Lisa Samson

A surprisingly insightful novel for the Christian fiction set. This book addresses some ruts Christians get stuck in, and nudges us out of our easy answers. The main character, a pastor's wife, doesn't fit the stereotype of a pastor's wife. She feels frustrated with her husband and discontented with the life she knows she's fortunate to have. Her kids are not perfect. And she finds God's direction for her in an unexpected way.

This kind of book isn't usually my cup of tea,but I liked it. It show more was refreshing. Probably best suited for a woman within 10 years of 40, on either side. show less

I guess this book is all about preaching to the converted. Well, it's clearly targeted at people who call themselves christian or have marked leanings in that direction. Actually, it's probably even more focused on regular church-goers. I definitely don't fit into that category and yet I not only pulled it off the shelf at the library, but read it and found myself very emotionally involved. Regular readers of my reviews (hi Bron!) would know that I'm a pretty soppy emotional kind of guy who show more cries at the slightest provocation...but I think Lisa Samson deserves some credit for creating a set of characters and an environment that has a ring of truth and believability which tends to lead at least one reader to feel very involved in their lives. Of course, why I pulled this book off the shelf was the Quaker in the title. Although coming from a background of little real knowledge of Quakers, I'm nonetheless attracted to the aspects that I do 'know' about: pacifism, non-bureaucratic organization, and simplicity of lifestyle. I was not disappointed in the sense that this book does indeed spend some time exploring the interaction between the main character and an older Quaker woman. However, the title is misleading in the sense that the interaction with the Quaker woman is only one of a number of relationships which have a big impact on a woman who is searching for greater meaning in her life. The interacting people include: her mid-teenage son, a Catholic nun, a drug dealer, a drug user, a woman friend with a PhD in theology, an old widower, and, perhaps most importantly, someone from her childhood. The latter relationship is one element of a focus on one of the major themes: forgiveness and reconciliation. I think it's this theme, rather than the more dominant anti-materialism theme which drew me in more and provided the emotionality to which I responded.
I definitely liked this book, and was able to just ignore a lot of stuff which an anti-religious person would find to be annoying or just plain silly. show less

I bought this book at a library sale for a quarter. It sat in my "unread" pile for a long time. Based on the picture alone, I picked it up yesterday as I was looking for something "light" to read.

Oh my. I wish I could say I was brilliant enough to have written this book.

It has quirky characters that draw lots of response from me. Most I like deeply; there is one I dislike deeply -- which is exactly what the author intended. There are interesting, out-of-the ordinary events that kept my show more attention. I finished the book in a day; I would not have been able to sleep had I tried to leave it unfinished overnight.

One of the things I liked the very best was the way Scripture and a relationship with Christ was woven into the story as a natural extension of some of the characters. It was not preachy. It was not sermonizing. When a character thought of Scriptures or spoke them, it was clear that they did so because it was a normal part of their lives. Some people find it natural to swear excessively. Some people find it natural to quote Scripture. I am one of the second; so were most of the characters in the book, though they had different interpretations of the meaning of those Scriptures.Being that this was a normal part of the characters' lives, this does not come across as an overtly religious book, rather a great book with people in it who happen to have Christianity as the basis of their lives.

Another thing I liked very much was that the characters in the book who clearly love Christ are not cut from one mold. Some of them grew up outside of the church. One is gay. One is a tender, tough former military man. Another is a former playboy who becomes a blind priest. All have found their way to a relationship with Jesus.

There are several marriages that play out in this book. They are a study of what makes a good marriage -- friendship, respect of self and the other, willingness to give. Another marriage is abusive, and we see the struggle of the wife to stay both married and right with Christ.

This book haunted my dreams -- in a good way. I will be thinking about it for some time.

This is the first of Lisa Samson's books that I have read. I will be looking for more. show less

Sometimes, a book that is so very well written and entertaining, needs no introduction nor words... every kid out there should read this book! This book, and eventually series, should be in every classroom/school!

The story is narrated by a disgruntled janitor from Kingscross University; the storyteller is full of humor and insight. I really did enjoy having him jump in at times and give us his two cents and would explain words and phrases that a middle grader may not fully understand the show more meanings to them yet.

The story begins with twins, Ophelia and Linus, having to go stay with their Aunt and Uncle while their parents go off for 5 years to a remote island to study rare insects and butterflies. In their boredom, they venture around and explore their new 3 story-home - down the stairs is their Aunt's used book shop, the basement is where their Uncle's old collection of costumes and antiques are stored... and then one day, they go upstairs and find a hidden door that leads them to the enchanted attic!
Upon finding the attic, they unearth many trivial bottles filled with unknown powders and liquids, curious books and unique drawings on the floor. All of these things that once belonged to the previous owner - a mad magician that practiced apothecary, who had disappeared a few years ago.
One night while Ophelia was reading her book in the attic, she got curious with her surroundings, and while looking around, she dropped her book onto the floor at the exact moment that something magical was aligning up! In the next moment, Quasimodo appears!
How did Quasimodo come out of the book???

The rest of the story is about getting to know people, trying to do the right thing and standing up for what you believe in and not being afraid.

How will they help Quasimodo get back into his world???
And will they be able to help Quasimodo and change his story for the better???

My only issue with this book is probably just a typographical error - the summary states that the twins are twelve years old, but as you read the story, it continuously says that they are fourteen. Since this is an ARC, I believe that it may just be a typo. The children in this book do seem to be mature, so I am going to say that they are fourteen, it just makes better sense to me...

I highly recommend this book! Especially for advancing middle graders that are taking the leap from beginner chapter books to those thicker ones, and for those who have an early interest in writing. show less