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68th out of 158 books
—
57 voters
Tending Roses (Tending Roses)
by
Lisa Wingate (Goodreads Author)
“The best times of my life, the times that have passed by me the most quickly, were the times when the roses grew wild.”
The lessons that most enrich our lives often come unexpectedly. That’s what Kate Bowman learns when she moves temporarily—with her husband and baby son—to her grandmother’s Missouri farm. The family has given Kate the job of convincing Grandma Rose, who’s...more
The lessons that most enrich our lives often come unexpectedly. That’s what Kate Bowman learns when she moves temporarily—with her husband and baby son—to her grandmother’s Missouri farm. The family has given Kate the job of convincing Grandma Rose, who’s...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
February 4th 2003
by Signet
(first published June 1st 2001)
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Bleh. Sappy, heavy-handed and obvious. A woman stressed out by her job, her role as a new parent, and her desires for more house, more money, more everything goes to take care of her grandmother with Alzheimers and learns lots of important lessons about what is important. I hate this sort of "message" book where the outcome is obvious from page one and cliches masquerade as challenges.
Apr 22, 2008
Brandy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Brandy by:
Newburgh Book Club
Shelves:
just-about-life
Some people may say that this book is on the boring side. I personally loved it. It is about a young lady who goes to stay with her aging grandmother. They don't have the best relationship. Not your typical grandmother/granddaughter relationship. I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that I loved it because I read it shortly after my grandmother passed away and I didn't have the greatest relationship with her either. The book didn't make me have any regrets but it did create alot...more
I needed to hear the message of this book. As a homemaker and a full-time mom it really inspired me to slow down and really savor the fleeting precious moments of motherhood. I am normally very passionate about learning new things and can easily get caught up in my own interests. This book helped me to remember that I'll have my whole life to devote full-time attention to them. While I do take time for myself, I take great satisfaction in nurturing the passion for life and learning in my childre...more
Okay, this book was a little insulting. If she'd wanted to write a self-help/essay on why people should be less materialistic, moms should stay home with their kids, people should forgive and forget (things I totally agree with, by the way), I wish she'd just written the essay/sermon, instead of pretending she was writing a story. Every character was unoriginal, every plot was predictable and most of the dialogue was so contrived. The only reason it's getting 2 stars is because it isn't trashy.
1 like · like · see review
Kate and her husband, Ben have retreated to Kate's grandmother, Rose's farm. Rose had a stroke several months earlier and needs someone to keep an eye on her. She had inadvertently left an iron on and set a small blaze in the farmhouse before it was discovered. The family believe Rose should be placed in a care facility. Kate's baby, Joshua is only a couple of months old and needed heart surgery shortly after he was born. As a result, Kate and Ben are struggling financially as they try and pay t...more
Lovingly portrayed "coming to terms" with the effects of aging on a loved one. Kate Bowman returns to her family's ancestral home to make sure her Grandma Rose doesn't burn the place down around her ears. Kate and her husband Ben are also dealing with the demands of caring for their recently arrived first baby Josh, who underwent heart surgery soon after he was born. Although the medical bills are pressuring them, she's torn about going back to her high-powered job, even though she was very good...more
I love this book! This is the first book in a series of 3 (At least I think it's the first...). They are connected in an interesting way. The characters waltz in and out of each story, but each book has a different main character. The other books are Language of the Sycamore and Drenched in Light. I read them in the order listed. Lisa Wingate also wrote Good Hope Road which has some of the same characters, but I don't know if it was meant to be part of the series.
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This is an author I've liked a great deal in the past, but unfortunately, I found this book rather boring. I don't think it was my ambivalence at dealing with a fading elderly person (which I just did in real life.) If anything, those bits were more interesting to me as I wanted to see what the family did, and how it related to my experience during my darling mother's final journey. I just didn't warm to any of the characters, exactly. They were very real, and everyday type people, but I didn't...more
This was my book club book for March. It is a story of a new mother going to stay with her paternal grandmother for a few weeks before she is put in a care facility. While the format of the book is relatively generic, a "words of wisdom from older generation to modern times heals family troubles", I found it a decent read.
There were many little pearls of wisdom, often told through a journal format that make you pause and think. My favorite one that was repeated often was that instead of getting...more
There were many little pearls of wisdom, often told through a journal format that make you pause and think. My favorite one that was repeated often was that instead of getting...more
My book club selected this novel for November. I bought my own copy because it wasn't available from the library, and I'm glad I did because I know I will end up sharing this book with many people. Our book club had a great discussion; there are lots of lessons to be learned not only from the story taking place, but the stories told by one of the main characters, Grandma Rose. It's a novel in the true sense of the word; it's not reality. Events in the story don't happen exactly the way things ha...more
I had heard so much about this novel that I went to Chapters and purchased it. What did I think?? I was NOT disappointed. Such an emotional, spiritual, real-life novel of faith and inspiration. I'll definitely be looking for Lisa Wingate's other novels.
From back cover:
"The lessons that most enrich our lives often come at unexpected moments and from unlikely places. That's what Kate Bowman learns when she moves temporarily-with her husband, Ben, and baby son-to her grandmother's Missouri farm. Sh...more
From back cover:
"The lessons that most enrich our lives often come at unexpected moments and from unlikely places. That's what Kate Bowman learns when she moves temporarily-with her husband, Ben, and baby son-to her grandmother's Missouri farm. Sh...more
this book is about a young couple with a child that goes a spends some time with her grandmother. They want to put the grandmother in a nursery home and this mother is on maternity leave and so she goes and stays with her grandmother until the family can decide what to do. The family hasn't been really close since their mother died 6 years ago. The grandmother leaves a journal in places that her granddaughter can see. At first she thinks that she is snooping and reading the journal but then she...more
It was perhaps pleasantly predictable. It was very interesting how you got sucked into the romance of the moment, then the author reminded you it wasn't all that with a very real annoying comment from the grandmother. I honestly can't imagine not speaking to my family for years, even though we've had our turmoils ourselves. My relationships have changed after certain incidents, but never to not speaking, so that's a very foreign concept to me. It was nice to hear someone else's thoughts about th...more
Kate and Ben Bowman volunteer to spend several weeks looking after Grandma Rose before the rest of the family comes for Christmas. The family has not been together at the farm since the death of Kate’s mom. They begrudgingly come together at Grandma Rose’s request and to tell her they are putting her in a nursing home.
Kate and Ben are struggling financially and it is driving a wedge between them. Grandma Rose sees Kate’s stress over the finances, the health of 4 month old Joshua, and the busy l...more
Kate and Ben are struggling financially and it is driving a wedge between them. Grandma Rose sees Kate’s stress over the finances, the health of 4 month old Joshua, and the busy l...more
This is a book I like to read every few years. So far I have read it three times and I still am not tired of it!
I especially enjoy Grandma Rose's character. She is real; down-to-earth, not merely a 'fluffy do-gooder Grandma' type, but also able to offer stability and advice to her granddaughter, Kate.
The author does not gloss over Grandma Rose's faults but because they are so realistic (for example, the piles of clutter in her home that she defensively pretends to be 'normal' and does not want...more
I especially enjoy Grandma Rose's character. She is real; down-to-earth, not merely a 'fluffy do-gooder Grandma' type, but also able to offer stability and advice to her granddaughter, Kate.
The author does not gloss over Grandma Rose's faults but because they are so realistic (for example, the piles of clutter in her home that she defensively pretends to be 'normal' and does not want...more
As a stay-at-home mom, I LOVED this book! It helps you put things in perspective, remember what's most important, and more fully enjoy every minute of everyday...especially with your children. I will caution you on a bit of swearing in the first few chapters, although it doesn't continue through the book.
I REALLY enjoyed this book!!! It was a nice read to start during Christmas, since the book takes place during that time as well. I wasn't too sure about this book at first, but any doubts I had flew out the window shortly after I started reading it.
Tending Roses is about a couple, Kate & Ben, who go to stay with Kate's Grandma during the holiday season with their four month old boy, Joshua. Kate's presence at her grandmother's home is more of, make sure she doesn't burn the house down. The r...more
Tending Roses is about a couple, Kate & Ben, who go to stay with Kate's Grandma during the holiday season with their four month old boy, Joshua. Kate's presence at her grandmother's home is more of, make sure she doesn't burn the house down. The r...more
Okay, I am going to say outright that I did not read this whole book. I skimmed it. I know the general gist of it... I did open random pages throughout the book and read a couple of pages at a time. But I just could not bring myself to waste my time with the whole book. It was silly. I did not care for it at all. I get it... we, as a generation care too much about things. We should be staying home with our kids instead of working so we can have luxuries. I already believe this. Lesson was not ne...more
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I liked this book for a good read and it has a great message about the importance of family and building relationships rather than trying to get ahead in the world. However, I felt the message was just a little too contrived. To me, the author was trying too hard to teach a message and the story was just background rather than having a compelling story that had a message. Part of that may be that the book's plot is the developing relationship between grandmother and granddaughter rather than a f...more
This was a beautiful book. I stopped several times to write down quotes and things to remember. It took me a while to like the main character and her husband as a couple. I enjoyed the feel of the book and the "realness" of the people that were in it. I am glad it was chosen for book club.
*By the way, I think it is unfortunate that the first review that pops up for this book on Goodreads is not accurate. I am pretty sure they didn't really read the book because they sure got some main details wr...more
*By the way, I think it is unfortunate that the first review that pops up for this book on Goodreads is not accurate. I am pretty sure they didn't really read the book because they sure got some main details wr...more
Kate is young mother who comes with her husband and six-month old baby to visit her grandmother the week before Christmas. It seems like an innocent thing to do, but Kate has been given a specific task which is to find a way to break the news to Grandma that her family thinks she needs to move to a care facility. Grandma is getting older and recently started a fire in her home by turning on her iron and forgetting about it. The family is counting on Kate to prepare the way so that when they are...more
I would probably give this 2 1/2 stars if I could. I definitely the values and morals the author was promoting, but I did feel that they were a little too obviously stated more often than not. I've read a lot of books (and seen a lot of Hallmark movies) with similar plots (the sophisticated people from the big city come to the small town and find out who they really are). I also felt that the ending was tied way too neatly with a pretty ribbon.
That said, it was an enjoyable read. I definitely lo...more
That said, it was an enjoyable read. I definitely lo...more
Amazing "life lessons" in this book. Of note she writes about accepting yourself and where you're at in life AND what's really important in life. An enjoyable read . . .
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I enjoyed the messages of this book - getting your priorities straight, the importance of family, the value of stay-at-home mothers, wanting less - and in return getting more, the importance of God in your life, the strength that friends and neighbors and community bring to your life, and the important role of parents and grandparents in our lives. Kate learned valuable lessons from her elderly grandmother. The book was a bit predictable,some details were lacking, and some things were rather unr...more
This was our book club book--I got it the night before and finished it in time! So, yeah, it's an easy read. But I also enjoyed it. I liked the characters--with all their quirks. I like that it didn't rush to some happy ending. And there were lots of great quotes in it. Like when that said something to the effect that instead of getting what you want you should want what you get. We often hear the phrase today that the dishes and laundry will still be there tomorrow but the children will be grow...more
Wasn't sure if I was going to like this book and it has become one of my all-time favorites. Many life lessons taught in a beautiful and non-preachy way. I loved the story and found connections to my own life all over the story. I think that is one of the marks of a good book...the ability to connect to readers' lives. Loved the grandma...she reminded me of my own grandma. Loved the service the grandma rendered to so many in quiet ways. Especially loved the stories that grandma left for her gran...more
If you had told me in the first 100 pages that I would end up giving this book 4 stars I would never have believed you. But by the time I was in the last half of the book (and half way through my little box of Kleenex) I knew this book meant something special to me.
The whole thing hit a little too close to home, hence the emotional outbursts. And although it is hard to keep holding a book in front of your face when it is really a mirror, I could not put it down. I really wanted the main charact...more
The whole thing hit a little too close to home, hence the emotional outbursts. And although it is hard to keep holding a book in front of your face when it is really a mirror, I could not put it down. I really wanted the main charact...more
This book sat on my shelf for ages before I was finally ready to pick it up and read it. The cover totally didn't interest me, it looks like a book you might find in the grocery store or something, but then when I finally took the time to read it, is was SO good and pertinent to my stage in life. The book's main message is about enjoying the moment, enjoying your family in the stage you are in, and not being too busy "tending roses" (pruning them, pulling weeds, etc.) to enjoy the roses that are...more
I enjoyed this undemanding, sweet book about families and learning how to balance all the demands in your life so you don't miss the most important things. There were other themes running through the story that might strike you more: the need for forgiveness and understanding, motherhood versus career, the duty to care for one another and especially the elderly, fathers being involved in childcare, the materialistic focus of our society, the needs of disadvantaged children, the importance of mem...more
There are some times when I feel like a book is trying to play on my emotions--like Sunshine for the Latter-day Saint Soul for example--and I felt that to some degree in the beginning of this book, but maybe only because I had already figured out what the characters were just discovering, so I got a little frustrated with them. As the story progressed, I found myself wanting to reach out more in my relationships and really seeking to understand where people are coming from, rather than just how...more
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Lisa Wingate is a popular inspirational speaker, magazine columnist, and national bestselling author of several books, including Tending Roses, Good Hope Road, The Language of Sycamores, and Drenched in Light. Her work was recently honored by the Americans for More Civility for promoting greater kindness and civility in American life. Lisa and her family live in Central Texas.
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“I understood now that all of us have that place inside that wants to be part of something, that needs the comfort and companionship of loved ones. Within each of us, there is an empty room, and when we open the door, light flows in. The wider we open it, and the longer we leave it open, the brighter our souls become.”
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14 people liked it
“The secret to a happy life is not in getting what you want. It is in learning to want what you get.”
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13 people liked it
More quotes…
Jul 10, 2008 10:36pm