Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully written, full of emotion
Review: Badly burned in a kitchen accident as a child, Finch Nobels lives her life as an outcast in a tightly knit society. Her only group of friends is an unruly lot of spirits that living in the graveyard adjoining her house. Through them, she learns about herself and her family, and a sense of love that she didn't think possible.
Rating: 
Summary: A Gracious Plenty~
Review: A Gracious Plenty is the dark & haunting story of Finch Nobles, the caretaker of the local cemetary in a small, southern town. Burned on her face, neck and arms, from a childhood accident, Finch has lived the life of a recluse since her parents death, making her life the upkeep of the cemetary grounds. Living alone in the home of her dead parents in the cemetary leads the community to believe that Finch is a bit crazy and without friends, but little do they know, that Finch actually has a gracious plenty of friends, for Finch can communicate with the dead. Those who have come to be buried in Finch's cemetary become her friends & give her a slight glimpse into "the other side," slowly sharing their secrets and previous lives with her. A Gracious Plenty touches briefly on what the "other side" is like, how we must all come face to face with our secrets and our demons-how we must get in touch with the lessons we are to learn from our days lived. The story also presents some religious elements-about being a true Christian and dealing with different beliefs, morals, ways of life. Do not read this book expecting a huge event, twist of fate, or climax. The story is more about the characters and their lessons. The descriptives at times can be gruesome, but are effective in painting the daunting image of Finch's life. While I give the development of the story a 3, I would give the writing a 5. Reynolds has a true gift as a writer~
Rating:
Summary: Improves
Review: I really didn't like this book at the beginning, but it improved to the ending. I did find it rather predictable throughout. A Gracious Plenty is the story of Finch, a girl who suffered a disfiguring burn as a child. She is a caretaker of the graveyard and talks with the dead throughout the book. Sheri Reynolds' writing style leans a bit too far to the dramatic side for me, which was my complaint with the beginning of the book. To try to illustrate Finch's angst over her burned face, she repeatedly had her doing some rather dramatic and unbelievable things, like sleeping with sliced meat on her face and waking up to the smell of rotting meat. But if you're a fan of Sheri Reynolds and have read other works of hers, you know this is her style. The excessive drama lessens as the author finally reaches a point that she feels satisfied she's painted Finch's trauma adequately for the reader. The symbolism was interesting and what made the book a success to me: The dead in the cemetery cannot pass on to higher realms until they've confronted some of their demons and talked about things, and Finch can't move on with her life until she's confronted her own demons. Narrow views and assumptions she's made are challenged, and she in turn challenges others to reevaluate their judgments. It's interesting to watch the characters and their views soften and change.
Rating:
Summary: Looking Within and Beyond
Review: A Gracious Plenty is the story of Finch who was badly burned and disfigued as a child. Finch is fiesty, often stubborn, and can communicate with the dead. After her parents die, Finch assumes ownership of the graveyard where she tends the dead. Finch is a woman that had socially isolated herself. She has no friends, but everyone knows her. Her scars are what sets her apart. Instead of feeling saddened and desperate, Finch is often hostile. It is through the hostility that she hides her pain and longing for true relationships A Gracious Plenty explores the need for relationships and how people must look both within and beyond what they initially see. Finch is a character that must first accept herself before others can accept her. Follow Finch as she communicates with both the dead and the living and begins to grow beyond her personal and social demons. A remarkable novel from Sheri Reynolds, her immagination and creativity do not seem to know any bounds.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Story!
Review: Because Finch Nobles has a badly burned face, she is a self made social outcast. However, she has a gift of communicating with the departed. Her communications with the dead and her interpretations of the cemetery will not allow me to forget this book when I visit a cemetary. Finch makes it easy to understand ghosts, and spirits. A very delightful book. This is one I will read again.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Sheri Reynolds
Review: Finch Nobles was horribly burned at the age of four and has lived as an outsider all of her life. She tends the cemetery of her small southern town and keeps company with the spirits who have passed on. She shares their heartache and joy, anger and disappointment and learns multitudes about herself in the process. Sheri Reynolds has written a heart-warming and intriguing piece of fiction. Everyone is an outsider at one point or another and can identify with Finch's story.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Review: What a perfect little gem of a book. Entertaining. Easy to read. Deep and thoughtful, but not DEEP and self-indulgent. I love this book, and I was not a big fan of "Rapture of Canaan" (Oprah's Book Club pick), and everyone to whom I've loaned this book has loved it as well -- men and women. I've got it loaned out again, but this is one book that I DO want back for my personal library.
Rating:
Summary: LET FINCH TEACH US TO FLY...
Review: I picked up this novel by Sheri Reynolds a couple of days ago -- I hadn't heard anything about the author or about the book, it simply caught my eye in the bookstore. After reading it, I can say without a doubt that it is one of the most memorable, arresting books I've ever read. The main character, Finch Nobles, is an amazing and inspirational figure -- but very human, and therefore easy to relate to. (Sorry about the preposition -- get over it) The author has presented the reader with a novel view of life after death, and has shown how this character has learned from the departed many important things about living. The passage in the novel that keeps coming back to me: We choose our truths the way we choose our gods, single-sightedly, single-mindedly, no other way to feel or see or think. We lock ourselves into our ways, and click all the truths into one. We put our truths together in pieces, but you use nails and I use glue. You mend with staples. I mend with screws. You stitch what I would bandage. Your truth may not look like mine, but that is not what matters. What matters is this: You can look at a scar and see hurt, or you can look at a scar and see healing. Try to understand. Too often in our everyday lives we overlook the talents and traits of those around us by focusing on their 'defects'. We need to try to learn to see the whole person when we look at someone. We can all learn a lot from this book.
Rating:
Summary: The truth of scars
Review: Finch Nobles tends a cemetery in a small Southern town. She was badly burned as a child, and subsequently never made many friends. Among the living, that is. Finch has been able to talk with the dead for a long time, and considers them her friends. She does things for the dead that they cannot do, thereby helping them be released from their burdens. The closest thing she has to a friend among the living is Leonard, who's the sheriff, but Finch seems to have a crush on one of the ghosts, Lucy. Through the tale of Finch's scars, and the hidden scars of the town, Reynolds explores the power of healing and the power of touch. This book is simply gorgeous overall. I love the way Reynolds also sneaks in social tolerance after one of the dead is discovered to have been a transvestite in life, and the whole town turns against him, even though he's dead. He was a good person, but a tiny detail made a difference in the town's view. The novel might have been a bit longer to better develop some of these concepts and connections, but its length doesn't take away from the power of the novel, because by leaving some connections to the reader, Reynolds gives a nod to readers' intelligence. Not everything needs to be spelled out.
Rating:
Summary: A quick and worthwhile read.
Review: The novel illustrates the sad story of someone who does not quite fit in. The story was very thought provoking. First, how do we treat people in society? Second, was she really crazy or were the spirits really there? I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and worthwhile read.
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