her blue-collar Baltimore neighborhood, punctuated by weekly trips to her local parish, where Lark is organist, and telephone conversations with desperate souls who dial her hotline at 1-777-IPRAY4U.

Then one night, Lark’s home is destroyed by a fire, forcing her out of her comfortable nest and back to the childhood home she has avoided for years. At Stoneleigh House, Lark is surrounded by three very different women: her grown daughter, Flannery; her barely tolerable socialite mother, Leslie; and Prisma Percy, housekeeper and family confidante, all of whom believe Lark was widowed years before.

In this circle of women, Lark’s carefully constructed existence begins to unravel, even as the promise of a new one unfolds. But when her contrite ex-husband shows up, longing to assume his role as Flannery’s father, twenty years after his desertion, Lark finds that she must face her own lies–and her past–before a new life can unfold.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (October 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578565960
• ISBN-13: 978-1578565962
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #455,924 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dive in!, December 17, 2002

By A Customer

Reading a Lisa Samson book is like diving into a refreshing literary river--clear, clean prose that carries you along in waters delightful and deep, funny and profound. Women's Intuition is no exception. I am not usually a "women's fiction" reader, but I read Samson because I love good writing, and find she transcends the same old-same old. Join the delight. Discover Lisa Samson for yourself.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of those books you have to read twice!, November 2, 2002

By A Customer

Lisa Samson has succesfully created a work of fiction that will touch every facet of your life. She weaves a tale with love, laughter, fear, and joy that anyone would love to wrap themselves up in. Brew a pot of coffee and enter Lark Summerville's complicated life. You won't want to go back home.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and Compelling, October 18, 2002

By A Customer

This book came recommended by a good friend, one who knows I don't usually like books with "Christian" themes. However, Women's Intuition quickly won me over. It's an awesome read--I loved it and was sad to finish the book. The characters are quirky, funny, honest and compelling. They struggle with fear and with how to have faith in the midst of painful circumstances. The writing is lively and reminds me of Elizabeth Berg or Anne Lamott. I've already recommended this book to three of my friends! Lisa Samson is an up and coming author and I can't wait to read her next book.