Helpful Score: 5
An excellent book. I loved the way she introduced the people in the story. It was unique and quite interesting. A very enjoyable book with a tug or two on your emotions.
Helpful Score: 3
Heartwarming novel about persons in a small town who interweave their lives. Christian in viewpoint--a lovely read!
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book. It is a story about a place where you would love to live. I hightly recommend!
Helpful Score: 2
The Lake Emily series by Traci DePree is a delightful find! I love the characters that inhabit this rural farm setting. A Can of Peas brings back a time when people knew and cared about each other, and didn't hesitate to help when needed. There are at least two more books in this series, and I will definitely read them.
Helpful Score: 1
I stumbled upon this series accidentally, but I was so happy that I did. The characters are so simple-hearted that it just made me feel good all over to read this series. The plot lines were predictable and not very complex, which some readers might not like, but therein lies the beauty of this series.
I loved this book! Makes you smile, laugh and cry all in one chapter. It is a quick read, the author does a really good job of character development and makes all of them very endearing to you(at least me). Since I am from Minnesota reading this makes me feel at home, I was ecstatic that the author mentioned things that the locals know, especially using Minneapolis Moline tractors right off the bat in the story my dad worked for MM and it made me feel really happy that was in there!! I highly recommend this book and the whole series for that matter, my only complaint reading this book was knowing there were only 2 more in the series to read and that made me really sad! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
The story of a small town and a season of hope - (from the cover). An excellent small farming town story. I liked the way the author gave a brief chapter about a character's earlier life before they were introduced into the story. It made me feel like I knew the characters as if living right along with them.
I loved this book. It really is a great story and depicts a family life in the country very well. A sweets story that has made me a fan of Traci Depree. Love it!!!
Pretty good read about a young man and his new bride who returns home to run the farm when his grandfather dies. Pretty predictable, and as a Christian book I found it too pat, syrupy.
A very sweet story of love and faith and the hardships of life in a small farming community. A welcome surprise!
Donna C. (darkcoffeeclouds) -
I really enjoyed this book. It's about a young man named Peter whose grandfather just passed away. He has many fond memories of helping his grandfather on the farm in Minnesota and wonders why his father didn't stay there to take over the farm. He resents his father, who is a musician, for always moving around while he was growing up and for missing his grandfather's funeral. Peter is between jobs and he and his new wife Mae are staying in her parents basement, which hasn't been ideal. Mae's mom doesn't think Peter is good enough for her and Mae ends up leaving with their mother-daughter relationship in ruins. Peter's Grandmother mentioned one day that her husband Roy had always hoped someone in the family would take over the farm and Peter thinks that is what he wants to do. He talks to his wife and his grandmother and they decide on a trial period to see how it goes. Mae finds out very quickly that outsiders have a hard time fitting in with small town folks where everyone knows everyone's business. Peter loves farming but has a hard time keeping up and is worried about paying back his operating loan. The story continues to tell of some of their trials on the farm.
I really like how the author inserted short chapters in italics that tell a small story from the past just before a chapter where that person is involved in the present. That allows the reader to get to know the people in the small town and how they relate to one another. You learn a little bit of history right when you need to. The stories are very well written and make you feel for the people in the story. After reading this book you are left wondering what's next and there are two more books "Dandelions in a jelly jar" and "aprons on a clothesline".
This isn't just a book about farming. It's about being new and and trying to fit in where newcomers aren't welcome. It's about love.... and family. It's about coming through difficult times unscathed and knowing you are not alone in the world.
I really like how the author inserted short chapters in italics that tell a small story from the past just before a chapter where that person is involved in the present. That allows the reader to get to know the people in the small town and how they relate to one another. You learn a little bit of history right when you need to. The stories are very well written and make you feel for the people in the story. After reading this book you are left wondering what's next and there are two more books "Dandelions in a jelly jar" and "aprons on a clothesline".
This isn't just a book about farming. It's about being new and and trying to fit in where newcomers aren't welcome. It's about love.... and family. It's about coming through difficult times unscathed and knowing you are not alone in the world.
I felt as if I were reading a story written by an adolescent about a couple of petulant 12 year olds.
"He doesn't love me enough. OK, I'll try to be a better wife. whaaaaa he doesn't love me enough."
"If only she loved me more. OK , I'll try to be a better husband. whaaaaaa she doesn't love me enough."
Puh-lease. I wanted to like this book, as I found the subject matter (big city couple goes to live a "simpler" life on the farm) of interest. I enjoyed some of the neighbors which is why it got 2 stars instead of 1. At least it was a quick read.
"He doesn't love me enough. OK, I'll try to be a better wife. whaaaaa he doesn't love me enough."
"If only she loved me more. OK , I'll try to be a better husband. whaaaaaa she doesn't love me enough."
Puh-lease. I wanted to like this book, as I found the subject matter (big city couple goes to live a "simpler" life on the farm) of interest. I enjoyed some of the neighbors which is why it got 2 stars instead of 1. At least it was a quick read.
Typical of the genre. No surprises, but in this genre you expect no surprises.
Weaving together the strong threads of family and friends in a pattern of grace, forgiveness, and kindness, A Can of Peas invites readers into a place where every day brings a new story and neighbors are more than just people who live down the road. Sometimes funny and often poignant, these vignettes will draw both men and women into the reassuring rhythms of life as it ought to beand as it still is in the heart of America.
After the death of his grandfather, Peter Morgan and his new bride, Mae, face a life-changing decision: should they embrace the career-chasing ambitions of their family and friends in St. Paul or accept the absurd challenge of saving the family farm in the Minnesota countryside?
Enticed by the romance of a simple, quiet life, the Morgans set out to follow in the footsteps of Peters grandparents. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure as Mae struggles to find her place in Peters life and in the community. Will the strain of saving the farm tear their marriage apart? Was it a mistake to dream?
After the death of his grandfather, Peter Morgan and his new bride, Mae, face a life-changing decision: should they embrace the career-chasing ambitions of their family and friends in St. Paul or accept the absurd challenge of saving the family farm in the Minnesota countryside?
Enticed by the romance of a simple, quiet life, the Morgans set out to follow in the footsteps of Peters grandparents. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure as Mae struggles to find her place in Peters life and in the community. Will the strain of saving the farm tear their marriage apart? Was it a mistake to dream?
First book in the Lake Emily Series.
