Kathryn Cushman

The tragic murder of a son sets events for Alisa Stewart and her family. Leaving Yesterday explores the aftermath of such an event. A marriage that is fractured, another son who spirals into drug abuse, and a mistrust of God’s ability to do the right thing all play a role in the actions of main character Alisa. I have to say that this book was hard for me to read. No, it wasn’t graphic in any way, but it was very real. I could see how the bad choices Alisa made would impact the outcome show more of her story and could do nothing to stop it! It certainly made me think! Alisa believes in God with her whole heart, but when it comes right down to it, she feels that she knows best how to handle the tough situations her family face. Boy, can I relate! Maybe that was why it was so hard to read. It laid bare my tendency to manage the world around me to reflect how I want things to be. Like Alisa, it never works out well! Cushman did a good job of showing how one deceit leads to another, and the barriers that our actions can put up in our relationship with God. The audiobook was well-done and kept me engaged. With its many spiritual themes, Leaving Yesterday would make a great choice for a book club.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(I downloaded the audiobook from Libby. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

I have to admit, I had a few trepidations about reading Almost Amish by Katie Cushman: I'm over Amish fiction. I'm tired of bonnets and buggies.
With great relief I can say my fears were unfounded.

Cushman's books are always about two sides of an issue. She writes characters who are passionate about their positions and she writes each so well that it's impossible not to see their side. Whether it's vaccinations, doing the right thing in a difficult situation, or making little compromises, the show more characters are real people grappling with real decisions that have real consequences.

Almost Amish is her best book so far.

Susan is a Type A perfectionistic Martha Stewart wannabe. Her sister-in-law Julie is more laid back. But Julie's easy going nature makes it hard for her to say no and draw boundaries and she's often overstressed and overwhelmed by her commitments.

Susan and her daughter have the opportunity to be part of a reality television project and Julie joins with her own two children. They agree to live on a farm for the summer, doing things "almost Amish," meaning as simply as possible, while being filmed.

Susan about kills herself and everyone else doing things perfectly. Her pie has to be perfect, even if it's baked in a wood-burning stove. The bathroom floor has to sparkle, even though it's made of fifty year old tile. Her breakfasts have to be garnished as if the pancakes were getting their own close-ups.

Julie discovers that she enjoys the slower pace of life on the farm and being able to focus solely on her family and providing for them.

The television crew throw various challenges at the two families, all while the cameras are rolling.

I thought the author did a fabulous job showing each woman's feelings about the project and how it affected them. Susan could have been a hard character to care about since she's abrupt and abrasive and impossible to please. But she has a compelling reason for doing this project and it drives her to succeed.

As Julie slows down, she learns some lessons about herself and the life she's been living. As a wife and mother who often felt overwhelmed by the demands of home, school, work, and life, I sympathized with Julie and could apply her lessons to my own life.

Almost Amish is not "almost good." It's wonderful and I highly recommend it.

I received a copy from the publisher for review purposes, but that did not influence the good things I have to say about this book. show less

After a dress Lauren helped produced causes a “wardrobe malfunction” on the red carpet, she is fired from her internship and blacklisted in the fashion world. Desperate to get away, and make some money, she takes a position at a school designing costumes for their upcoming play. She moves into a cottage within a private neighborhood. The neighborhood was established by those trying to hide from something.

I thought the neighborhood was a fascinating setting. It added a layer of mystery show more and intrigue that this book would not have had otherwise. I do think the characters were a bit stereotypical, and the story played out in a predictable fashion. I also believe this book should be labeled as Christian fiction. Overall, not a bad book, but not one I would reread. show less

Fading Starlight is the latest novel by Kathryn Cushman. Lauren Summers has recently graduated from fashion institute and was fortunate enough to get picked for an internship with Deb Couture. Lauren was flattered to be picked to design a dress for Marisa Remington (an actress) who wants to look more grownup than her mother and managers want her to be. Lauren oversaw design and final alterations to dress for the VMA’s. Lauren is watching the award show on television and is shocked when show more there is an “accident” with the dress. The dress breaks open to expose the actress’ undergarments (we all know who staged the so called accident). Deb Couture immediately closes ranks and blames it on Lauren. Lauren is fired (of course) and blackballed in the industry. Lauren’s mentor, Professor Navarro finds a job for her to do that also comes with a place to stay (out of town). Lauren will work on the costumes for a high school theatrical production of Camelot (Lauren’s specialty is historical clothing) in Santa Barbara. The place to live is being provided by Ralph Edwards. The community has very, very strict rules (such as not taking pictures, sticking to walking paths, valuing each other’s privacy). Mr. Edwards needs someone on site while construction is being carried out (a rule). The owner of the nearby Victorian, though, is not happy with the new addition to the neighborhood. Charlotte Montgomery is a recluse and values her privacy. Lauren is happy to have the beautiful place to live and some work. But she wants to be able to clear her name. Then Lauren is approached by Kendall Joiner, a reporter. She will help Lauren clear her name (already has some helpful information on Marisa’s deception) in exchange for information on Charlotte Montgomery. Lauren reluctantly agrees. But over the summer she slowly gets to know Charlotte and her housekeeper, Frances Brown. Will Lauren be able to hold up her end of the bargain? Is Lauren willing to compromise her values to clear her name?

Fading Starlight was a good novel. I was immediately engaged and kept reading until the end. The sabotage was easy to figure out, but I enjoyed the other elements at play in the book. I liked the characters and the beautiful setting (I wanted to live in the community). Fading Starlight had a good pace that made it easy and enjoyable to read. The book is well-written and contained a nice life lesson. I give Fading Starlight 4.5 out of 5 stars. There were a couple of slow areas (mostly when character is thinking). I just told you a little about what transpired in the book. There is much more (a mystery of sorts). I look forward to reading Kathryn Cushman’s in the future (and I will be checking out her other published novels).

I received a complimentary copy of Fading Starlight in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel. show less