A Song I Knew by Heart : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: a fine womanly read
Review: After Naomi's son is killed in a New England winter car crash, her daughter-in-law is cast into the pit of grief, just as Naomi had been 8 years before when her Eli had died. This is a song she knows by heart.

When Naomi decides to move back to South Carolina, the land of her childhood, Ruth utters the Biblical words: "Where you go, I will go. Where you live, that's where I'll live too." & the two women say their goodbyes to their marriages & head south.

Written in 70-year-old Naomi's voice, Bret Lott takes us into the grey, cold world of grief where numbness & despair dwell. Then, in the plans, actions & journey hope blossoms, as the Southern sun melts their frozen hearts & souls.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends A SONG I KNEW BY HEART as a rich, dreamy & memorable read, superbly written.

Rating:
Summary: BIG DISAPPOINTMENT
Review: After reading Jewel (a difficult one to start, but got much better by mid-way), I thought I would give "A Song I Knew by Heart a try. Again, a very slow start but it remained that way until the end. A lot of repitition and a lot of nothing!! Big disappointment!

Rating:
Summary: Could be much more
Review: I found myself disappointed in this book after reading a great review of it elsewhere. Mr. Lott writes beautifully but goes way overboard in some of his descriptive passages and constant rehashing of Naomi's "sin". Get over it already! Instead of finding Naomi a sympathetic character, which I believe was his intention, I became exasperated with her whining, self flagellation and deep, emotional thoughts. There's a lot of promise here but I was glad when it was over.

Rating:
Summary: Could be much more
Review: I found myself disappointed in this book after reading a great review of it elsewhere. Mr. Lott writes beautifully but goes way overboard in some of his descriptive passages and constant rehashing of Naomi's "sin". Get over it already! Instead of finding Naomi a sympathetic character, which I believe was his intention, I became exasperated with her whining, self flagellation and deep, emotional thoughts. There's a lot of promise here but I was glad when it was over.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Story....somewhat sappy
Review: I liked this book. Parts made me teary. It was written in a way where you could feel the emotion Lott was expressing thru his words. The story line was interesting enough. And the feelings the characters were experiencing were very vivid.
The only thing I didn't like was it was wordy and a bit sappy.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Story....somewhat sappy
Review: I liked this book. Parts made me teary. It was written in a way where you could feel the emotion Lott was expressing thru his words. The story line was interesting enough. And the feelings the characters were experiencing were very vivid.
The only thing I didn't like was it was wordy and a bit sappy.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific retelling of a comforting story
Review: I was surprised when I started reading A Song I Knew by Heart to find it a retelling of the Naomi and Ruth story from the Bible (see the Book of Ruth). Some names are the same - Naomi and Ruth - and some are different - Beau instead of Boaz, but in essence it is a modern telling of an ancient story. The story challenged me to think as Ruth and Naomi . . . what would I do if I was widowed? I enjoyed Bret Lott's writing style and encourage anyone who wants a good romance without sappy endings to pick up a copy.

Rating:
Summary: Lessons in Love
Review: Imagine this: you are an aging woman whose beloved husband died eight years ago from a heart attack. Your only child--a son--has just been killed in an automobile accident. How MUCH can your heart endure? This novel is a tale of love. Naomi, the widow and mother, is faced with the crushing burden of grief, and the emptiness in her heart because of it. In steps her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth, who gives Naomi the comfort, devotion and love that will set her on a course to a renewed life. This book is about being open to the reception of the gift of love from others, and about then giving the gift of love back, in return. Kind, supportive, forgiving, merciful love is given to Naomi by family and friends. They are able to extend this love because of the ultimate gift of love from God. When Naomi acknowledges God's blessing on her through the blessings of those around her, and then she returns that blessed love, her heart is joyful and full once again. She sees that in order to know love, she can't merely accept it...she has to give it away. If you are familiar with the Book of Ruth in the Bible, you will recognize the basis for Mr. Lott's story. I urge you to read Ruth in the Bible. Read it again if you already know the story. Read it either before or after you read this heart-wrenching, soul-satisfying blessing of a book.

Rating:
Summary: plodding!
Review: this book was choosen for our church book club. having never read any bret lott books before, i was ready for anything. but this book lost me from the start. i know the story of ruth and naomi so i was interested in how he was going to work it into a present-day novel. he did ok in that aspect in the beginning, but after about 3 chapters of him wandering around the same information, i got very bored. i plodded on so i would have something to talk about at book club and finally got to the end. i will not be reading any of his other books if they are like this one. try something else-francine rivers is always a good choice!