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"Broken by life's disappointments, four women forge a friendship that leads in unexpected directions. Hope Benson is determined to do all she can for the broken souls who come to Casa de Jesus, a women's shelter in the heart of San Francisco. When a difficult pregnancy forces her to relinquish control, she draws support and strength from an unlikely group of women, each struggling with her own heartbreak. Andy Taylor, a reluctant transplant to California, was compelled to leave behind her lavender-growing business and her home of twenty-some years to support her workaholic husband's pursuit of career success. Attorney Julia Collins is searching for her teenage granddaughter, believed to be living on the streets. And Clarice Van Dam's life has been shattered by the disappearance of her husband, who appears to have relieved her of all earthly possessions except a fur coat and her overnight bag. Drawn together at the weekend market held in the shelter's parking lot, the women pool their resources to fend off an unscrupulous conglomerate that threatens to replace the facility with a commercial development. As they fight to retain this haven for women in need, they find their own longings for home answered by the solace of faith and friendship."--Publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
I've read about three, maybe four Inspirational books and I've only really liked Beaded Hope because it wasn't too preachy. Obviously, prayer was a big part of the characters' lives, but I didn't feel like the author was going overboard. In Saturday Morning, every other page was about God. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, but as someone who isn't religious, it did end up being a bit much. So, those parts were sort of skimmed over.
The rest of Saturday Morning was pretty good. While I didn't truly connect with any of the characters, I did enjoy their storylines. I absolutely loved Andy's storyline with her husband. Every time he tried to get her to fit into his perfect mold, she would just dish out the "This is the way it's going to be" attitude and I just found the whole thing endlessly amusing before it turned all angsty. I also really liked the J House storyline. I was in awe at what all the women were doing to help out the less fortunate.
All in all, I thought that Saturday Morning was an okay novel. I did think the resolution of everything was a bit out there, but that just might be because of my skepticism towards the notion that prayer solves everything. Saturday Morning was a mildly enjoyable and extremely quick read, so I can't complain. I'll just have to look a little closer next time I'm signing up for giveaways.
Hope Benson and her husband Roger own and run a shelter for women in San
Clarice Van Dam is an older lady who was scammed by the man she loved. She finds herself broke and alone in a city she doesn't know. A meeting on the street sends her to "J House's" door.
Julia Collins is a successful family law attorney in Kansas. She is searching for her grand daughter who has gone to California looking for fame. Julia ends up at "J House" when her grand daughter is taken to "J House" after being picked up for prostitution.
Andrea Taylor or "Andy" as most people call her is a business woman with a fledgling home based business that is growing by leaps and bounds. She own a lavender farm called "Lavender Meadows" in Oregon and makes many items that she sells to companies and also on the internet. Andy's husband has been a traveling salesman for many years and he has just been offered Vice President of Sales, which is an office job at headquarters in San Francisco. He wants to sell and move, but Andy doesn't want to give up her family home and the business. Neither wants to give up on their dreams and they must find a way to compromise and trust that God knows what it best. Andy ends up at "J House" one Saturday morning at their weekly farmer's market.
These four women find that even though their backgrounds are very different and they range in age from late 30's to early 60's, that they need each other. They start calling themselves the "Girl Squad". They come together to pray, talk about problems and enjoy each others company. They learn to trust God and be thankful at all times, even when things are bad. They regularly mention the fact that when two or more people come together in the name of God, he can always be found in the center.
When I began reading Saturday Morning I felt I was being spoken to. I, like these women, have a girl squad too. We also range in age from late 30's to mid 60's and we always have friendship and fellowship. We gather weekly and discuss the highs and the lows in our lives and just enjoy being together.
The women in this book go through normal everyday things. I recommend this book to all women. If you are not religious but are able to read a Christian book without being put off or out, maybe you will see the lessons learned otherwise. And like the author stated at the beginning of this book and I agree 110%,"I wish everyone a "Girl Squad".
These four stories are woven together beautifully. I don't usually like religious themed books, but I really enjoyed Saturday Morning. It wasn't preachy, just full of sweetness. I really liked all the women, but especially enjoyed Andy's story. It does leave you with a great message...trust in the BIG GUY!
Overall I enjoyed the book. The book is about four women who come together in an odd circumstance but it all centers around a house for women in crisis called J House. While only one of the women actually starts out as a resident of J House, the women provide an amazingly unique bond with each other to make sure that the J House survives many troubles and in the process, these four women connect with each other and provide support for a variety of situations that come up in these women's lives. A great read and one that I recommend. It is a Christian fiction novel but as someone who isn't Christian, I enjoyed the book very much.
Beautifully written and told though an inspirational voice that doesn’t come across pushy or preachy. Overall the message leaves you feeling hopeful and knowing someone ( A BIG someone) is out there looking out for us.