This Fine Life: A Novel

by Eva Marie Everson

Paperback, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Revell (2010), 352 pages

Description

Fiction. Historical Fiction. Readers will laugh, cry, and fall in love with this stunning southern novel set in small-town Georgia in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

User reviews

LibraryThing member tarenn
THIS FINE LIFE by Eva Marie Everson is an Inspirational Contemporary Fiction set in the 1960's thru the 1970's in the South. It is a great Southern novel. It is well written and written in the first person. It gives us insight into the life of a pastor, wife and family during his first ministry. It
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is a tender story of growing up and facing reality.The characters are easy to follow, you will feel their lose and their triumphs. It has tragedy, joys, struggles, trials, and Christian values. It starts out a little slow but picks up by the second chapter. This book was received for review and details can be found at Revell and My Book Addiction and More.
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LibraryThing member seizethebook
I think one of the reasons that The Help is so popular is that it reminds many of us of our childhoods, especially those of us who grew up in the South. When I was reading it, I remembered some of the people in my hometown who acted just like the main characters. I also recalled statements made
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similar to the ones in the book. If you missed my review, you can go back and read it. It is one of my favorite reads of the year.

So when I began to read This Fine Life, I had the same thoughts of my growing up years. Just like in The Help, this book gave a great sense of what it was like to live in the South in the 60's. I love how Ms. Everson painted such a realistic picture of the life of a new pastor and his wife. I could feel along with the main character, Mariette, the stares and the disapproving attitudes of the people of the small town where they lived. I also cheered when her husband, Thayne, did what he did in the last chapters of the book.

Although this book made me smile as well as cry, it is not just an emotional story. It is a story of growth in relationships, and a story of sweet marital romance. One of the best things about the book is that it depicted well the sober reality of how sin affects us, and how God enables us to gain victory over our sins as well as the sins of others.

I plan on keeping this book to share with my friends and family. And I encourage you to get a copy and experience for yourself This Fine Life.
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LibraryThing member DLester
My Synopsis:

This Fine Life by Eva Everson

(For review from Revell)

Mariette Puttnam had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Her parents had everything planned out for her. Her mother wanted her marry a wealthy man and her father wanted her to go to college, but in the summer of 1955 Mariette
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finds her own answer. When she unexpectedly meets a young man named, Thayne Scott, Mariette, begins to feel the stirring of first love. Though her parents forbid her to continue to see Thayne, they cannot stay apart for long and end up eloping.

Marriette was brought up in church but had never had a personal relationship with God. Her best friend Missy and now her husband, Thayne both seem to have something that she cannot understand. When Thayne announces that he called to preach and will attend seminary, Mariette is shaken and continues to feel like she is on the outside looking in at faith. Mariette isn't much of a cook, and she isn't what most people expect for a preacher's wife. When Thayne's first assignment lands them in an out of the way town, Mariette soon learns what it means to be watched by everyone. Will Mariette find out what faith in God is all about? Will she ever become what people expect from a preacher's wife? Will she ever find out if she has a fine life?

My Thoughts:

In this coming of age novel, Eva Everson does a wonderful job of showing her readers what it was like to grow up in the South during this time period. One of the things that I truly enjoyed about the book was how the author was able to make you feel like you had gone back in time to the old diner's with soda jerks and slices of pie. When living in a small town meant you knew everyone and they all knew you. You couldn't get away with anything back in those days, someone inevitably would call your parents and rat you out, LOL...

Mariette is a character that I can identify with. She matures so much throughout the book. When we first meet her is just out of boarding school and not at all certain what she wants to do with her life. When she meets Thayne, a mail clerk in her father's factory, it isn't a match her parents would have chosen. But, their love for each wins out. We see first love, and how the first years of marriage are such an eye opener. We go with Mariette and Thayne as the get their first apartment and struggle with money. We see everything that they go through as they become mature adults and find out what a fine life is really all about. The author uses many themes in this novel including, the expectations that others have for us and finding your own faith that is not based on other people.

Available May 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I enjoy the book very much and give it 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
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LibraryThing member epkwrsmith
A young proper woman of the 50s-60s era finishes school and is trying to decide what to do with her life when she meets a young man from the wrong side of the tracks. She runs off and marries him even though her parents forbid her. He gives up a lucrative position in her father's business to become
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a preacher, and they struggle through the next several years.

This one tries to have a happy ending...but it was unrealistic and silly as far as I was concerned...it was like all of a sudden everything was supposed to be ok. There is a strong religious current through this one, and even though I have a very strong faith, I did not like the way the husband's faith was presented as a domineering even "my way is right, and your way is wrong" kindof faith.

There were parts of this story that were touching...aspects that I wish this author had followed up on...the stories surrounding the lost child of the present and the one from the past in particular would have been places where the author could have expounded and created more depth for this story.

This one was ok, but I wouldn't have missed anything had I skipped this one.
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
The story of Mariette and Thayne is appealing and real. Two headstrong and passionate kids marry and then go about building a life. I liked the fact that this story wasn't about happily ever after, but rather about how life is full of heartache and joy and that together they create a fine life.
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There are some great characters in this book - Mariette's parents are wonderful and I loved the scene with Mariette and her father in law. The one thing I wished was that Mariette's conversion to God is only hinted at in her childbirth experience and I would have enjoyed seeing her actually come to feel God's presence in her life. Overall very enjoyable reading.
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LibraryThing member Athenable
I first became interested in This Fine Life because the main character and I seemed to have a few things in common. Although Mariette graduated high school in 1959, we both attended girls' boarding schools in the south. Mariette shares my passion for reading and my interest in picking out just the
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right outfit.
But this book is about a young girl who does more than just gossip with her friends and visit the drive-in with boys. In fact, she seems too mature to be caught up in the frivolity of being a mid-century teenager. Mariette is strong and smart in a world where not everyone likes her and even other women sometimes turn against her in inexplicable ways.
After graduating, she is faced with the choice of going on to college or trying to find a husband. Once she meets Thayne Scott, her future is certain in only one way: things will never be the same.
I won my copy through First Reads.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

8.5 inches

ISBN

080073274X / 9780800732745
Page: 0.1091 seconds