Joyce Magnin

What an absolutely delightful book! Another in the series of Bright's Pond stories of Agnes and Griselda Sparrow. This time Griselda is still taking flying lessons from the handsome pilot, Cliff, as her on again, off again long time beau, Zeb, continually asks her to marry him. Strange things are happening at Greenbriar Nursing Home where Agnes now lives ... many of the the residents are enjoying a second childhood ... climbing trees, necking with their sweetheart in the newly built gazebo, show more or racing down the halls on their cherry red tricycle! Is the gazebo builder, Leon Fontaine, behind this sudden rash of new found youth? Does the fountain he built at Paradise Trailer Park really contain water from the Fountain of Youth? He fancies himself quite the Don Quixote and there are many who think of him as a hero, but many who want to put a stop to his "mind control" over the residents of Greenbriar. Griselda's friend, Ruth, is in rare form in this book ... planning a luau themed Thanksgiving, sewing costumes for the Christmas pageant, and maybe even doing a bit more sewing for an upcoming wedding. What will Griselda do when Zeb asks her yet again to marry him? Will the residents of Greenbriar settle back into being old folks? Will Leon Fontaine save the day when needed? This book has all that and more helpings of Charlotte Figg's fabulous pies! Bright's Pond is a wonderful place to visit and I hope Joyce Magnin writes about it again soon. I love these characters! show less

Agnes Sparrow is a character you won't soon forget. What is remarkable is that the presence of her character carries just as much weight as her physical description--which is that of a 600 pound, homebound spinster. Even though Agnes never leaves her house, the people Bright's Pond feel like their town would not be the same without her and her prayers. Since praying for the people of the town is Agnes' mission, when people start to experience miracles--from healings to a prizewinning show more pumpkin--they attribute them to Agnes. Agnes and her sister Griselda are unsure about all of the attention they start to receive. To further complicate matters a homeless man shows up on their doorstep....hoping for a miracle. What will it take for the quirky residents of this town to seek God first, not miracles?
This was such a different read in that it had quite a quirky element with some of the unusual characters roaming around town, yet there was also a dark element that builds gradually and then suddenly rears it's ugly head. It is not a book that is easily forgotten and it shows just how messy trying to follow God can get. I'd definitely recommend it, especially to those who like thought provoking books that deal with faith matters. show less

'Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus' by Joyce Magnin will sit on my "keeper shelf" for re-reading when I need some Harriet in my life! She reminds me of myself when I signed up for a tour of China. I was living alone then and had never been out of the country, but I decided to do it and have never regreted it. If Harriet was real, I would invite her over to share travel stories. She had a lot of amazing adventures on her trip!

At the beginning of the story, Harriet lives in Philadelphia with her show more basset hound, Humphrey. Her son and daughter-in-law are coming to visit. Because she lives at home by herself and is 72 years old, they are worried about her. What if she had an accident or got sick? They wanted her to move to Grass Valley, California to live with them.

She was putting the finishing touches on her Christmas tree when she fell off a chair. She is on the floor when her son and daughter-in-law find her. They make a bet that her ankle is broken and she loses. The stakes are high. After her ankle recovers, she sells her house and prepares to go to Grass Valley. But she thinks to herself, she has always wanted to travel but in all her married years, she had only been to the Jersey Shore. So, instead of flying to California, she decides to do her trip her own way. She would decide how to travel and what to see. She had always dreamed of seeing the only Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in the United States and now she is going do it. Now she can add to her shaker set collection by herselfy instead just receiving them as gifts.

Harriet is a "stick your guns" character, caring and funny and amazing. I did not want the book to stop, I had trouble laying it down. I definitely want more. I think what I loved about Harriet the most is that she never held back. Sometimes it put her life in danger but it also demonstrated her love of life and people. We need more Harrietes in this world.

I hope that Joyce Magnin writes what happens when Harriet stays with her son and daughter in law in the future.

I really hope that you read this book. It will do you a lot of good!

I received this book as a part of the Amazon Vine Program but that in no way influenced my review. show less

What do you do when you look back at the last 72 years of your life and realize you're not getting any younger? The only time you've ever gone anywhere was to the Jersey shore on vacation. Now that she has lost a bet with her son Henry and his wife Prudence over an accident at Christmas, Harriet is forced to sell her home and move in with them. After all, it's apparent to them, you can't be left to care for yourself all alone. Yet rather than jump aboard a plane and head for Grass Valley, CA show more on their terms, you do what Harriet Beamer does.

You plan a road trip.

From Pennsylvania to California.

Seeing whatever it is you've wanted to see before you die taking whatever means necessary except for a plane if she can help it. Once she has secured her faithful companion, Humphrey, her Basset Hound on board a plane headed to California, she is ready to begin. And with Harriet, that begins with a bus. Not a Greyhound bus mind you but a local public bus and see how far it will take her. Unfortunately for her, it only goes as far as the University, but since she's never seen that, she takes a walk around the campus before heading off on another bus.

Harriet's goal is not only in seeing the sights she feels she has missed in her 72 years of living, but also to prove to herself and her family that she isn't as incapable in caring for herself as they think she is. The journey that the reader is invited along with Harriet is memorable, fun and often times sobering as she meets with people from all walks of life. She finds herself offering invaluable wisdom to the people she engages with, names her GPS application within her Droid phone, Amelia, and continues collecting her salt and pepper shakers as she journeys to California, one bus, one train, one memorable journey at a time.

I received Harriet Beamer Takes The Bus by Joyce Magnin compliments of Shelton Interactive and Zondervan Publishers for my honest review. I LOVED this adorable story because it relates to a situation close to my own heart where an elderly woman living alone was asked to sell her own home because they felt she couldn't care for herself and live with them. I would have loved to see her have as much gumption as Harriet Beamer did and take life by the reins and ride it for the best time of her life. I rate this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and it truly shows in the character of Harriet Beamer that age is just a number, and life is truly worth living to the final moment! show less