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Summary: MAKE THEM LAUGH, MAKE THEM CRY
Review: I was awed by the imaginative writing style, the delving into the secret places of the trying-to-be-spiritual heart, and the gutsy treatment of some very difficult issues in the church family. The humor enhanced the sorrows and made these characters come alive, especially the painfully real Poppy! Janet Chester Bly..
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Summary: LIFE WITH POPPY
Review: I was fascinated with the startling real characters and the prying into the secret places of Poppy's heart. Lisa displays a very capable use of creative language to find Poppy's voice and keep every paragraph fresh and alive with insight. The church ladies seem so true I was sure I'd run into them at our next prayer meeting. I highly recommend this honest look behind the scenes of the church facade that brims with God's grace.
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Summary: A quiet little book that packs a mighty wallop
Review: I was peacefully reading along, enjoying some recognizable characters with somewhat predictable problems, appreciating the relationships between the church people of Mount Oak and sympathizing with Poppy's struggles with her life and her secret when, suddenly, this tame little book rose up and smacked me in the face. Like life tends to do sometimes.This book asks the ancient question, "Why does God allow..." and offers the equally ancient answer. It's the soothing quietness of Samson's prose that contrasts so vividly with the issues she deals with here. Read it with your heart open -- it will hurt, but it will heal, as well.
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Summary: Barely Readable? No Way!
Review: I was very disappointed with this book. The narrative style is almost unreadable-- a very sloppy, disjointed, stream of semi-consciousness. The characters have far too much in common with the current crop of self-conscious, hip, urban consumers, and not enough depth or spiritual insight to make it worth wading through their drivel. The author's dedication set me up, I suppose, when she referred to another author as a "fellow wordsmith. Sorry, but Samson is no wordsmith--that requires craftsmanship and honing. Here she just throws words on the page like a preschooler smears globs of paint onto construction paper. Can't reccomend. Can't even remember if I finished it. Do know it was neither gripping nor challenging. (I speak as a lifelong churchlady myself).
Rating: 
Summary: Barely readable
Review: I was very disappointed with this book. The narrative style is almost unreadable-- a very sloppy, disjointed, stream of semi-consciousness. The characters have far too much in common with the current crop of self-conscious, hip, urban consumers, and not enough depth or spiritual insight to make it worth wading through their drivel. The author's dedication set me up, I suppose, when she referred to another author as a "fellow wordsmith. Sorry, but Samson is no wordsmith--that requires craftsmanship and honing. Here she just throws words on the page like a preschooler smears globs of paint onto construction paper. Can't reccomend. Can't even remember if I finished it. Do know it was neither gripping nor challenging. (I speak as a lifelong churchlady myself).
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Summary: Personal Relationships
Review: If you haven't read this book GET A COPY. Get SIX copies; send 'em to your friends. They are awesomely written and there is nothing trite, preachy, overdone, or force'em-down-the-aisle-with-a-sharp-stick in these stories; there's just God, pure, simple, realistic - and funny. I can see this book taking off with Christians and non alike. It's FAB and, yeah, I'm gushing. Write FASTER, Lisa.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read
Review: If you haven't read this book GET A COPY. Get SIX copies; send 'em to your friends. They are awesomely written and there is nothing trite, preachy, overdone, or force'em-down-the-aisle-with-a-sharp-stick in these stories; there's just God, pure, simple, realistic - and funny. I can see this book taking off with Christians and non alike. It's FAB and, yeah, I'm gushing. Write FASTER, Lisa.
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Summary: Irresistible!
Review: Lisa Samson may as well quit writing right now because I don't know how she will ever top The Church Ladies. Samson's irresistible town of Mount Oak is Mitford with a glorious edge; and the characters who populate her novel are as familiar as the man or woman who occupies the pew beside you each Sunday morning. Perhaps, as I did, you'll even catch a glimpse of yourself within the pages. This captivating, precious story of grace could not be more beautifully told. ~ Deborah Raney, author of Beneath a Southern Sky
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Summary: It's Karon's "Mitford" meets Tyler's "Earthly Possessions"!
Review: Lisa Samson vaults into the new stream of modern Christian literary fiction giving us a birdseye view of a quirky pastor's wife, Poppy Frasier and her guilty secrets. Sit back and prepare to be entertained by the wondrous writing of Lisa Samson in this break-out book that is destined for permanence in the world of top-notch American fiction. Samson is a fresh new voice in fiction. She possesses an integral skill that feeds the reader who is hungry for delicious writing interlaced with modern faith issues. Patricia Hickman author of Katrina's Wings
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Summary: Personal Relationships
Review: Poppy (pastor's wife) Chris, Duncan, Mildred and Paisely are the church people who teach us much about personal relationships, interactions and, most importantly, forgiveness. This is a wonderful novel along the same genre of Jan Karon, Miss Read and Philip Gulley. The author is a mother of three and has personal insights into family living. And, I always like to recommend my favorite book of the year, • THE PRAYER OF HANNAH • by Kenn Gividen.
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