How do you cope when God asks you to bury a dream? In this new series by best-selling author Angela Hunt, readers will meet Jennifer Graham, the no...
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reviews
Feb 06, 2009
Ruth
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Jennifer Graham never expected to be a single mom, but that's exactly what happens when her husband leaves her for their nanny and serves her with divorce papers. Left reeling and clinging to a faint hope for reconciliation, she quits her high profile job on Capitol Hill in order to re-group and care for her two sons. While the divorce is being finalized, Jennifer and her boys move in with her mother -- a temporary fix that puts additional strain on their already often-volatile relationship. Whe
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Apr 16, 2011
Tiffany
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I think I'm just going to have to give this book 5 stars. It is about a woman who after a very painful divorce inherits a "mom and pop" funeral home. She knows absolutely nothing about the mortuary business and very quickly has to decide what she is going to do with what she has been given. It seems like there is a fine line given the subject matter between being either morbid or if taken too lightly of being irreverent when writing about death, dying, embalming, funerals, etc. My 5 st
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Feb 02, 2011
Holly
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Hmmm....what to say. Christian fiction that starts out promising-Jennifer or Jen is working on Capitol Hill and finds herself divorced and blackballed from working on said Hill because of her ex-husband's influence. So she is now an unemployed single mom living with her mother. Suddenly she inherits a funeral home in a small town in FL. Oh, and there is an attached house to the business. Jen is annoying on many levels, she is supposed to be an military brat. Her late father was an general. She i
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May 19, 2008
Lisa
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This is a fun, quick read by an author of Christian fiction. Angela Hunt usually tackles deeper issues in her books. It was better than most light Christian fiction - the characters seemed a little more "real". I liked the widowed mother-divorced daughter relationship - both were torn between their love and appreciation (and sometimes exasperation) for each other and the necessity of allowing each other to grow in the ways God intended.
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Apr 18, 2009
Kelly
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A lovely book that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The book could be considered Christian Fiction, which for some folks is a turn on and for others a turn off. I found the book to have the right amount of faith and religious undertones. This is the first of 3 books (so far) and I hope the rest contain more about the family and the people of Mt. Dora as a whole. I have some hopes for what the next installments will contain, I shall have to wait and see if my ideas are
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Jun 21, 2009
Kathy
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Doesn't She Look Natural by Angela Hunt (first book in the Fairlawn series) features Jennifer Graham as the main character. Jennifer, who has been divorced by her husband, holds out hope for reconciliation for the benefit of her two sons: Clay and Bugs. Yet the divorce has left her jobless and living with her mother (a Red Hatter). Jennifer’s life takes a new course when she receives an inheritance from a long lost great-uncle: a Victorian painted lady that just happens to be a funeral home in
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Jan 20, 2009
Sonnie
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A newly single mother of two boys is really on the outs. She moves in with her mother, and things are rough. She recieves a call form an attourney one day to tell her she's inherited a family property. A funeral home. She looks up the home in the internet, and finds a beautiful pepto pink mansion, with beautiful grounds. She knew she could sell quickly and swim out of the financial rut she had been in. So, she and her mother, who she argues with insesentaly, and her two boys make the several hou
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Nov 26, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
Doing this on audio for book club.
Didn't hate it, didn't love it.
Not great writing - too much telling, too little showing.
Jennifer got on my nerves. She's supposed to be a tough woman, but she was so sensitive about everything - Gerald advertised in a magazine to sell the house I want to sell! Heaven forbid! My mother made dumb phone calls without my permission! No! My ex-husband is coming to my house. Surely he MUST want to apologize! I don't know how to predict wh More...
Didn't hate it, didn't love it.
Not great writing - too much telling, too little showing.
Jennifer got on my nerves. She's supposed to be a tough woman, but she was so sensitive about everything - Gerald advertised in a magazine to sell the house I want to sell! Heaven forbid! My mother made dumb phone calls without my permission! No! My ex-husband is coming to my house. Surely he MUST want to apologize! I don't know how to predict wh More...
Feb 26, 2008
Debra
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I enjoyed the character, Jenny, and her struggles to come to terms with her divorce, new town, new life.
But, as a mainstream Protestant, I found the prejudice against the Episcopalian priest disquieting.
But, as a mainstream Protestant, I found the prejudice against the Episcopalian priest disquieting.
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May 18, 2010
Judie
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Five stars for this one. For me, it is about relationships and I could relate to many of the people and their struggles. There is Jen, who is displaced as a wife, in her career, and financially; but still she hopes for reconciliation. There is her mother, who wants to make things okay for her daughter, and has experienced her own difficulties, which add to her concern for her daughter. The boys have to learn a different life without a father in their home. They all move, and that changes their w
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Feb 08, 2010
Nancy
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Jennifer's husband has left her for the nanny. Jennifer must sell the house in Virginia; she has not been able to get a job and is wondering how to support the two children when a great-uncle dies and leaves her a house/business in Florida. Jennifer takes off for Florida with the boys and her mother to see the house; it vaguely resembles the photo she saw online and she thinks hard how to tell the boys that it's a funeral home. She agrees to stay in the house until enough work has been done to m
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Jul 14, 2009
Auntie
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Angela Elwell Hunt never disappoints me. This is the first of a series of three, called "The Fairlawn Series". Little did I know that Fairlawn refers to the mortuary that the protaganist inherits at the beginning of the story.
It's a fun read, full of wonderful southern bits of folk wisdom and traditions...a full on funeral being one of them. I guarantee you that you'll not read about a "Red Hatter" service ever again!
This book is all about what happens when More...
It's a fun read, full of wonderful southern bits of folk wisdom and traditions...a full on funeral being one of them. I guarantee you that you'll not read about a "Red Hatter" service ever again!
This book is all about what happens when More...
Nov 23, 2008
Beckysue
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In this book the author switches from first person to a sort of limited omniscient in a rather random manner, which is supposed to let in on the fact that the main character's mother hasn't told her daughter everything about her husband, but is really rather distracting. I prefer a uniform point of view throughout the book, and it would have been more effective to mesh all the emotional and mental action the way an omniscient author can. It was a nice story, and I will probably pick up a seque
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Dec 02, 2009
Kimberly
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This book was very cute in a lot of the chapters. I didn't realize that it was a "christian book" until after I started reading it. My problem with the book is that I think that it was supposed to show its readers that God has a plan and that all lies "within" his hands. But the book kind of skates around what I think that the message is. Maybe the author is trying to keep the secular folk to continue reading the book. So you kind of get a book that has one foot in one pla
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Aug 06, 2011
Laura
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Jennifer Graham is attempting to reconstruct a life for herself and her two sons following the devastation of her husband leaving her and her children to engage in a relationship with the nanny they had hired for their sons. Both Jennifer and her unfaithful husband, Thomas have pursued careers in DC , in Jennifer’s case, working as chief of staff for a Virginia senator. After the divorce (instigated by Thomas) Jen quits her high profile job. She and her sons are forced to move in with her mot
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Nov 01, 2010
Elaine
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AUDIO
This was my second time listening to this first book in The Fairlawn series.
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I love this novel. This is different than the normal reading fare but I do have to say I've enjoyed it. The narration is well-done in this unabridged edition.
Jennifer's ex-husband cheats on her and then files for divorce. Since they both work in politics and he is the favored one, she is having a difficult time landing a job. She along with her 1
Jan 30, 2009
Aubri
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well written, and (though you wouldn't expect it from a book about a funeral home and divorce) quite uplifting. The characters were well written, with many different perspectives on life. My favorite character, by far, would be Miss Mavis Biddle.
This is a lovely little piece of Christian fiction, or Christian Chick-lit... and I adored each page. The ending was different than I expected, but proved that the characters were human. I enjoyed i More...
This is a lovely little piece of Christian fiction, or Christian Chick-lit... and I adored each page. The ending was different than I expected, but proved that the characters were human. I enjoyed i More...
Nov 12, 2008
Holly (2 Kids and Tired)
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After a painful divorce, Jennifer Graham finds that she has inherited a small-town funeral home from an elderly great uncle. Needing a fresh start, she and her children move from Virginia to Florida. The Fairlawn funeral home is in need of remodeling and repair, much like Jen's own life. As Jen embarks on this new journey, she meets new people, makes new friends and learns about herself and her relationship with God along the way. The Christian theme is subtle throughout the book.
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Aug 09, 2008
Virginia
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Jennifer’s life is at a low point. She has recently divorced and is forced into selling her home in the D.C. area. And politics being what it is, she can’t find a job because her husband not only humiliated her by leaving her for her kids’ nanny, his position as an aide for a well-known senator has turned her into a leper to everyone in the area. So when she discovers that her great-uncle has died and left her his family business, she leaps at the opportunity to travel to Mt. Dora, Florida, and
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Apr 10, 2009
Janell
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During her struggles after a divorce, Jennifer Graham is suddenly left a funeral home after the death of an uncle. Although the title would suggest humor, the story is really more of a drama. At first Jennifer plans to just sell the funeral home but it needs a lot of work. She and her sons discover that this new life was exactly what they needed. The story was fairly well written although a few things fall into place just a little too neatly!
Even so, this book was really enjoyable. More...
Even so, this book was really enjoyable. More...
Jan 16, 2012
Judy
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This is a Christian novel that was delightfully entertaining. My heart went out to the family with their ups and downs. The author managed humor within all the difficulties of the character's lives. This is the first in a series; I will enjoy seeing how Fairlawn develops in the next book.
Jan 16, 2009
Margaret
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This is the story of a young divorced mother who inherits a funeral home. I listened to the audio book, then forgot I had listened to it and downloaded it again many months later. When I started playing it I realized I had already heard it, but listened to it again.
Dec 20, 2008
Jennifer
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Hmmm, life in a funeral home - sounds spooky but not bad. The author has some pretty "contrivy" plot twists that I wasn't too fond of and she doesn't quite capture the "small town America where everyone loves each other" the way Jan Karon does but it's still a good read.
May 11, 2009
Shelly♥
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I kind of did this one backwards. I read the 2nd one first (because I did not know there was a series) and then the third and went back to the first to see how things materialized.
This is a wonderful lite series. I like the main character and some of the secondary ones are also wonderful. The way it is written is unique - through the eyes of multiple characters. It's not a deep story, but does compel you to think about some things - like how God is in control, how he uses bad for More...
This is a wonderful lite series. I like the main character and some of the secondary ones are also wonderful. The way it is written is unique - through the eyes of multiple characters. It's not a deep story, but does compel you to think about some things - like how God is in control, how he uses bad for More...
Dec 22, 2008
Erin
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Another great book from Angela Hunt, this time dealing with the concept that God doesn't always answer our prayers the way that we want him to, but he does answer them. This book was quirky and light-hearted through most of it but it does teach a lesson.
Dec 19, 2007
Jenny
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What do you do when your husband divorces you and your long lost uncle dies, leaving you a funeral home in Florida? Pack up your kids, mom and dog and move south! Jennifer Graham, recently divorced, plans a short trip to Florida to sell her inherited property so she can move back to Washington D.C. and start her new life while waiting on her ex-husband to come to his senses. Little does she know that much thought and prayer went in to leaving the house to Jennifer and God has other plans for
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May 19, 2009
Ragan
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As far as inspirational secular Christian fiction is concerned this book is pretty good. It is about a lady who inherits a funeral home shortly after divorcing her husband. It is all about learning how move on and deal with grief.
Sep 23, 2010
Angela
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Didn't finish it. The concept sounded cute and funny but I couldn't really bond/identify with the characters and the book was such a stress-filled downer that I couldn't make it to the supposedly funny and inspirational part!
Oct 10, 2011
Maggie
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I always find it amusing when I pick a book for it's cover and it's story and find out it's "Christian Chick Lit." (I didn't come up with that, Good Reads did!) It's like my friend's are sending me a message via the Hen Hud Free Library! So, Amy & Colleen-Robin, you were with me when I read this!
It's a story where the main character, Jen, is a woman who is a bit of a patsy who needs to be slapped with a reality check! I was yelling at her throughout the book (as with her More...
It's a story where the main character, Jen, is a woman who is a bit of a patsy who needs to be slapped with a reality check! I was yelling at her throughout the book (as with her More...
Sep 03, 2009
Regina
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I read this book for book club. At first I thought it was so predictable but it was fun to read. Then the ending was a complete surprise and the book contained some really good life lessons. I loved it!
