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The Good Dream

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 1,455 ratings · 380 reviews

In this full-length novel from the New York Times Bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series Donna VanLiere has written a beautifully rendered and poignant story about one woman's unlikely path to motherhood and the healing power of love.

Tennessee, 1950: Still single and in her early thirties, Ivorie Walker is considered an old maid; a label she takes with good humor...more

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published July 3rd 2012 by St. Martin's Press

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Mar 06, 2013 Noeleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audible

I listened to the audible version of The Good Dream by Donna VanLiere. The audible version is an excellent narration by the author. Set in the 1950s, The Good Dream tells the story of Ivorie Walker, an unmarried, 30 something year old, who lives in a small town in Tennessee. Recovering from her parents deaths, most especially her mothers passing, Ivorie is living alone until she rescues a young and abused boy from 'the hills'. Faced with opposition and obstacles from the small community where sh...more

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Feb 11, 2013 loretta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put It down. It is a paradox to say that a story that deals with extreme sexual and emotional abuse of a child is sweet but it is. It is a story that shows how one woman who dared to take action in an awful circumstance, changed the life of, not only the child she rescued, but of everyone else connected to her.

Donna VanLiere tells the story of Ivorie Walker, spinster in a small southern town. Set in the 1950's when society decreed that in order to ha...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: see review or blog

I was drawn into this book from the very first page and I literally could not put it down. As an adoptee, adoptive parent, and former foster parent, this book spoke to my heart on many levels. Although I have never personally worked with a child that has been through as much trauma as the boy in this story, I found myself identifying with Ivorie as she dealt with the small mindedness and prejudices of her community. I cried throughout the entire book. I cried from heartbreak, I cried from joy. T...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Joyce rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed other books by Donna VanLiere, but The Good Dream was definitely my favorite so far. VanLiere has done an outstanding job as a storyteller with this novel. The setting of the novel is at the edge of the Appalachian Mts in east Tennessee and the year is 1950. Ivory Walker, who is in her early 30's has just lost her mother and is now living alone on her parents' farm. Her life is totally changed when she gets involved with a starving little boy who has come down out of the hills to...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Ramona rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Good Dream was a great book to listen to on audio. Read by author, Donna VanLiere, it's a story about Ivorie Walker, a woman in her 30's who is considered an old maid in 1950 Tennessee. The book opens with her living with her mom & shortly into the story her mom dies. Ivorie is content living alone with her dog, Sally. Living in a small town where everyone knows everyone's business, her marriage options seem to be running out. About the time Ivorie begins noticing that something or someo...more The Good Dream was a great book to listen to on audio. Read by author, Donna VanLiere, it's a story about Ivorie Walker, a woman in her 30's who is considered an old maid in 1950 Tennessee. The book opens with her living with her mom & shortly into the story her mom dies. Ivorie is content living alone with her dog, Sally. Living in a small town where everyone knows everyone's business, her marriage options seem to be running out. About the time Ivorie begins noticing that something or someone is taking vegetables from her garden, she also begins seeing a widowed man, George. The discovery of a seemingly poor non speaking boy as the garden culprit, sets Ivorie on a quest to find out who he is, where he lives. Will this halt her fast growing relationship with George? Will the boy become a major part of her life? It is discovered that the boy carries a bible with him at all times. What's the mystery behind it? Many secrets throughout the town are uncovered & Ivorie finds a happiness she never thought she could find. One of the reasons I enjoyed listening to this author was her southern accent & how it took me back to my southern roots & family ties.

(SPOILERS IF YOU PLAN TO READ THE BOOK: The boy is found injured face down in water with his bible in the water. The miracle was that the cover was wet, but all the pages were dry. It is discovered that the bible belonged to the boy's mom whose name was Ruth which is my mom's name. She has died. The boy is abused by someone who appears to be his father. Ivorie finally goes up on the mountain & faces the man & bring the boy home with her. She finds out he has a cleft palate so he can't talk. Ivorie tries to find out his name. After days of guessing names, she finds out it's Peter. She finally is able to get him surgery so that he can talk. George can't handle her taking this boy in so he gives up on her. At one point we think Sally has been killed, but someone brings her home. Someone tries to scare Ivorie into getting rid of the boy by hurting her one evening & taking the dog, but she's just more determined to uncover the mystery behind this boy. We find out in the story that one of Ivorie's friend's slept with a woman working on their farm once & the boy was the result of that indiscretion. The man who abused the boy threatens to tell who the baby belongs to if he doesn't give him the woman while she was pregnant. (less)

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Sep 12, 2012 Megan Bell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was better than I can say. It was a quick, easy read for me because I could not put it down. The authors narrative, her characters, and the way story unfolds hooked me instantly. I think what I appreciated the most is that its a love story, but not the love story you are expecting. The main character does not realize what her life is lacking until she loses her constant companion, her mother. When her life aches with emptiness she starts to question the maiden life she has created for...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Darin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Author Donna VanLiere certainly doesn't disappoint her fans with her first full-length novel. This book stirs the emotions,
warms the heart and challenges the mind. She places such characters as Ivorie Walker, an old maid stated by many in the
town because she is in her thirties and not married. Then there is George Coley who wants to marry Ivorie but when she finds
a starving, abused boy raiding her garden that she wants to help, he decides that isn't the life for him. This little boy
has been abu...more Author Donna VanLiere certainly doesn't disappoint her fans with her first full-length novel. This book stirs the emotions,
warms the heart and challenges the mind. She places such characters as Ivorie Walker, an old maid stated by many in the
town because she is in her thirties and not married. Then there is George Coley who wants to marry Ivorie but when she finds
a starving, abused boy raiding her garden that she wants to help, he decides that isn't the life for him. This little boy
has been abused, neglected, scared and unable to speak because of a cleft palette. Ivorie can't turn her back on him, even though
most of the town would quickly say it is too much for a single lady like herself to ever get involved in.
Ivorie's brother Henry and his wife quickly aid Ivorie in her endeavor to help this little boy who after much time she learns
is named Peter. She tells the little boy that his mother must have named him that because according to the Bible Peter means
a rock and he is one strong and determined little boy.
It is amazing what a person can see through the eyes of a young little boy. Because Ivorie isn't willing to give up on this young lad, she is blessed in return by finding a young man who is smart, loving, engaging, desires to learn and responds with great affection.
This book challenges the reader to not just look at people in passing rather to look deeper within ones heart to see who they truly are and more importantly who they can become. It may make the reader ask some pointed questions, such as: the one who is mean spirited, the hard to get along with, the screamer or hurtful person could be someone who has encountered a great deal within their own life and they aren't sure of how to respond to life's challenges? Peter challenges the reader to make sure how we respond to others is how we would like others to respond to us. Ivorie shares the love and compassion of Jesus as she reaches out to Peter to make a difference within his life.
There is suspense, drama, action, romance, and laughter to engage the reader as they turn page by page to find out what will
happen next. The author does a great job of leading the reader through one situation to the next always building and causing
the reader to want more.
This is a definite 5 of 5 book, that most any reader would enjoy and certainly one that leaves the reader feeling involved in the
story.
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Aug 29, 2012 Regina Spiker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1950s, appalachia, abuse, tennessee, redemption, courage

What happens when you're just an independent, 30something, according-to-the-town spinster, who goes against the naysayers to save a poor, abused little boy from the hills? Lonely since the death of her beloved mother, Ivorie Walker is just putting one foot in front of the other. Doing her daily chores, milking the cow, weeding the garden, canning the vegetables, Ivorie's life is just an empty routine rut. Other than her dog Sally, her brother Henry, and his wife Loretta, there's no family nearby...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Vera Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Generally, I treat audio books as a convenience, still preferring to read a “real” book where I can easily flip back through the pages to remind me of something I missed or write in the margins. But I highly recommend listening to The Good Dream on this audio book recorded by Donna VanLiere. Unlike most authors, who should stick to quietly writing and keep their mouths shut, VanLiere background includes doing voiceovers, so she definitely knows how to interpret the written word.

She brings a he...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Story Description:

St. Martin’s press|july 3, 2012|hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-312-36777-0

From the new York times bestselling author comes a poignant, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel about an unlikely path to motherhood, and of two lost souls healing each other in 1950 Tennessee, a time and place that straddles the past and present.

Ivorie walker is considered an old maid by the town (although she’s only in her early thirties) and she takes that label with good humor and a grain of salt....more Story Description:

St. Martin’s press|july 3, 2012|hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-312-36777-0

From the new York times bestselling author comes a poignant, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel about an unlikely path to motherhood, and of two lost souls healing each other in 1950 Tennessee, a time and place that straddles the past and present.

Ivorie walker is considered an old maid by the town (although she’s only in her early thirties) and she takes that label with good humor and a grain of salt. Ever since her parents passed away, she has hidden her loneliness behind a fierce independence and a claim of not needing anyone. But her mother’s death hit her harder than anyone suspects and ivorie wonders if she will be alone forever. When she realized that someone has been stealing vegetables from her garden - a feral, dirty-faced boy who disappears into the hills – something about him haunts ivorie. She can’t imagine what would make him desperate enough to steal and eat from her garden. But what she truly can’t imagine is what the boy faces, each day and night, in the filthy lean-to hut miles up in the hills. Who is he? How did he come to live in the hills? Where did he come from? And, more importantly, can she save him? As ivories steps out of her comfort zone to uncover answers, she unleashes a firestorm in the town – a community that would rather let secrets stay secret.

My review:

Sarah ivorie walker is in her thirties, is unmarried and just suffered the loss of both of her parents. Even those closest to her don’t realize just hard her mother’s death has hit her. But ivorie puddles along, tending her garden, milking her cow and driving into town to visit her brother’s story for groceries.

One day she sees a dirty, emaciated, little boy stealing vegetables from her garden and wonders who he is? Each day she watches for him to see where he goes and realizes he lives up in the hills. Ivories thought of those who had lived up there had long ago gone but she quickly realized that wasn’t the case. Ivorie could tell by the way the boy looked that he wasn’t well cared for and decided to do something about it. I won’t tell you how she got him but once she did, she and this young boy began to build a bond like no other.

He couldn’t talk and every day ivorie would throw names out to him: “Donald, david, frank, buzz,” but the young boy only shook his head no. She kept trying when one day they were out she waved to her old friend Pete and yelled “Hi Pete!” the young boy began tapping her leg in excitement and making the sound he always made from the back of his throat trying to tell her something. It suddenly dawned on Ivorie his name was Peter. Ivorie and Peter were tickled pink to finally learn this information.

As time goes on, the people of the town aren’t happy with ivorie’s decision to bring this young boy into her home to raise as her own son and they don’t mince words in telling her that. One night the lights in her house went out while Peter was sleeping and ivorie walked to the back of the house to the fuse panel to check the fuses when she was attacked from behind in the dark, her face slammed up against the wall and only a male voice saying: “Get rid of the boy!” ivorie’s face was terribly beaten-up, with a cut under her eye and bruises everywhere and a split lip. She ran to her bathroom and cried. The following morning she didn’t want to frighten peter so she told him she tripped and fell against the swings.

As the story progress, ivorie finally gets enough money so peter can have the surgery that will finally allow him to talk after 8 years! The bond that ivorie and peter develop is like none other. I laughed, I cried, I sympathized, I empathized, and I cried some more. There were many sad and dark moments in this novel but just as many happy moments that were true cause for the celebrations they had.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone!! I won’t forget ivorie and peter for a while.

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Jul 28, 2012 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars

SPOILER ALERT This was a bit cheezy but a sweet story nonetheless I was surprised at the extreme mix of cheeziness but at the other end addressing with more detail than I would've expected molestation & sodomy.

They didn't quite mesh in that Peter has gone thru extreme abuse; has a cleft palate; has been malnuritioned for extensive time and yet Ivorie seems to be able to help push thru this. Realistically, I would expect that with that he would definitely need extensive counseling & tuto...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Patti rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was truly an enjoyable story! Lots of emotions were tested, but wanting the little boy to overcome the terrible adversity in his life was paramount. It is a tender story that takes place in an area and time (1940s) so unfamiliar to me. The author drew me into her characters, their special personalities, and the little Tennessee hick town that was the root of life for them. (I even admit having a tender spot for Sally, the dog - and I'm not a dog lover.) It's heart-wrentching and full of lov...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ivorie lived with her parents until their death. Now it is just her and her dog, Sally. This is on for Ivorie as she does not need a man as she is doing just fine on her own, despite what everyone else may think. Things are going well, Ivorie has started a garden. Ivorie starts to notice beans, tomatoes and other veggies missing form her garden. At first Ivorie thought it was Sally but then Ivorie catches her bandit in action. It is a little boy. Ivorie takes the boy into her home. Soon the whol...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Guy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Background info – “The Angels of Morgan Hill” (2006) by Donna VanLiere, set in 1947 Morgan Hill, Tennessee, is currently my favorite book.

“The Good Dream” (2012) is set in 1950 Morgan Hill, Tennessee, so I was looking forward to reading about some of the beloved characters from the earlier book. Also, I’ve found that I get emotionally attached to Donna VanLiere’s characters more than any other author and expected that to happen again. I was not disappointed in either case in this new book. I do...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Suzy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of this novel from my friend Donna VanLiere and I devoured it within several days. I used to be strictly a fiction reader and yet I find myself drawn more these days to non-fiction, likely due to the proliferation of hopelessness offered in so much fiction today. I want to find some hope (albeit realistic) in a story, and I want to find characters I can develop some empathy for. Too much modern fiction offers neither.

Donna is a friend, so it is a de...more

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May 24, 2012 Julianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished reading The Good Dream and it is an amazing book. I finished it in one day because I could not put it down. I absolutely love when a book just really transports you back in time, and you feel like you are actually there at that specific moment in time. This book took me back to 1950, to the life of Ivorie Walker, and the little boy who she finds stealing from her garden. Her friends and her family were just awesome, it was a beautiful story, i just absolutely loved it. Its the ki...more

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May 23, 2012 Edna Tollison rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Edna by: Author

This is Donna's first novel but not her first time at writing, she brought happiness to a lot of people with her "CHRISTMAN HOPE" series and now enjoy her first full length novel as I have.

Ivorie Walker is a young woman in her late twenties and unmarried. She works at the school library but her mother was always trying to find her a husband as both her parents were up in years. "This really relates to me as my mother was forty-five when I was born. I was the tenth child for her" Ivorie alone wit...more

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May 21, 2012 Bob rated it 5 of 5 stars

“The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.” --Robert Louis Stevenson

Donna VanLiere is an artist with words. I have to admit I don't read fiction all that often, mostly because it's hard for me to suspend disbelief and stay inside the world the author created. That's why I was surprised (and my wife was astonished) that I entered Donna VanLiere's world in The Good Dream on page 1 and didn't leave...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book that you didn't want to end? It makes you feel so good inside that you wish it could just go on and on and on? The Good Dream was one of those books for me. I would give this book 10 stars if I could. It's a little scary that possibly here it is only the 5th of January and this feels like the best book I'll read this year. The characters, Ivoree, Peter, Henry.....they are just so real and they all just touched a place in my heart that fictional characters rarely reach....more

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Jun 17, 2012 Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The Good Dream" by Donna VanLiere takes place in the 1950's, a time in which it was expected that every woman would marry and have a family by the time they were in their early twenties. Ivory Walker just never met that "special man" and is now in her thirties, living alone after the death of her parents. She keeps busy and to others is the epitome of independence, but secretly still longs for someone to share her life with her.
Unexpectedly she becomes acquainted with a small boy who is raidin...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 20, 2012 Brittany Ketter rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Good Dream - Donna VanLiere

St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: July 3, 2012

Rating: 10/10

I have had the privilege of being a part of Donna Van Liere's Dream Team which allowed me to receive an advanced reader's copy of her newest novel The Good Dream to be released next month!

The Good Dream is an engaging story set in Morgan Hill, Tennessee during the 1950's and is perfect for a summer read! Donna captures you with her gift of story-telling and draws you in to experience the emotions...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Leah Iannone rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn't love it but didn't hate it. Set in the 50s it follows Ivorie, a single women who grew up on a farm with both of her parents who have recently died. Everyone in the town has given up on her finding a mate. She is okay being alone and finds comfort in the small things like tending to her garden and working at the local library. Ivorie starts to crave companionship. At the same time she catches a little boy stealing vegetables from her garden. His vis...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was truly enjoyable. She had me drawn in to the story of Ivorie from the very first page, and I was pleasantly surprised how it turned in to one of those - "I have to keep reading to find out what happens" - kind of book.
Realistically, I don't' think a boy living 8 years with the kind of background he did would be able to do so well, so quickly, but the eternal optimist in me loves the fact that this woman didn't give up. This boy finds a happy ending and someone to love him unconditi...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Carol Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really did like this book a lot for it got interesting at the beginning and stayed that way to the very end. I was able to experience all of my emotions while reading this book and that was the urge to cry, laugh, and anger. It is a book I highly recommend to everyone from middle school and up even to seniors would really like this book. I would give this book a high 20 for it is written well and enjoyable to read. People should really give this book a try for I highly recommend it, purchase i...more

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Apr 26, 2012 + Dragonfly+ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

So excited to win this book from First Reads, thanks. Loved the story of Ivorie Walker. Being told you are an old maid but only in your 30's didn't bother her. Loved her way of thinking and living. Just a joy to read.

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Oct 17, 2012 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, audio, fiction

I just love Southern fiction and The Good Dream is Southern fiction done well. Ivorie is a wonderful character - a strong and caring woman who refuses to bend to society's will. She lives in a small town with a big cast of characters; it reminded me of a Fannie Flagg novel in that way. The author uses wonderfully descriptive metaphors filled with Southern charm. Some of my favorite examples:

"As useful as a back pocket on a shirt"
"Slower than a turtle after Thanksgiving dinner"
"Helpful as teats o...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Melissa Hellmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I first started reading this book I was shocked. I had not planned on it effecting me at a core level. Growing up in a place that seemed to be still stuck in time, I saw lots of similarities between what I grew up knowing about and never spoke of. The setting it-self was very close to my home town. I knew of the places spoken of in the book.

People think that these types of things happen in a land far far away but I know the truth. There is evil in man form. I've seen lives destroyed by par...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars

The beginning of this book definitely drew my interest right off as it is sit in 1950 - the year of my birth.
Ivorie Walker is in her early thirties and everyone considers her an old maid. Yet her life has a purpose she in not expecting.
A boy starts stealing from her garden because he is hungry. Little does he know his life has a purpose too. He never dreams his life will ever amount to much.
Love is a mighty force. It can change things. You are snared from the beginning of the book to the end.
Mo...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Yasmin rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Donna VanLiere

Donna VanLiere is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author and gifted conference speaker. She has published ten titles including The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing, both of which were adapted into movies (starring Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Perry and Neil Patrick Harris) and garnered big ratings for CBS television. LifetimeTelevision adapted The Christmas Hope (starring Made...more

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Books by Donna VanLiere

The Christmas Blessing (Christmas Hope, #2)

The Christmas Promise (Christmas Hope, #4)

The Christmas Secret (Christmas Hope, #5)

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Quotes from The Good Dream

“I know the well of my maternal incompetence is deep but I am determined to siphon up a calm and breathing hope for him.” — 7 people liked it

“Am I crazy Loretta?"
"A little," she says. I glance up at her. "Sometimes we're called on to do crazy things.” — 6 people liked it

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