The Language of Sycamores

Excellent!!!

I love all of Lisa Wingate's books, but I particularly enjoyed this one. Her perfect mixture of faith and authentic life situations, not to mention characters who are as real as my next door neighbors, always make for an absorbing read. I've yet to be disappointed with one of her books and I recommend them to anyone who likes their fiction sincere, well-written and believable.

When a piece of fiction is not only a page turner but also reveals truths about life, I am hooked. The Language of Sycamores deals with tough life issues--broken relationshsips, damaging pride, family, buried dreams--in the gentlest, most grace-filled ways. One of my favorite quotes comes early in the book: "The problem with ruts is that when it starts to rain, they flood easily."

This book spoke to me on so many levels. First, as a great read with a compelling story line, with interesting, realistic characters. I also loved how the author so artfully described a woman at a crossroads, who turns to her family, her roots, and her faith to find direction and a new purpose. The best books are ones you think about after the last page, and I know this one will stay with me for quite some time.

Lisa Wingate is the author of two of my favorite books, Tending Roses and Good Hope Road. With her newest effort, The Language of Sycamores, she brings back characters from both of these books and makes one must read story. Karens life was about things she could program and control, but that all changed one fateful day. First, she was in the doctors office for a check up and was told that she may have cancer and later that same day, she was fired from her job due to a lay off. Spinning out of control and at a loss about what to do, she unexpectedly gets an offer from her sister Kate to come home to Missouri for a small family reunion with a long lost relative. With the help of Kate and Dell from Tending Roses, and Jenilee from Good Hope Road, Karen begins to see that her and her husband James have just been going through the motions of marriage and life without really being happy. In reading The Language of Sycamores you will once again be inspired to change your life and feel the love of God. Settle into a quiet room and treasure this story, I know I will again and again.

This book is the follow-up of Tending Roses and Good Hope Road. This book also combines the main characters' stories into one ~~ Jenilee of Good Hope Road meets up with Kate and Karen of Tending Roses as they try to discover their family heritage. This book, however, focuses on Karen, the super successful one of the family. Karen who is so perfect, dresses like a fashion model with her immaculate hair, a dashing career that takes her everywhere and happily married to a dashing airline pilot. In Tending Roses, Kate shared some of her resentments of her perfect older sister. In this book, the perfect older sister just got laid off from her successful job and her annual pap smear came back with an abnormal reading. Desperate to get away from Boston, Karen came to the farm in Missouri to get away from it all for a few days. Only that few days turned into a couple of weeks. Involved with JumpKids, a local community group that involves kids into making a production of a famous movie, and mentoring the neighbor girl, Dell, who was Grandma Rose's protege, and rediscovering her marriage again to James. Written beautifully and with elegant prose, this book is a great sequel to my other two favorite books of all time. The message is essentially the same: Take your time, smell the roses and forgive your grudges. Life is too short to hold grudges and bitterness. This is an awesome book for moms to give to their daughters, sisters to give to one another and friends to share. It is a book that is poignant of a time past when things seem to be simpler and the answers were clearer. It reminds us that after all of the things that has to be done in the day, it's better to have family around. 1-11-05