Heartbreak Cafe

Penelope Stokes is a fine writer, and I have enjoyed a number of her books. With Heartbreak Cafe, she has written the best of the lot. This one will give you moments of deep thought and touch you in places you will remember for a long time. The characters are fully developed and so very human you will wish you could sit down with them over a cup of coffee at the cafe. You will laugh with them and cry with them and share their struggles with the emotions of living. You just can't help liking them, which is more than can be said for lots of current characters in today's best sellers. In some of her earlier books, Stokes leaned heavily on what I believe is called "Christian themes". There is nothing wrong with that if you like to read such stories. The difference I found in Heartbreak Cafe is that she has woven goodness and honesty and "Christian Values" into this book without preaching. And that is the mark of an author who is approaching the heights of the art of good writing. Good job, Miss Penny, write on.