A Garden to Keep

by Jamie Langston Turner

Book Overview

"When I said the biggest yes of my life before I left her house that day, I had no way of knowing I was about to be slammed up against the wall." Meet Elizabeth Landis, lover of poetry, whose life is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076422154X
• ISBN13: 9780764221545
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Very thought provoking

A treasure for the book lover... yes it is wordy, and I found her "yes you think I'm side tracked but stay with me to the end" repetitive and unnecessary filler as I was gonna read it through anyway. This book is a great example of how people can become so self centered and blinded, yet by God's grace be given a second chance and relationships get restored.

Enchanting

This book does seem lengthy at first but was far from boring! It reminded me of how much real art can enrich the life, so I'm already looking for some good poetry books. Hard to believe this book is a novel, the thought processes of the main character being so close to reality. I also liked immensely the portrayal of GRACE in a betrayal situation and could easily replace a few counseling sessions. This is one of my favorite books so far.

So good I read it twice

I bought this book on a fluke from the used book section figuring if nothing else, it would make nice bookshelf filler. It is now one of my favorite all-time books. For one thing, I like the fact that the protaganist is nearly 50, and is still creative, intelligent, and witty in a quiet way. I feel it is very rare to see vibrant characters over the age of 35. A lot of books, both Christian and secular, focus on building a character's value through her good looks or sitcom- wit. Reading through Elizabeth's eyes made me really crave art and music. I enjoy the way Turner puts words together. When she spoke of a poem "flying," or words "shimmering," I had an urge to go read some poetry. Love of art wasn't the main point of the book, but it was a nice little bonus. I also enjoyed this book because it included such a varied menagerie of characters. I liked reading about her matter-of-fact lawyer daughter just as much as I enjoyed reading about her funky accross-the-street neighbor. Though Turner endows Elizabeth with a great deal of depth, it is irritating that she meanders so much throughout the novel. The highly developed character development an insightful storytelling made that forgivable for me, but the rambling may get on some people's nerves. I am glad that Elizabeth spent some time reviewing her own mistakes. She was a woman who had been sorely betrayed, but she also let God show her where she had made mistakes. The most fascinating part of the story was going with the main character as she learned new things about herself. I am very glad I got this book, and plan on reading more of Turner's novels.

A Sure Winner

This book recently won a "Christie Award" in Christian fiction for contemporary fiction. It concerns a middle-aged woman who comes to faith in Christ and learns on the same day that her marriage is in trouble.Turner takes literary risks, here, in writing a long, rambling first-person account of a woman dealing with betrayal as she's also learning to trust in Christ. The does, indeed, drag in parts and the protagonist is frequently sidetracked by bunny trails and poetic thoughts, however it's good to see a writer, and especially Turner, going beyond the standard cliches used by so many other authors.Highly recommended!!!

Thought provoking

I have not read much Christian fiction literature but found this book captivating. I think that we all struggle with what God wants us to do with our life, and this book showed, in vivid detail, one woman's struggle with that, especially as it pertained to her marriage. I like the fact that this author can present different personalities in her books, and how God uses each one of us in an individual way, to grow and reach others. I liked the references to poetry-in fact-it spurred me on to do my own investigation of poetry and read some of the books the author mentioned. Jamie, keep writing from your heart as you are touching the hearts of others!

Deeply moving

The New York reviewer precipitated this review--it is obvious that Northeastern snobbery come in to play at least to a degree in his/her review. Be it known: there are educated women in the South, both self- and school-educated, whose lives are filled with the pleasures of poetry, music, drama, and other of the arts and who view life through these lenses. To have the skill to use poetry as the filter through which the main character interprets her life and finds her meaning, is a technical tour de force. It is too bad that the New Yorker found the use of poetry an intellectual affront: the use of it is brilliant and shows great intellectual facility (with understanding) on the part of the writer. I agree that the story is perhaps some pages too long. It is, however, a look at the devastation of Elizabeth's separation and pending divorce, the reasons for it, her role in it, and the insight that new faith brings her. The accurate use of musicians--a college band director--as a main character is unique and shows the special insight that Jamie Turner has achieved. The moment of redeeming faith is handled so adeptly, that it is very real and person, not silly or sentimental.This is a special book. The character development is wonderful. The humor is understated and never grating. Elizabeth's character is believeable and richly developed. The setting is every Southern small town that has a small college (it could be fifty communities in each Southern state!) but gives us more of Berea and Filbert, S.C. This is a wonderful book and an important one for all who are facing struggles in marriage. Jamie Turner's advice in this book is "tend the garden of your heart."