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Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring
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Thank You for All Things (edition 2008)

by Sandra Kring

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20011135,432 (3.68)None
At twelve, Lucy Marie McGowan already knows she'll be a psychologist when she grows up. And her quirky and conflicted family provides plenty of opportunity for her to practice her calling. Now Lucy, her "profoundly gifted" twin brother, Milo, her commitment-phobic mother, and her New Age grandmother are leaving Chicago for Timber Falls, Wisconsin, to care for her dying grandfather--a complex and difficult man whose failure as a husband and father still painfully echoes down through the years. Lucy believes her time in the rural town where the McGowan story began will provide a key piece to the puzzle of her family's broken past, and perhaps even reveal the truth about her own missing father. But what she discovers is so much more--a lesson about the paradoxes of love and the grace of forgiveness that the adults around her will need help in remembering if their family is ever to find peace and embrace the future. By turns heart-wrenching and heart-mending, Thank You for All Things is a powerful and poignant novel by a brilliant storyteller who illustrates that when it comes to matters of family and love, often it is the innocent who force others to confront their darkest secrets.… (more)
Member:bedda
Title:Thank You for All Things
Authors:Sandra Kring
Info:Bantam Discovery (2008), Edition: 1ST, Paperback, 432 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***
Tags:fiction

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Thank You for All Things (Bantam Discovery) by Sandra Kring

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Oh good lord. Kring, why did you do this to me, after I enjoyed your other books? What an ugly, messy, preachy, cliche'-ridden melodrama this was! Even if I could somehow accept the idea that we need to forgive those who have abused us in order to make peace in our own lives, I couldn't have been brought to that understanding by this soap opera.

To make sure you understand, I'm not talking about a few slaps or harsh words. I'm talking about full-on beatings. In front of the children. For their entire childhood. Imo, the only sane character is the brother, who went off to make his own way, severing ties with this awful family. ( )
  Cheryl_in_CC_NV | Jun 6, 2016 |
We read this in my book club. I might have picked it up in a book store; the premise was interesting enough. But within the first few pages, I was having major problems with the book. The set up to get Lucy, Milo and Tess off to live with Sam was an easy out. Likewise, I felt like making the twins so smart was the only way the story would work so that's why Ms. Kring chose to do that. I found the journals as an easy out as well--Tess just happens to be writing about the exact information Lucy wants just when Lucy happens to be able to access it? But overall, I liked the characters, found the small town feel to be very realistic and was happy that the ending wasn't "and they all lived happily ever after." ( )
  mamashepp | Mar 29, 2016 |
We read this in my book club. I might have picked it up in a book store; the premise was interesting enough. But within the first few pages, I was having major problems with the book. The set up to get Lucy, Milo and Tess off to live with Sam was an easy out. Likewise, I felt like making the twins so smart was the only way the story would work so that's why Ms. Kring chose to do that. I found the journals as an easy out as well--Tess just happens to be writing about the exact information Lucy wants just when Lucy happens to be able to access it? But overall, I liked the characters, found the small town feel to be very realistic and was happy that the ending wasn't "and they all lived happily ever after." ( )
  mamashepp | Mar 29, 2016 |
Lucy McGowan is 12, hopes to be a psychologist when she grows up, but struggles to understand her math obsessed twin brother and her secretive mother. When Lucy's grandmother summons them to help her care for Lucy's dying grandfather, she is excited about discovering more about her family--especially the big secret of who fathered her. There is a lot of serious stuff going on here, but also moments that are quite amusing as Lucy the snoop gets herself involved with some quite interesting characters--such as a former lady of the night who seems to know all the town's secrets.
I enjoyed entering into Lucy's mind and world, and it was interesting how we also got to hear from her mother via her journal entries. Her grandmother, Milo, and her mother's boyfriend also emerge as engaging characters through her observations. Our book discussion group had quite a good time analyzing the reasons behind their behavior. If a book full of family drama with quirky characters and a touch of humor appeals to you, give this one a read!! ( )
  debs4jc | Sep 4, 2012 |
Sandra Kring has an incredible way of telling a story through a child's eyes. At times there are passages that make the reader laugh and then there are passages that make the reader very sad. This is a story of a child trying to find her roots and learn about her immediate family. I highly recommend this book. ( )
  CandyH | May 27, 2012 |
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Humble beginnings We can not deny that often a truth and a lie have the same humble beginnings, intended to keep someone from harm, but in the scheme of things both have the same intensity to reduce someone to tears.  - dodinsky
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That skinny eleven-year-old boy sitting across the table from me with the wispy dishwasher-blond hair and glasses, that's my twin brother, Milo, short for Myles.
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At twelve, Lucy Marie McGowan already knows she'll be a psychologist when she grows up. And her quirky and conflicted family provides plenty of opportunity for her to practice her calling. Now Lucy, her "profoundly gifted" twin brother, Milo, her commitment-phobic mother, and her New Age grandmother are leaving Chicago for Timber Falls, Wisconsin, to care for her dying grandfather--a complex and difficult man whose failure as a husband and father still painfully echoes down through the years. Lucy believes her time in the rural town where the McGowan story began will provide a key piece to the puzzle of her family's broken past, and perhaps even reveal the truth about her own missing father. But what she discovers is so much more--a lesson about the paradoxes of love and the grace of forgiveness that the adults around her will need help in remembering if their family is ever to find peace and embrace the future. By turns heart-wrenching and heart-mending, Thank You for All Things is a powerful and poignant novel by a brilliant storyteller who illustrates that when it comes to matters of family and love, often it is the innocent who force others to confront their darkest secrets.

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