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Summary
Summary
Welcome back to the charming world of Hope Springs, the small southern town at the center of bestselling author Lynne Hinton's Hope Springs trilogy. In this sequel to Friendship Cake, the same delightful women have finished the cookbook that brought them together, showing each the true meaning of friendship. Now these bonds are challenged by Margaret's sudden illness, Nadine's mourning for her lost daughter, and Jessie's desire to see the world outside the confines of a small town. Even Charlotte, the steadfast young pastor, has a spiritual crisis and finds herself questioning her calling.
Standing by each other through tragedies and triumphs, these unforgettable women come to realize that true friendship, like faith itself, is a garden that needs to be tended and nurtured. In the end they learn that there is more to living than just surviving -- they discover a life of health, courage, and freedom. Interspersed throughout this heartwarming tale are amusing and handy gardening tips from Bea's Botanical Bits -- memorable snippets of advice that help to cultivate the spirit, as well as the garden. Watered with tears of laughter and sorrow and fertilized with a touch of humor, Garden of Faith is just plain good for the soul.Author Notes
Lynne Hinton is from North Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her Masters of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. She also studied at Wake Forest University and the NC School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking.
While in seminary, Lynne began considering writing and enrolled in literature classes. She is the author of several books, including a nonfiction piece, MEDITATIONS FOR WALKING, and the Hope Springs Trilogy with FRIENDSHIP CAKE, CHRISTMAS CAKE AND WEDDING CAKE.
Lynne also has a mystery series with St. Martin's, written under the name, Jackie Lynn which includes DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE, JACOB'S LADDER, and SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT.
Lynne is a regular columnist with The Charlotte Observer and she has served as a chaplain with hospice and as the pastor of Mount Hope United Church of Christ and First Congregational United Church of Christ, both in North Carolina.
Lynne and her husband, Bob Branard, presently live near Spokane, Washington where Lynne is an interim pastor at the Chewelah United Church of Christ.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Like Rebecca Wells in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Hinton has a knack in her novels for tapping into a woman's longings for lifelong, authentic, messy friendships. In this engaging follow-up to The Friendship Cake, Hinton picks up the threads of the lives of the five quirky women who make up the North Carolina Hope Springs Community Church cookbook committee and spins out more of their stories. She hangs her narrative on gardening as a metaphor for life, occasionally succumbing to clichs ("They were rough and spindly souls with very shallow roots"), but usually handling the theme with subtlety. There's plenty of room for metaphor. Pastor Charlotte finds she has lost her faith as she attempts to help Brittany's mother, Nadine, recover from her second suicide attempt. Louise ponders grief and love; Bea enjoys her newlywed status; Margaret wrangles with breast cancer; and Jessie battles fear that James will abandon her again and agonizes over a possible move. Hinton admirably mixes poignant moments (the friends shaving their heads in solidarity with Margaret) with amusing incidents (Louise notes, "This tea tastes like shit, Beatrice" and discovers it's Easy Movement, a laxative drink). While she avoids tendering pat answers to difficult questions of faith, Hinton folds themes of hope and redemption into her story. Conservative CBA readers may shrink from such expletives as "Jesus!" or "horseshit!"; Louise's lesbian status; feminine gender references to God; or the occasional sexual description but many readers of faith should find this novel both entertaining and tender. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
The sequel to Friendship Cake (2000) is not the proverbial icing. Things aren't going too well for Charlotte, the pastor of the Hope Springs Community Church. After she struggles to revive a suicidal woman's faith after her daughter dies in a car wreck, she ends up seeking counseling for help with her own spiritual doubts. Margaret learns she has a lump in her breast, and is reluctant to tell her best friend, Jessie, since Jessie's husband has returned and wants her to move to California with him. Louise stays on the fringe, making the occasional pithy comment, but Beatrice is happy in her second marriage and having fun writing a gardening column. Not only have most of Hinton's characters lost control of their lives, they even lack distinctive voices. Worse yet, Hinton glosses over the seriousness of breast cancer by using it in an attempt to add drama to a disappointing imitation of earlier success. But fans of the first book will want to read the second, so larger libraries may consider purchasing. Melanie Duncan