Book Review: "Quaker Summer" by Lisa Samson

Word Imagery at its best

Heather Curridge is living the life she's always dreamed of and that everyone envies. She's married a doctor, has a wonderful son, good friends, a big house, and enough money to splurge on whatever she wants. However buying tennis courts and swimming pools isn't all it's cracked up to be. Soon Heather finds herself feeling unsatisfied with her life. Her son's encounters with a bully dredges up old memories from her past. It takes a jaywalking kangaroo, a car full of cake and two Quaker ladies to help Heather realize what are the most important things in her life.

First off I loved the Beatles references in this book. The book was divided into three parts, each named after a Beatles song. Heather's story was very intriguing. Her past with Gary and Mary kept getting hinted at throughout the book, giving you only slight glimpses into the past. This either will keep you wanting to read to find out more, or frustrates you because Heather keeps bemoaning over these events which the reader is clueless about. Heather, though, is a very realistic character who says things I would say and reacts to situations like a real person would. The secondary characters bring life into the story such as Sister Jerusha, Anna and Liza. What I really enjoyed about this book is that it is not at all preachy. The main character is not an active church goer and tells about problems she has with church itself. While at the end of the book Heather has changed, she doesn't become a stereotypical church fanatic like in some other Christian novels. This book had some of the best word imagery I have ever read. I enjoyed the descriptions in this book. I could literally see that car covered in cake and could feel the canoe riding across the lake. This was my first Lisa Samson book and it definitely won't be my last. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson is published by Thomas Nelson (2007)