Rating: 
Summary: Good reading
Review: I read this book over the summer. Rivers is one of my perennially favorite authors, but the last book of hers I read before Leota's Garden was The Sin Eater, and I didn't enjoy that book as much as some of her earlier books.But Leota's Garden restored my faith. I liked the tender story and realistic characters -- they were imperfect and human. My only complaint was that Annie was a bit too much of a saint. Otherwise, Rivers created a relevant, readable novel that I enjoyed a lot.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it!
Review: I really enjoyed the book! I was a little surprised at some of the turns that the author took, but all in all enjoyed it very much. This is the first Francine Rivers book I've ever read and I found it refreshing. I got to really enjoy the story and characters.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Book
Review: I thought that this book was very good. Even though its not one of my favorites it still is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I used to read alot as a teenager but then life got totally out of control and for twenty years I couldn't find the time until recently. A friend introduced me to Francine Rivers and then I was hooked once again on reading. I thought Leota's Garden was written so well that I felt like I knew each character or perhaps I just identified with them on different levels. I want to read every book she's ever written. So far, I've read Leota's Garden, Redeeming Love and The Scarlet Thread. May God continue to give her the words to share with us.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I used to read alot as a teenager but then life got totally out of control and for twenty years I couldn't find the time until recently. A friend introduced me to Francine Rivers and then I was hooked once again on reading. I thought Leota's Garden was written so well that I felt like I knew each character or perhaps I just identified with them on different levels. I want to read every book she's ever written. So far, I've read Leota's Garden, Redeeming Love and The Scarlet Thread. May God continue to give her the words to share with us.
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing change of pace
Review: I usually hesitate to read Christian fiction, because I usually think of Amish soap operas between covers or predictable, trite romances. However, someone had this book in the lunchroom at work, and once I started reading it, I knew I was going to have to finish it. It was very interesting to me. Francine Rivers gives her characters believable situations and personalities. Things aren't perfect - in fact, they're incredibly and realistically less than ideal. A neglected grandmother, an over-achieving mother, and a know-it-all college student who's living with a girlfriend among others. The way the author depicted the Thanksgiving dinner fiasco really hit home, because it's so sadly realistic: Men retreat to the TV to watch a ball game while everyone's stressed out and unhappy and not communicating well. I've been there, and can relate. Another thing I appreciated was the fact that romance was not at the centre of the story: This author had a real message to convey, and she didn't make it depend on romance. It was about relationships from beginning to end, and about love, but it was not a romance at heart. It's about learning to unconditionally show even the most unlovable Christ's love through the way we live and react, and about the eventual blessings reaped from such an attitude. The book didn't end with a wedding, and it didn't need to. That was not the point, and that made me glad. Nor did everything end perfectly, but there was an incredible measure of hope that in time all would be well again. I definitely recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Leota's Garden is healing & heartwarming
Review: I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I was so glad to find a writer who has composed an Angelus to the mending of the human spirit; a canticle of conversations with God. Set in the modern San Francisco Bay area, Leota's children have become hollow successes carrying the burden of their wounded spirits & tainting their own children in the same way. Back when Leota was lively & young there was a war on, the men were away fighting & someone had to bring home the bacon. This Leota did very well & continued when her husband came home too broken be of help. It was in the garden that Leota found her refuge, her chapel where she spoke to her God & it was in there that beauty abounded. Then everyone left except Leota. Into this lonely old woman's life of meditation & hurt comes a callow Berkeley student with his thesis writing itself in his brain & his heart on hold. Leota's granddaughter also turns up with a suitcase full of pain & questions. A redemptive & contemplative read, well written & rewarding. For my full review do check out [my website].
Rating:
Summary: The most rewarding fiction I have read in a LONG time.
Review: I wish I was more like Annie and that there were more Annie's out there. What a loving relationship she had with her Grandmother Leota. It was so fulfilling to see them grow together. I found this book to be the best F. Rivers has written as it spoke to my heart and soul. I think there are probably many mothers and daughters out in this world who would do well to read this book and turn their lives over to the One Who Loves Us Best.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling tale of reconcillation and forgiveness
Review: Leota Reinhardt only has to look out her window to see how much her life has changed. Now 84 years old, her once comfortable little house with its abundant garden shows the effects of years of neglect, just as Leota shows the effect of years of yeaars of strained contact with her daughter and son. She is not prepared for the changes that will come into her life, a granddaughter who is dertermined to follow the promptings of the Spirit, a young college student, motivated by getting a grade, touched by goodness and Leota's own indominatable spirit. Francine Rivers is well known in among Christian readers (this is the first of her books I have read) and it can be a bit disconcerting to read the characters inner dialogue with a Higher Power. The characters are well developed and evolve, not change magicly...which is good. I was worried they would all see the light and the book would end. I liked many of these characters too much to be cheated that way. I hesitated to pick this up, but I am glad I did.
Rating:
Summary: A Celebration Of Life
Review: LEOTA'S GARDEN is a suprisingly moving work of fiction with an underlying message that is just as important as the story is entertaining. Due to circumstance, the life of the elderly Leota becomes intertwined with her grand-daughter and a volunteer helper and in the process a hidden history of the woman's past is revealed. LEOTA'S GARDEN does a fantastic job of emphasizing the sacred worth of every individual's life, no matter what his or her age. Leota, who herself wished she could just die and meet her Maker, in the end leaves a deep and meaningful mark on each and everyone who knew her. Surprisingly, the story leaves us with some stark images and questions to ponder (thanks to a couple of surprising twists). Rivers again does an incredible job with her characters and the dialogue is extra-strong (contemporary, and at times quite humorous). Out of a long string of worthy stories, this is on of her finest. Five Stars
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