Susan R. reviewed on 3/29/2010

Helpful Score: 2

There is nothing like a 13-week recovery to help distinguish in one's mind the difference between a good author and a bad one! I've always been an avid reader of both Christian and secular fiction, but after these last weeks, I'm thinking I am an expert. Sarah's Garden will top the lists one day. It's a great read and I highly recommend it!

For me, there are few Christian authors who can compete at the same level as Francine Rivers, Dee Henderson, Mary Connealy, and Karen Kingsbury, but Kelly Long now places in my list of top ten Christian authors. I'm not sure what some publishers want out of their authors, but so many of the Christian stories I've read contain one-dimensional characters who drip fake sweetness and temperaments and who lack believable challenges and personality quirks. The one-thread plot lines can be juvenile, and one is reduced to feeling like a juvenile when the authors continually repeat themselves in case you're too senile to remember what they just said. And too often, the stories elevate a particular flavor of church to such extent Pharisees would be proud. The publishers at Thomas Nelson obviously don't put out the average cookie cutter story. They clearly allowed this author room to weave together a compelling dilemma in a setting and place where much can be learned, and where all angles of a character's struggle between perceived right and wrong can be debated.

In reading Sarah's Garden, I most enjoyed the humming bird analogy, the high-road souvenir surrounding a minor character, and the author's accurate handling of the Amish setting and people, without the usual posturing. In the struggle presented, I chose sides. My side lost in the end, but I was surprised to find I wasn't disappointed. And lastly, Sarah's Garden passed the Martha Martha test. Was the book a complete waste of what could have been seemingly more productive hours, or did it provide inspiration, understanding, or a particularly precious reminder, like the stories told in church, small group, or Sunday School?

Kelly Long has something unique that is refreshing - a trust in the reader. I look forward to reading more of her work.

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