Cheap A Garden to Keep (Book) (Jamie Langston Turner) Price

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Customer Reviews of A Garden to Keep

Insightful yet wordy in a "stream of consciousness" way
I've looked forward to Turner's new book, having read all of her previous ones. I love the way the author intertwines the lives of the characters with each other as we come to know them. In this book Elizabeth is coming to terms with the problems in her marriage as well as confronting some emotional baggage that she has accumulated through the years. Elizabeth's thoughts and feelings are right out there for us to relate to, and in a way that is very descriptive, insightful, honest, and powerful. However,I must agree with some other reviewers who feel that her references to poetry as a way of relating to the events in her life were quite cumbersome. These discourses often cause the reader to suspend thinking about the storyline in order to see where the author is going. I found it quite distracting, but I enjoyed the characterization and story in spite of this drawback.

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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!

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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.