false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255668640m/5775498.jpg 5775498 3 <blockquote> <p> "I want you to know something if you don't already. Life is choosing whom and what you love. Everything else follows . . ." </p> </blockquote> <p> Among the longleaf pines and family farms of eastern North Carolina, days seem to pass without incident for Margaret Clayton and Bernice Stokes until they discover each other in a friendship that will take them on the most important journey of their lives. Margaret, droll and whip smart, has a will of iron that never fails her even when her body does, while Bernice, an avid country-music fan, is rarely lucid. Irreverent and brazen at every turn, they make a formidable pair at the home where they live, breaking all the rules and ultimately changing the lives of those around them. Lorraine, their churchgoing, God-questioning nurse, both protects and provokes them while they are under her watchful eye, as her daughter, April, bright and ambitious, determinedly makes her way through medical school. Rounding out the group of unlikely and often outrageous friends is Rhonda, the Bud-swilling beautician who does the ladies' hair on her day off and whose sassy talk hides a vulnerable heart, one that finally opens to love. </p> <p> Weaving this tightly knit and compelling novel in alternating chapters, each woman gets to tell her story her own way, as all five learn to reconcile troubled pasts, find forgiveness, choose hope, and relish the joy of life. Rich with irresistible characters whose uniquely musical voices overflow the pages, <i>The Sweet By and By</i> is a testament to the truth that the most vibrant lives are not necessarily the most visible ones. </p> 5947247 1 3 2009 The Sweet By and By: A Novel total:115|5:20|4:52|3:32|2:9|1:2| 115 424 275 50 5 1 false false Thu Sep 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 11:42:36 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 11:49:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Mar 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 13:41:38 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 12:02:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 14:33:29 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 14:45:50 -0700 2009 This was a very well written book that I devoured in two days. However it is too sad to recommend. Its about the lives of 5 Southern women. Two are in a nursing home at the end of their lives, two are young women in the beginning of their adult lives and the last is in the middle age bracke...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 18:11:29 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 18:18:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Sep 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 17:01:19 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 17:01:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 08:33:36 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 08:39:12 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Aug 13 09:06:12 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 18:09:26 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 09:06:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 12:09:43 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 12:12:04 -0700 2009 5 1 false false Wed Mar 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 14:59:28 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 15:03:25 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Apr 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 06:17:17 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 11:40:46 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 05:29:03 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 11:37:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Sep 20 09:56:41 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 10:00:49 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 12:33:28 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 12:35:16 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Aug 14 14:33:49 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 14:35:03 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jun 16 12:24:01 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 12:25:35 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Sep 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 16:56:19 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 16:58:26 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Jun 29 15:50:51 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 15:54:48 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 19 17:54:55 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 09:44:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Feb 25 20:03:58 -0800 2009 Sat Oct 17 16:03:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 10:56:52 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 05:58:59 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5775498