A Place Called Sweet Shrub

by Jane Roberts Wood

Book Overview

Together for the first time as a classic Texas trilogy: The Train to Estellin e A Place Called Sweet Shrub Dance a Little Longer The Lucinda "Lucy" Richards trilogy, spanning the years from 1911 to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385301871
• ISBN13: 9780385301879
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 307 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Very good book.

I found & read this book first. Later I found the first in the series, Train to Estaline. They are both very good. I enjoyed reading about Lucy & her family & all their quirks. Enjoy.

Lucy Richard's story continues

It has been three years since Lucy Richards returned from Estelline. Taking over the family hardware store and caring for family has taken her mind off her sister's betrayal and the man she had planned to marry, perhaps too well. Lucy feels that she may be too comfortable, and that life in Bonham may not hold much for her. When Josh Arnold visits Lucy on his way to Sweet Shrub, Arkansas(where he is to read law) he makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he is still interested in Lucy, and that he won't take no for an answer. Lucy discovery that her heart is once again willing to trust combined with Josh's insistance and the impending visit of Lucy's sister and former fiancee, propells Lucy to accept his proposal. Together they move to Sweet Shrub. Just as she had faced change and adversity when she left home to teach, Lucy is faced with a whole new life to claim. She is faced by the prejudices and fears of the townfolk, and must turn to Josh and an inner strength she did not realize she had to survive. This is the second in three books, and is told in a very different way than the first. The author is very skillful in including the events of the early 1900's, impending world war, friction between races and small town dynamics to weave a wonderful story of life in Texas.

Charming and Entertaining

"Sweet Shrub" was such a surprise. This book looked like dripy ole' southern novel. BUT...how wrong I was. This book was deep, emotional and I loved the characters. DEEPLY. This is such a great book.....it's clear, enjoyable, and such a pleasant surprise.

Time Travel

Set in pre-WWI east Texas and Arkansas, this is a book that surprises. Look at the cover, and you suspect it might be a little syrupy. It certainly starts out that way. But the writing is intriguing and the characters begin to show a surprising depth. The emerging rights of women are delicately addressed together with the civil wrongs of the era. The characters surprise us from time to time, the goodness of Queenie, the shallowness of Edna and Bob, the gentleness and persistence of Josh. And Mama with her talking without moving her lips, is a high-spirited throw back to the prim and proper and occasionally clueless era. The reader is left hanging at the end, in particular the whereabouts of Jeremiah and Keats - we can only hope? In the meantime, I am headed for the library to find more by this author. This would make a wonderful audio book (with some of the music, too?).

Absolutely charming!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It took me to another place in time and I enjoyed every second of it. I highly recommed this book.