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Summary: Deceptively Simple
Review: Tending Roses is a simple book. There are no unbearable traumas,no heart stopping tragedies. Just a story of regular people trying to find their way in the world. Kate and Ben have gone to stay with Nana Rose in order to get her ready to go to a nursing home. Through the weeks that they stay with her, they both make several discoveries about themselves and their families. Often touching, sometimes sad, but in the end an uplifting and special book. Buy one for your Mom, she'll thank you for it.
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Summary: A Quality Read Not To Be Missed
Review: As a professor of literature, I must admit, I did not expect to like this book. I generally approach "feel good" books with trepidation, yet Tending Roses is one I find myself recommending to everyone. Yes, it is a sentimental read, but it also contains passages so beautiful they caused me to cry. I commend this author's ability to contradict the contemporary wisdom that quality fiction must be dark and centered around characters who have survived horrible trauma. The reality is that most people are much like the characters in Tending Roses, struggling to find a place in the world. The words of this author caused me to feel, to experience, to consider my own life. In the end, this must be the mark of great fiction. Tending Roses is a novel not to be missed.
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Summary: My FAVORITE Book and I've read alot of them!
Review: Tending Roses has got to be one of the BEST books ever. I bought the book after reading a review on Amazon.com and boy was I ever glad that I did. I have shared this book with many friends, and they ALL agree that this book is AMAZING! I, along with all of my friends are patiently awaiting the next book by this author.
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Summary: With tears in my eyes....
Review: With tears in my eyes and a smile on my lips, I finished this book at 1:30 in the morning. What a treasure! Grandma Rose, Dell, Kate, Ben, Joshua, etc are friends I am going to miss. So much. I have already ordered a copy for my mother for Mother's Day....and am thinking of getting copies for my sisters as well. Tending Roses is a highly readable, nonpreachy story of love, faith and family that I enjoyed from the first page and could not put down until I had finished! Highly, highly recommended!
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Summary: Sweet, Sentimental, and Sappy
Review: I can't say I disliked this book. It contains a positive, uplifting message and a feel-good ending. However, serious literature it is not. The storyline revolves around a granddaughter who is changed by spending several weeks with her aging grandmother on the family farm. The characters are definitely likable, but a bit shallow. The ending is so predictable I knew it from page 10. If you want a nice, pleasant, easy story that won't try your brain, this is it. If you're a fan of quality contemporary fiction, you may want to skip this.
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Summary: Beautiful Gift!
Review: Tending Roses is, without doubt, one of the best gifts I have ever received, and the BEST book I have EVER read. It was given to me by a dear friend who said that she just knew the book was for me, though she wasn't sure why. When I read it, I realized that Grandma Rose in the book is so much like my own Nanna Gale, and that is why the book was meant for me. Nanna Gale died when I was still too young to care about all of her old stories and the wise things she tried to tell us, and only years later did I wish I would have listened more. Reading Tending Roses was like a chance to go back and talk to Nanna Gale again. Since reading the book, I have shared my copy with many friends, and so far every one of them has gone out and bought copies for themselves, and often copies to give as gifts. As one of the other reviewers said, "It is that good!" This book is pure magic. Bravo!
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Summary: Words Aren't Enough!
Review: Words aren't enough to describe books that truly touch your soul. I am not usually one to get emotional enough about a book to write a public review, but Tending Roses touched me in so many ways. It touched me as a mother, as a daughter and granddaughter, and as a person. There is so much wisdom in this book, and reading it helps you realize what we all already know: That it is the people, not the things in your life that will matter in the end. I highly recommend this book for everyone. Another book that made me reflect and feel this way recently was A Journey Through Heartsongs, but 11 year-old Mattie. He and Grandma Rose from Tending Roses are at opposite ends of the age spectrum, yet they see the world with the same clarity.
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Summary: THIS HAS TAKEN THE PLACE AS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE
Review: No matter what I write, it will not begin to do justice to this book. This is one of the most touching books I think I've ever read. How hard it is in our lives when we as children have to change places and become caregiver and decision maker for our elders. Even though this book has its sad moments, Rose faces her declining independence with humor and dignity. I plan on giving this book out as gifts this year, along with a pink marker to highlight the messages of the stories that Rose writes in her journal. This one is definitely a keeper.
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Summary: An amazing and spiritual book, you absolutely must read!!!!
Review: This was a book I just happened to come across in a bookstore. It turned out to be one of the most spiritually uplifting books I have ever read. It is beautifully written. There are so many important lessons about life in the book. You eventually grow to love all the characters because there is a characteristic in each one of them that you can relate to in yourself. I would reccommend this book to everyone. It helps you to sit back and think about what is really important in your life.
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Summary: Trying not to gush, but... WOW!
Review: I have re-written this review twice, because I don't want to sound like I'm gushing. This was simply one of the most memorable books I have ever read. It deserves credit for being not only beautifully-written, but an important story, with many life-changing lessons. I highly recommend it for... well, just about anyone, but especially people having trouble getting along with family members, and also anyone who is a mother or a grandmother, or who has special memories of a grandmother. Tending Roses will make you appreciate the people in your life, and remember your special moments with them.
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