Rating: 
Summary: What a wonderful simplicity this book contains
Review: Real-life characters in over their heads, but trusting in God and community to pull them through. The small-town virtues of honesty and hard work. The toughness it takes to make a go of it on the family farm. And the tenderness needed to care for those who've entrusted their lives to you. These are the simple ingredients in this marvel of a book.Kind of like if Jan Karon set her books in America's heartland, A Can of Peas has that same gentle yet tough-minded sensibility. Filled with memorable characters, heartwarming stories, and unforgetable snapshots of rural Minnesota, A Can of Peas is almost perfect. I can't wait for this author's next one!
Rating:
Summary: A fresh attitude about simplicity and community
Review: In a time when it's trendy to be cynical, A Can of Peas offers a welcome--and perhaps more truth-based--idea of what it means to experience heartache and joy, loss and life, in the imperfect but comforting arms of community. Optimistic without being inauthentic, Peter and Mae's hope-filled story inspires us to preserve that part of American life that has not (as word on the street may have it) entirely disappeared.
Rating:
Summary: A Can Of Peas by Traci DePree
Review: A Can Of Peas combines humor, encouragement, tears and wisdom all expressed through the lives of realistic, well-developed characters. For the first time in my life I found myself understanding (and even longing for) a farm country lifestyle. I hope we see many more books by this gifted author.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful tale!
Review: Traci DePree has created a charming story that held me captive from page one and didn't let me go until the last page was turned! I fell in love with the characters and the town of Lake Emily. I can't wait to read more of Traci's work.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely charming
Review: A Can of Peas is a charming, gentle story that blossoms in the reader's heart, like the land bringing forth crops for harvest. I fell in love with all the people of Lake Emily. If you have enjoyed any of Jan Karon's Mitford series, then you will definitely want to visit Lake Emily. Traci DePree is a new author to watch! --Robin Lee Hatcher, author of Firstborn & Ribbon of Years
Rating:
Summary: What's right with the world
Review: Traci DePree has created a fine work here. The people are real with flaws and quirks to make us laugh out loud as well as hopes and dreams and losses that remind us that we are all a part of a family, even those we disagree with. Everything doesn't always turn out well in life (or in this book which is what makes it true), but we do discover in life that miracles exist if we just take a chance, regroup when we fall, hold each other when we hurt and ...eat our vegies. This is a super book for cynics who won't be when they're finished reading it.
Rating:
Summary: A lovely slice of life
Review: I can't believe what a slice of my life growing up on the farm A Can of Peas is. Exchange peas and corn for wheat and milo, and Traci's descriptions of the farming community of Lake Emily are where I grew up, right down to the extension meetings. As I read, I felt as though I were reliving my childhood. Lovely! ~ Deborah Raney, author of Beneath a Southern Sky and A Vow to Cherish
Rating:
Summary: Truly a heartwarming story......
Review: "A Can of Peas" is a wonderful read - funny, touching and true to life with all its joys, sorrows and quirky moments. Grab this book, curl up in your favorite chair and you will find yourself entwined in the lives of the characters of Lake Emily. When you're finished be sure to read the sequel, "Dandelions in a Jelly Jar".
Rating: 
Summary: A Return to Simpler Times
Review: This book is such a refreshing book that I managed to read it in one day. It is a return to simpler times ~~ and yet, perhaps not so simple. It may appear to be a romanticized version of farming ~~ but at the same time, it's a reminder that simple pleasures can't always be bought.
Peter Morgan and his bride, Mae, returns to Lake Emily for his grandfather's funeral. Spurred on the suggestion that his grandmother, Virginia, was going to sell the farm, Peter decided to give up the rat race to keep the farm. Idealistic and young, the newlyweds decided to give it a try. Outsiders in a small community, this book shares their ordeals in wetting their feet into farming, new neighbors and throughout the novel, there are other stories of their neighbors and relatives each facing their own crisis over the years. Their stories are interwoven with the young couple's first year on the farm, along with their trials and tribulations as well as their success and joy.
It is a novel that harkens back to simpler times when a woman considers herself wealthy if her freezer is lined up with chicken meat (that she has raised and cleaned herself), a pantry full of canned goods and friends to celebrate life with. A man considers himself blessed to be able to get up in the morning and experience the grace of God in the rising dawn while milking the cows. It may be a romantic version of farming ~~ but at the same time, the financial worries are real. Somehow this young couple ~~ who started out starry-eyed and dreamy ~~ faced reality and discovered several blessings and joy along the way.
It is a heart-warming novel ~~ makes me think of those long lazy summer days whiling away on the porch swing reading and drinking lemonade. It is a peek into a farmer's wife's life. If you enjoy Lisa Wingate's novels ~~ you will definitely enjoy this one!
3-7-05
Rating: 
Summary: Be Forewarned
Review: Be forewarned, Traci DePree is the Pat Robertson of barn yard fiction. Think born-again Jane Smiley on ecstasy. This story was so sticky sweet I had to brush my teeth when I finished. Barely a page goes by without an in-your-face reference to the big fat "Hug me I'm a Christian" pin each character wears on their sleeve. That said, I did manage to enjoy this story but I'm just a sucker for the all-to-rare farm fiction. For the other side of the coin (i.e. real-life farm story without the sugar coating) try "A Thousand Acres" or "Prodigal Summer".
| 
