Rating: 
Summary: It's a blessing
Review: A friend gave me this book - it is already a blessing in my life, and I hope to purchase and give a copy to each of my dearest friends. My father took it home today, and is going to read it. Praise the Lord, Francine Rivers - please continue to use your wonderful gift!
Rating:
Summary: It's a blessing
Review: A friend gave me this book - it is already a blessing in my life, and I hope to purchase and give a copy to each of my dearest friends. My father took it home today, and is going to read it. Praise the Lord, Francine Rivers - please continue to use your wonderful gift!
Rating:
Summary: A story to remember
Review: A wonderful story sure to be loved by all readers what ever their age. Leota's charcter has many dimensions and reveals a lot about the way elderly people feel in todays rapidly changing society. A page turner - I read it in about 2 days!
Rating: 
Summary: Leota's Garden full of lessons
Review: Delightful to read! The book immediately puts you in the middle of the action with Nora's short fuse and Anne's determination to not be her mother's puppet anymore. That, along with Corban's paper project, sets the stage for the 400+ pages of conflict to be resolved.A bitter mother, a lonely old woman, a sacrificing grandaughter, a determined college student, a few good friends... This book had a wide variety of characters which made it plausible for many readers to relate. Rivers had so many story lines going on, yet they all came back to affecting the same woman: Leota. It did indeed cover lots of social issues: euthenasia, abortion, racial reconciliation, generational reconciliation, Christianity to name a few, but all were handled delicately and portrayed as truthfully as possible.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, thought provoking.
Review: Francine Rivers' best book yet. I have read and collect all of Mrs Rivers' books and this one tells the most wonderful story! Mrs Rivers' ties together several families and their members and personalities with style and with a rare insight of character. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great read! Couldn't put it down!
Review: Frankly, this book surprised me. As a man who was reading a book that is primarily intended for women, I didn't think that a book about an old lady and her garden could make for much of a plot. Wrong! Francine Rivers is a masterful fiction writer who really knows how to weave a great story. Just when you think you have the plot figured out and heading in a straight line to the finish, she throws in a gentle twist that makes you blink in surprise. This is her second book that examines in depth the relationship between three generations of women (the first being The Last Sin Eater). It is a subject that Francine has obviously given a lot of thought to. Her observations of the interworkings between the generations are excellent, and the interaction between the characters totally believeable. Leota's Garden is definitely a five star work of fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I am a fan of Francine Rivers and waited around for this book to be returned to our church library for months! I was so excited when it was back. So disappointed when I read it. She just was trying too hard in this one. The garden metaphor was way too contrived. She had too many issues going on at once (generational reconciliation, euthanasia, institutionalizing elderly, abortion, feminism to name a few). She couldn't spend enough time on each to really make much of a point. I didn't find that the characters were nearly as developed as in her former books. They were all a version of someone you could find in past Rivers reads. And it was just sort of boring, lacking interest and a good pace. She spent way too long in the beginning stressing how lonely Leota was and how run down everything was. What she said in three chapters could have been done in a one half a chapter. I have to agree with another reviewer that the "raking his fingers through his hair" phrase is getting a little old. This book just felt preachy to me (I can't tell you why) and not enjoyable at all. I'm sorry, I wish I had better to say. I really think this was pretty awful. Her other books were SOOOOOOO good. What happened?
Rating:
Summary: Very good character book!
Review: I couldn't put this book down. Thought it had very good character studies. Thought the author depicted Leota with a lot of humor. The Book made me take a look at myself and my view on the elderly. Everyone has a "story" to tell! There was a previous review from someone who was disappointed in the author and there being more negative in the story. We have to remember this is a Novel and sometimes negative has to be used to weave the story. I thought the author directed the reader to look to God for help. I will recommend this book to others.
Rating:
Summary: Another good one!
Review: I didn't even make it through a third of this novel before I quit. I didn't find any of the characters intriguing, especially the main character, Leota herself. She was very unlikeable, to the point where I would want to skip over any parts involving her.
I'm giving this novel one star b/c it still takes a lot of effort to write a story. I recommend other Francine Rivers' novels, like The Scarlet Thread, The Atonement Child or Redeeming Love.
Rating:
Summary: Another great book from a great author
Review: I enjoyed Leota's Garden- it was well written, with well defined characters and a plot that kept me hooked- I stayed up half the night until I finished it! I gave it only four stars because of the lack of romance- which would have been totally out of place in this book, I know- but I'm a sucker for a good love story, and Francine is a master of the genre. I eagerly anticipate her next book- I'm sure it will keep me up all night also!
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