A small town somewhere is a small town anywhere; this much, Catherine Grace Cline of Ringgold, Georgia, can tell you. The eldest daughter of the town’s pulpit-leading patriarchy, Catherine Grace knows, and makes perfectly clear to anyone who will listen, that she is destined for greater things than the provincial, tomato growing southern town where she was born and raised.

The story follows Catherine through a tumultuous but lonely adolescence, flanked by her younger sister, Martha Anne, and a vibrant, middle-aged wild woman cum teenage confidant, Gloria Jean Graves. She all but sells her soul to hitch a ride into the The Big Peach, Atlanta, to work at the city’s shopping district. Before she can so much as contemplate roots in town, however, tragedy joins her in the metropolis and she is summoned home for a shift in perspective far greater than she hoped to gain from city life.

This is not my typical fare but I was seduced by the proximity of the story to my current location and was pleasantly surprised. A simple, sweet and honest read, it could be set at any time, any place and carry the same message of introspective discovery. Knowledge of the South East is not imperative to enjoying the book, although it does help. As a northern transplant to Atlanta, I am a fence sitter in terms of understanding southern catch phrases and colloquialisms but found many of the understated regional references subtly hilarious.

The characters are comfortably and loosely sketched, yet not so transparent that the story looses focus. The overarching theme builds on the age-old conflict, one between pastoral home and grand away, to which Gilmore gives small town charm and big city spunk. Her story is at once a deep criticism of and a love letter to small town life. ( )

I found the book very enjoyable. Was a little slow at first but I'm glad I read it through. Was very heartfelt and could even relate to Catherine Grace when she left to follow her dreams. ( )

Loved this book.
A sweet and very enjoyable coming of age story.
Catherine Grace Cline has lived in Ringgold, Georgia all of her life.With her preacher father, younger sister Martha Ann, next door neighbor Gloria Jean she can't wait to leave the small town and insular community for the life outside when she is 18 years old.
Delightful, charming, looking forward to the next novel by Gilmore (this is her first!) ( )

This is the first book from this author. I was attracted to the name and I'm so glad, I really enjoyed this book. A light & deep read all wrap up in one. I highly recommend adding this book to your library. I'm already wanting to read it again. BTW, I emailed the author on her website to tell her I loved this book and her reply was quick and very sweet. I can't wait to read her next book. ( )

This story didn't grab me until the third or fourth chapter. I decided to give it one more try and I flew through the rest of the book today. It is a slow, sweet story about a preacher and his two daughters in Ringgold, Georgia. There's internal drama and family dramas as well that unfold in the course of the story. Gilmore paints poignant pictures with her words in this story. I'm glad I read it and look forward to future works by this author. ( )