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10th out of 196 books
—
290 voters
Wildflowers from Winter:
by
Katie Ganshert (Goodreads Author)
Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring.
A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.
Determined to pa...more
A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.
Determined to pa...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
May 8th 2012
by Waterbrook Press
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From the opening line, you know the main character, Bethany, tells it like it is. This is a very deep book, with heavy themes, and gut-wrenching events. For me, one of the highlights was the setting--I loved Peaks and Grandpa Dan's farm. Ms. Ganshert excels at lyrical writing and painted a lovely picture of how a small town can feel either like home or like being in a locked closet with no way out.
I also was touched by Bethany's growth. With believable and understandable motivations for being a...more
I also was touched by Bethany's growth. With believable and understandable motivations for being a...more
Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert
Bethany Quinn wants nothing to do with her hometown. She left Peaks, Iowa at eighteen and has rarely looked back, although she carries every memory loaded on her back and weighing her down. When she gets a call that there is a crisis, she figures she'll send a card. When the next call tells her of her Grandpa Dan in crisis, she takes a few days off from her architect job in Chicago. She has her fancy job, clothes and car...far from the trailer park girl s...more
Bethany Quinn wants nothing to do with her hometown. She left Peaks, Iowa at eighteen and has rarely looked back, although she carries every memory loaded on her back and weighing her down. When she gets a call that there is a crisis, she figures she'll send a card. When the next call tells her of her Grandpa Dan in crisis, she takes a few days off from her architect job in Chicago. She has her fancy job, clothes and car...far from the trailer park girl s...more
Halfway through this book, I stopped and told my daughter, "Katie Ganshert is Michelangelo with words."
Halfway through this book, I stopped and told my daughter, "Katie Ganshert is Michelangelo with words."
I'm in total awe! Her main character, Bethany Quinn, is terribly realistic. I say terribly because she alternates between sweet and self-absorbed. She proves easy to identify with (I hate to admit) but not always easy to like. Her personal agendas and hidden pain provide many of the conflicts...more
Halfway through this book, I stopped and told my daughter, "Katie Ganshert is Michelangelo with words."
I'm in total awe! Her main character, Bethany Quinn, is terribly realistic. I say terribly because she alternates between sweet and self-absorbed. She proves easy to identify with (I hate to admit) but not always easy to like. Her personal agendas and hidden pain provide many of the conflicts...more
Wow! I really can't ever recall reading a Christian fiction book with this much emotion. Seriously people, I think I cried a total of ten times while reading this one. It's listed as romance but it is so much more than that. I don't know about you but when I think romance I think something that you read when you just want an escape but aren't expecting a whole lot of depth so that leads me to declare that this is so much more than a romance! It's far from the standard fare of fluff and puff that...more
I think Ganshert is really talented. This story drew me in even though a good portion of the book was somewhat depressing. The darkness made the ending all the more powerful - so the title is definitely appropriate. The author does a great job at making the characters seem realistic and making us care about their stories. (Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher; my full-length review will be posted on The Christian Manifesto.)
As the title suggests, the characters in 'Wildflowers from Winter' find hope despite the winter chill of grief. Bethany, a successful Chicago architect, is called back to the small town she couldn't wait to leave, to comfort a friend whose young husband has just died. Beth will just give the widow her condolences and then leave, she thinks, but then there are complications. Her friend Robin can't face life without Micah, especially now that she knows she is pregnant. Bethany's grandfather has a...more
Bethany Quinn left behind her unhappy childhood in small town Peaks, Iowa to become a skilled architect in Chicago, avoiding all contact with her past. She had severed all ties with her mother, grandfather, and best friend in her anger at God. But she grudging returned when she learned that her grandfather had a heart attack and her childhood friend Robin Price’s husband was near death. She planned to pay courtesy calls on both and leave as quickly as possible. However, when she lost her job, br...more
Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert is an interesting book about how things we perceive in our childhood, can affect us just as strongly in adulthood and actually shape the people we become.
Take Bethany Quinn. Our first meeting with her is during a flashback to when she was 12. She swam to the bottom of the local pool and stayed there, until the lifeguard pulled her out. After that, she was put in therapy and forever known as "the girl who tried to drown herself". Little Bethany didn't thi...more
Take Bethany Quinn. Our first meeting with her is during a flashback to when she was 12. She swam to the bottom of the local pool and stayed there, until the lifeguard pulled her out. After that, she was put in therapy and forever known as "the girl who tried to drown herself". Little Bethany didn't thi...more
"Wildflowers from Winter"gets 5 stars. I won this book in a contest and wasn't sure what to expect but once I started reading it I was hooked. This is Katie Ganshert debut novel. Bethany Quinn lives in Chicago and is an architect. She gets a call from her mother about her grandfather having a heart attack and about Robin's ( who used to be her best friend) husband being in the hospital. Bethany decides to go back to Iowa and her life is forever changed. While in Iowa she meets Evan. And things g...more
I review a lot of books, but rarely do I say that a book has hit the ball out of the park. I will say that about this book. The author has done an impeccable job at telling a story that you (the reader) will love to read. Even though romance books are fairly typical, with a protagonist, a hero, and some sort of conflict - the author has creatively weaved a story that is not predictable, not boring, and is able to touch on quite a few emotions. The characters are well developed, and the story is...more
Bethany had a very rough life growing up. The second she got a chance she fled her small country town. But now she feels compelled to return. Returning means that she must face the demons that haunted her through childhood, but it could also be the beginning of healing.
I love the characters in this book. Ganshert has done an outstanding job at portraying real and believable characters. The story flows smoothly and while some of the subject matter is dark and difficult, I still couldn't put the b...more
I love the characters in this book. Ganshert has done an outstanding job at portraying real and believable characters. The story flows smoothly and while some of the subject matter is dark and difficult, I still couldn't put the b...more
A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park teen years. Bethany is called back reluctantly to rural Iowa, when she receives an urgent message from her estranged mother. A tragedy has struck in her hometown and Bethany determined to pay her respects, and trying to avoid any emotional entanglements. Bethany vows not to stay long, but the unexpected inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago, forces Bethan...more
“The summer I turned twelve, I tried to kill myself.”
Synopsis: Bethany Quinn has left rural Iowa for good and she has no plans to return to the peaks. She has a good job and a hotshot lawyer boyfriend and the life she had always dreamed of but an unexpected tragedy pulls her back into the peaks and this time she will not escaped unscathed.
Review: When I first received Wildflowers of winter I had no idea it was a Christian romance. As a rule I usually avoid religious novels, I find I did not enjo...more
Synopsis: Bethany Quinn has left rural Iowa for good and she has no plans to return to the peaks. She has a good job and a hotshot lawyer boyfriend and the life she had always dreamed of but an unexpected tragedy pulls her back into the peaks and this time she will not escaped unscathed.
Review: When I first received Wildflowers of winter I had no idea it was a Christian romance. As a rule I usually avoid religious novels, I find I did not enjo...more
Going home... this simple phrase can evoke so many different emotions.
Bethany, an up-and-coming architect in Chicago, has escaped a hard past and is moving forward in her life. When an unexpected phone call from her mom shatters her day, she returns home just long enough to pay her respects to her childhood friend and visit with her grandfather.
She quickly returns to Chicago to find her life there has also turned upside down. Now, with no job and no boyfriend, she moves back home to start a new...more
Bethany, an up-and-coming architect in Chicago, has escaped a hard past and is moving forward in her life. When an unexpected phone call from her mom shatters her day, she returns home just long enough to pay her respects to her childhood friend and visit with her grandfather.
She quickly returns to Chicago to find her life there has also turned upside down. Now, with no job and no boyfriend, she moves back home to start a new...more
Bethany Quinn has spent years building her career as an architect at a fancy Chicago firm - until her grandfather dies, forcing her to return to the tiny rural town in which she grew up. Suddenly becoming a modern-day Job, her life turns upside down as she inherits his farm but loses everything she values. Could the farm - and the man who inherited the farmhouse - restore her faith and help her find her way?
Wildflowers from Winter is a modern spin at the story of Job that shows us just how easy...more
Wildflowers from Winter is a modern spin at the story of Job that shows us just how easy...more
This book is so good, I find it hard to believe it is Ganshert’s debut novel. The characters are well-developed, the plot well-planned, and the writing well-executed.
When Bethany fled her trailer park past to become an architect in Chicago, she never planned to go back to her past and its memories. However, when her grandfather dies and she is laid off, Bethany is called back to the world she so desperately tried to leave behind. Now heir to her grandfather’s farm, Bethany is stuck since Evan,...more
When Bethany fled her trailer park past to become an architect in Chicago, she never planned to go back to her past and its memories. However, when her grandfather dies and she is laid off, Bethany is called back to the world she so desperately tried to leave behind. Now heir to her grandfather’s farm, Bethany is stuck since Evan,...more
Some of the things I loved the most about the story was the character of Evan. He is strong and secure, yet with a thread of insecurity which seems to be tugged on by the very presence of Bethany. I loved watching their romance bloom like a field of wildflowers - haphazard, unplanned yet breathtakingly beautiful all the same.
I also adored the authenticity to Bethany's fears. It wasn't only a tainted reputation from her past that made her run. There was depth to her story that made the lies she b...more
I also adored the authenticity to Bethany's fears. It wasn't only a tainted reputation from her past that made her run. There was depth to her story that made the lies she b...more
I recently began following Author Katie Ganshert's blog, just weeks before her debut novel Wildflowers from Winter was released. It's been fun getting to know Katie and watching her launch this book.
Let me say up front, I am a die-hard historical fiction reader. I can count the contemporary romances I've read on my right hand, but I was eager to read Katie's novel because I've been following her blog.
From the first sentence in Wildflowers from Winter, I was hooked. The opening scene starts in fi...more
Let me say up front, I am a die-hard historical fiction reader. I can count the contemporary romances I've read on my right hand, but I was eager to read Katie's novel because I've been following her blog.
From the first sentence in Wildflowers from Winter, I was hooked. The opening scene starts in fi...more
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
Wow what a debut novel. Bethany Quinn lives far away from her trailer park home where she grew up and has built a life of her own in Chicago as an architect. A contact from her mom causes a trip back home to pay last respects because of a tragedy, but in now way will she stay long enough to feel any emotions. But an inheritance gets in the way of going back to Chicago quickly, and so forces her to stay longer than expected, thus causes a digging through of feelings long p...more
Wow what a debut novel. Bethany Quinn lives far away from her trailer park home where she grew up and has built a life of her own in Chicago as an architect. A contact from her mom causes a trip back home to pay last respects because of a tragedy, but in now way will she stay long enough to feel any emotions. But an inheritance gets in the way of going back to Chicago quickly, and so forces her to stay longer than expected, thus causes a digging through of feelings long p...more
Bethany Quinn finally has the life she always wanted. A relationship with a successful lawyer which seemed to be moving forward. A good job with a prestigious architectural firm in Chicago, nice car, expensive clothes, fabulous apartment. A far cry from the broken down trailer and second-hand clothes she knew as a girl. Far away from the small town life she hated. Far away from the memories of her childhood tragedy. Everything is perfect. Just the way she always wanted it to be.
Then everything s...more
Then everything s...more
"A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn, has built the life she dreamed of during her trailer-park teen years. An unexpected call from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.
Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. The unexpected in heritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago...more
Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. The unexpected in heritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago...more
I want to tell you about a debut author, her name is Katie Ganshert and she writes one entertaining read. The name of the book is called Wildflowers from Winter I have to say get it. This book is so good. You will be hooked from the prologue I know I was this. In this book you will meet Bethany Quinn. She had a challenging childhood and now that she has grown up she has left that all behind and she attained her goals and is an architect in Chicago. It is a far cry away from the trailer home she...more
Wonderful Christian Fiction in
Wildflowers from Winter
by Katie Ganshert
Imagine a childhood that was not the happiest, a father who died of drowning after a stroke, a mother whom you are estranged from after she "took up" with the pastor who said your father was in hell for being a cripple due to the stroke....that he needed to repent as he had obviously sinned.....imagine the best friend who kept you alive and sane when everyone else in school turned against you....and the best friend then turns...more
Bethany Quinn's life in Chicago is far removed from the tiny town of Peaks,Iowa where she grew up. When she receives a call from her mother she fears it will be about her brother David who had just deployed to Afghanistan a few weeks ago. Instead the call is about her friend Robin's husband. The call has Bethany debating whether or not to return to Peaks. When she receives another call telling her that her Grandpa Dan has had a heart attack she decides to take a week off work and return home. Wh...more
Bethany Quinn left her small hometown years ago and has never looked back. When she receives a call from her estranged mother, it draws her back to the small town. Once there, Bethany faces a series of tragedies that force her to remain in town longer than she intended. A unexpected inheritance of farmland puts her at odds with Evan Price, the man who has worked her family's farm for years. Bethany's stubborn disbelief that there is a God who cares threatens to crumble as she spends time around...more
Katie Ganshert is a new author to me, but I really enjoyed the book. This is one story that you can not guess how it will end.
Bethany Quinn is a young architect that works in Chicago and is on her way home (or where she grew up) to Iowa. Her mother, whom she has never got alone with called her home because her grandfather had a heart attack. Her dad had died when she and her brother was young, and her mother had moved them to an old mobile home that she hated. She had spent as much time growing...more
Bethany Quinn is a young architect that works in Chicago and is on her way home (or where she grew up) to Iowa. Her mother, whom she has never got alone with called her home because her grandfather had a heart attack. Her dad had died when she and her brother was young, and her mother had moved them to an old mobile home that she hated. She had spent as much time growing...more
Katie Ganshert's debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, is a poignant tale of relationships and reconciliation. The circumstances surrounding the plot are sad and bleak, but beauty and promise become more evident as the plot progresses. Ganshert clearly illustrates how even during the winter seasons of our lives, something fresh and beautiful is just under the surface waiting to blossom. Each character is bound by past or present pains, losses, and fears. Their emotions are raw and real, lending...more
Author Katie Ganshert's debut work, "Wildflowers from Winter", is beautifully written and perfectly paced. There are no false notes in this involving story which flows like a bubbling stream toward a waiting lake. I loved the characters, and I understood their conflicts and appreciated their struggles to make sense of what was happening around them. Each character in turn had a crisis of faith, and there were no simple answers. Their pain as they suffered their spiritual struggles was poignantly...more
Like Winter, grief has a season.
Life, however, returns with Spring.
As a young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her trailer-park teen years. An unexpected call from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.
Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. The unexpected inheritance of five...more
Life, however, returns with Spring.
As a young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her trailer-park teen years. An unexpected call from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.
Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. The unexpected inheritance of five...more
The past has a way of resurfacing whether we voluntarily invite it or not.
Bethany Quinn, architect, is successful in the business world as she has fought hard for a better life. As a child she drew comfort from her Grandpa Dan, and time spent with him on his farm was comforting, a place where wildflowers grew abundantly.
Bethany's best childhood friend Robin takes her from her world and the challenges within and creates a haven where she can be feel loved.
Evan, Bethany's Grandpa Dan's friend an...more
Bethany Quinn, architect, is successful in the business world as she has fought hard for a better life. As a child she drew comfort from her Grandpa Dan, and time spent with him on his farm was comforting, a place where wildflowers grew abundantly.
Bethany's best childhood friend Robin takes her from her world and the challenges within and creates a haven where she can be feel loved.
Evan, Bethany's Grandpa Dan's friend an...more
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| Contemporary Chri...: Favorite Read for 2012 (So Far) | 2 | 26 | May 05, 2012 01:28pm |
Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she currently writes inspirational romance novels set in present-day America. When she’s not busy plotting ways to get her hero and heroine to fall in love, she enjoys watching movies with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends at Panera®. She could talk books all day and is often sp...more
More about Katie Ganshert...
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“Even if we do everything right, things are still going to go wrong.”
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Jun 13, 2012 06:23am