Penelope J. Stokes

An absolutely delicious five-generation family saga. Some of those generations were worthy of the Noble family name; other were real stinkers! Penelope Stokes has crafted a wonderful story about family, faith, and fortitude that isn't sticky sweet or too good to be true.

Phoebe never really recovered after the premature death of her mother twenty years ago. Now, even with her loving grandmother, best friends, and fiancé, Phoebe feels alone and unable to trust. When she discovers an old scrapbook from another Phoebe who was a teenager back in the 1920s, it may hold some answers in The Memory Book by author Penelope J. Stokes.

I first read this novel around two decades ago. It's kind of a darker read than I remember, though it's not too depressing like other show more contemporary fiction I find full of dry gloom—especially stories focused on women, including other Christian novels.

This story has mysterious and fantastical/slipstream elements that are quite interesting. And because I only remembered a fraction of the plot, I could read it with a sense of suspense all over again and was even in for some surprises.

Now, I do feel certain chunks of the story are on the nose, and others are repetitive. Also, while I'm sure much concerning Phoebe's crisis of faith is realistic, I personally find the angle to be a tired one for ChristFic. It makes me wonder what many people are being taught to base their faith on in the first place. But that's a whole real-life discussion I won't get into.

While it wasn't a happy-go-lucky kind of stroll, this walk down memory lane held my attention, and I ultimately found it to be touching. show less

Triest maar ook weer prachtig,zoals het op de cover al staat vier vriendinnen en vier verhalen allemaal zo mooi op zich.
Hoe ver ga je om een fantasie verhaal te vertellen in het dagboek wat rond gaat tussen de vier vriendinnen en wat als de waarheid boven komt?Hoe sterk kan een vriendschap dan zijn?

Being a Southern girl myself, I can say that I have known many Southern Ladies, although I don't qualify for that title, thankfully. Peach Rondell is one, or at least her mother wants her to be. I enjoyed the book, but I felt that there were holes in the story. I wanted to know more about Peach's background, not just her childhood. The main focus of the book, however, is Peach's relationship with her mother, so I can understand why more information wouldn't be needed. I know why I wanted show more more information, however. It's because the book hit too close to home. I wanted Peach to be a happy, independent woman apart from her mother, because that is what I wish for myself. The book ended ok, but I wasn't satisfied with it. I won't say more without giving away too much. I had hoped for more for Peach. show less