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A Promise to Remember
When a car accident kills two teens from opposite sides of the tracks, the aftermath threatens to tear a community apart. On one side, Melanie Johnston--a grieving single mother--is convinced her son will be forgotten. On the other is Andie Phelps, a reserved woman who retreats even further into herself with grief. Readers' emotions are torn between these two sympathetic c...more
Paperback, 316 pages
Published
October 1st 2007
by Bethany House Publishers
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There was nothing really amazing about this book. It follows the grief of two women as they both struggle with the loss of their teenaged sons, which happened as the result of a car accident. The book starts off really sad (it had me crying within the first three pages), but I read this in e-book format, and it didn't really seem to be set up well for that. It was difficult for me to tell when we were switching scenes so it was easy to get confused. Even though I should probably have identified...more
When it comes to book club selections, I always look in the back before I begin to see if they chose a book that has "suggested questions" and I skim them. This time I only read the first question and stopped because the question put in my mind I would be picking sides and I didn't want to start off with that in mind or any other leading questions.
The book itself starts off a bit gloomy with the death of two teenage boys through a car accident. You never learn more of the accident other than one...more
The book itself starts off a bit gloomy with the death of two teenage boys through a car accident. You never learn more of the accident other than one...more
Ever since buying a Kindle, I've been reading a lot of books that I wouldn't have given a second thought to. But who am I to say no to a free book? This one really surprised me.
Two women from opposite sides of the track are bound together in a tragedy- a car accident that takes the lives of both their sons. Through the deaths, each women learns what it means to be a strong Christian.
Andie has it all on the outside- a nice house, a husband and good friends, and attends the right church. She has h...more
Two women from opposite sides of the track are bound together in a tragedy- a car accident that takes the lives of both their sons. Through the deaths, each women learns what it means to be a strong Christian.
Andie has it all on the outside- a nice house, a husband and good friends, and attends the right church. She has h...more
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This book reminded me of the movie Changing Lanes, although less dramatic, vicious, but more realistic. It is indeed a tragic story that could happen in anyone's life. When a revenge motive enters the tragedy, and other people start poking their noses into the conflict and really confuse matters, things escalate out of control for both protagonists, harming both grieving families way more than was necessary. Compounding the tragedy of the promising (thus, the title) lives of two fine Christian a...more
Oct 10, 2011
Lacey
added it
First thoughts:
What to say...had very good imagery incorporated throughout the storyline, seeing the landscapes that were created was breath taking. The authors use of language fit perfectly into what a grieving person would say, do and feel. It felt really realistic; the characters didn't heal instantly and the conflicts that were introduced page after page would leave me in a puddle on the ground. But the author created strong characters; people I would in a wierd way idolize. Because in the e...more
What to say...had very good imagery incorporated throughout the storyline, seeing the landscapes that were created was breath taking. The authors use of language fit perfectly into what a grieving person would say, do and feel. It felt really realistic; the characters didn't heal instantly and the conflicts that were introduced page after page would leave me in a puddle on the ground. But the author created strong characters; people I would in a wierd way idolize. Because in the e...more
Aug 05, 2011
Barb
added it
I usually like to read books that are not so intense. I like things that make me smile. I don't like stories that make me cry... but I liked this one and it did make me cry. As a mother who is learning (slowly) to completely trust God to watch over my sons this story was a little tough to read. Still, I was drawn in to the lives of these two ladies. I appreciate the author's approach to the story line. It was believable. I love the life lessons incorporated into the story based on the Word of Go...more
Two women struggling for a tragic loss, each on opposite sides of society. Can love broach the boundaries of hate and unforgiveness? Will either of these women accept God’s love and healing care?
This was my second book by Kathryn Cushman and I really enjoyed it. In the space of one night two women lose their sons in a tragic car accident. What ensues isn’t just about overcoming grief, but relationships, guilt, even a lawsuit and black mailing. Though while Kathryn’s books debate on high emotiona...more
This was my second book by Kathryn Cushman and I really enjoyed it. In the space of one night two women lose their sons in a tragic car accident. What ensues isn’t just about overcoming grief, but relationships, guilt, even a lawsuit and black mailing. Though while Kathryn’s books debate on high emotiona...more
Sep 18, 2011
Kara Kelly
added it
i got this book for free on amazon and now i know why. had i known it was christian fiction, it would not be on my kindle. nothing against people who read christian fiction, but i find this book to be completely ridiculous and unrealistic. people don't really go around spouting off about jesus and god and forgiveness and quoting bible verses unless they're hardcore bible beaters, but that's not how the characters in this book were portrayed. i think the author felt like she wanted to tell a chri...more
I downloaded this book as a free kindle book. I was unfamiliar with the author and I was unaware that it was a Christian book. What a wondeful surprise I experienced when I got into the book and realized that not only did I appreciate the author's talent but I found the book thought provoking and very good. This book is about grief, miscommunication, anger and remorse but it is also about healing, faith, forgiveness and love. It is a great book club read and I have recommened it to my Facebook f...more
I can say that for a free book, this wasn't too bad. In other words, I don't hate that I spent time reading it. It did not, however, make me want to seek out more by this author. And I'm glad that I didn't pay for it.
It's hard to connect with the characters. I don't feel pulled in at all by the tragedy that both families have suffered. I thought that the character of Melanie Johnston was easy to hate, even though you're supposed to feel sorry for her. I did not.
I didn't care any more for the oth...more
It's hard to connect with the characters. I don't feel pulled in at all by the tragedy that both families have suffered. I thought that the character of Melanie Johnston was easy to hate, even though you're supposed to feel sorry for her. I did not.
I didn't care any more for the oth...more
It was a great book packed with several themes: loss of a loved one, grief, religion, judgement, stability, and more. Two mothers grieved their own ways over losing both their sons to a car accident, which ensued into a lawsuit over wrongful death, forcing a town to choose sides in the ugly matter. Several perspectives are given and we get the true feelings from the characters that we would otherwise assume incorrectly like the characters did of each other.
Because of the multiple viewpoints, I...more
Because of the multiple viewpoints, I...more
This is a good 'Christian Literature' type of book.........I had a hard time putting it down because the story was so engrossing. There are a lot of issues dealing with forgiveness and perceptions of others.....it made me really think about when I look at someone and make a decision of what they are like before I even get the chance to find out.......and how wrong I can be at times. Forgiveness is a difficult thing to do especially when the damage is such as a death......this was a good book tha...more
Typical story of two grieving mothers who lost their sons to a horrendous car accident. One mother son's is to blame for the accident so the victim's mother files a lawsuit.
This was a free kindle book. Even though the story was typical and very predictable it still kept me enamored with it. It has a lot of Christian faith throughout the story but in this storyline it melded well with the story and didn't become overly bearing.
The ending was heart touching but totally predictable.
Overall has t...more
This was a free kindle book. Even though the story was typical and very predictable it still kept me enamored with it. It has a lot of Christian faith throughout the story but in this storyline it melded well with the story and didn't become overly bearing.
The ending was heart touching but totally predictable.
Overall has t...more
Apr 29, 2010
Kt
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Christians, Mothers, especially mothers who are Christians
Struck gold with this free download from Amazon! I was expecting to not like this book very much. But I was pleasantly surprised that I not only liked it, I LOVED it! It was a first in the "christian fiction" genre for me and a very good first introduction. I will definitely read more in this genre and by this very talented author, who writes with no "fluff" or "fillers" and creates realistic likable characters that you can relate to. This story is an emotional encouraging story of forgiveness a...more
A compelling and touching debut novel. Two women see their worlds collide when their sons are killed in a car accident. Andie is a wealthy stay at home mom with money and prestige who volunteers her time in the community, but has lost her only child. Melanie is a single mother with little material wealth, struggling to raise her son and daughter. While we never get all the details of the accident, the implication is strong that Andie's son caused it.
The story opens after the accident, as each w...more
The story opens after the accident, as each w...more
This book is YA fiction, but it was such a real-life story that I couldn't help but get sucked in. It is a story about the devastating loss of a child, finding God and accepting his path for you, family troubles and reconciliations, and finding forgiveness in your heart. Not only for others, but also for yourself. I'm not a super religious person, but this book helped me to remember that God does work in mysterious ways, and sometimes we have to follow blindly, even when we don't understand why....more
This is typical Lifetime Movie work. Sad situation, the bitter woman, the flighty friend that makes "Clueless" look intelligent, the "poor, poor me" woman, husband is the problem (naturally), then a swift resolution and everybody moves on to be friends with sunshine on the horizon in the end. Ugh. *gasp* Everyone doesn't always have to be holding hands and singing Kumbaya at the end of a book. It's as if the author doesn't trust the reader with REAL emotion....a sad situation HAS to be tied up w...more
I really liked this book at the beginning: 2 teenage boys are killed in a car accident. One is the "good" boy: church going, sinlge mom; the other, wild child, license suspended, wealthy parents. When the single mom sues the other boy's parents, the town divides-ugly and angry. The story beomes a speech on being a Christian and forgiveness-a little too much religion for my tastes buta good story anyway if not realistic in my world!!
Another free one I got for my Kindle, good contemporary Christian fiction. The setting is Santa Barbara, CA, and follows two women, one very privileged and one a struggling single working mom. What do they have in common? Their sons were killed in a car wreck, each in his own vehicle, and there's a whole lot of guilt, blame and regret going on. They have to work through that, along with a failing marriage, a lawsuit and other things, before they can find a path to forgiveness, for themselves and...more
When There's Nothing Left But Memories... Andie Phelps is the envy of Santa Barbara. A devoted mother with a loving son and a successful husband, her greatest joy comes from reaching out to others... Melanie Johnston is the envy of no one. A single mom who works long hours to pay the bills, and her greatest joys relate to her teen daughter and son. Then the accident that changes everything. When opposite worlds collide, the impact reaches far beyond these mothers' personal losses. Two wounded wo...more
I'm not sure enjoyed is the right word for this book. I actually skipped a whole lot because of the exquisite pain it produced. Deeply emotional and moving, two mothers struggle with the loss of their sons in the same accident. They also struggle with well meaning friends and incorrect preceptions of the people around them.
This one will stick with me a long time.
This one will stick with me a long time.
Good book about the lives of two families whose lives are upended by the death of their sons in a car wreck - one family is married and Christian and have lost their only child - the other is a single mom and a daughter left and is not a Christian - very good story which started out to seem like a predictable fairy tale ending but actually had some ironic twists to it
Free Kindle download. STRONG Christian theme (I'm seeing a pattern here - many free books have a Christian theme. Cheap way to recruit, I guess.) Although this book got QUITE preachy (religion on 5 pages out of 10) it was a fairly readable story about 2 teenage boys killed in a car accident, each in their own car, and the aftermath for their families.
This is the first book I have read by this author. To be honest the main reason I got it was it was a free download to my Kindle. It was a great read by a Christian author so there was nothing questionable as far as language etc. The plot line was totally believable. I really enjoyed this one. I will certainly read more by this author.
This, I think, is Kathryn Cushman's first book. While I didn't feel she tied everything together as well as she did in her other books, it was very good.
After the tragic deaths of two teenage boys, the mother of one learns to depend fully on God. The other mother learns the goodness of God's forgiveness.
After the tragic deaths of two teenage boys, the mother of one learns to depend fully on God. The other mother learns the goodness of God's forgiveness.
I liked this book. It was Christian literature but I didn't feel preached at. The book is a simple read and I wish the vocabulary had been more sophisticated. I liked that we got the plight of both families. The emotions could have been a little more intense. It kept my interest.
Easy read, but a bit too predictable for me. I thought that the characters were a bit too cliche' for my taste...the rich, privileged parents, the struggling single mom, the money grubbing lawyer, the bad guy turned good. I did like the message of forgiveness, which is something that we can all relate to in our lives.
I chose this because it was a free Kindle download...that said, it was okay, but was quite religious in nature and while I understand that God, Christianity and forgiveness had much to do with this story, I found it a bit much for my taste.
A pleasant surprise with a free Kindle download. Very emotional read involving two families and the tragedy of losing their son's in a car accident. The families are from two different social classes and how they each deal with the same grief.
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Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. After practicing as a pharmacist, she left her career to marry and begin a family and has since pursued her dream of writing. A Promise to Remember is her first novel. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California."
More about Kathryn Cushman...
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Aug 28, 2011 06:11pm