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76th out of 195 books
—
165 voters
Velma Still Cooks in Leeway
Velma Brendle has never done anything more outstanding than putting on a good meal at Velma's Place, but she takes good care of her customers, neighbors, and friends in this slice-of-life literary work of fiction that deals with domestic violence with a strong theme of forgiveness.
Paperback, 294 pages
Published
September 1st 2000
by B&H Publishing Group
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Jan 04, 2010
Karen Powell
added it
The titular Velma is a good woman steadfast in her Christian faith, who finds herself both humbled and blessed by her neighbors. A Christian novel, there are themes of charity and forgiveness throughout. Velma befriends a troubled teen who find herself taken advantage by the men in her life. She takes in an ill cousin. She grudgingly extends charity to a rude poor man, but learns a valuable lesson from it. She sees her neighbors and church through hard times and hypocritical times, a remains a s...more
SCC book club read.
p. 77 "Its a peculiar thing to get old. You're being pulled at from all directions, past, present, and future. You find yourself answering to more than one
group of people because you get messages from folks that have come and gone from the different stages of your life."
P. 78 "Now that I'm old enough to look back on the seasons and see pieces of our lives that were missing. I think the noise of this house is really my own. It's my heart trying to tease out the unspoken things...more
p. 77 "Its a peculiar thing to get old. You're being pulled at from all directions, past, present, and future. You find yourself answering to more than one
group of people because you get messages from folks that have come and gone from the different stages of your life."
P. 78 "Now that I'm old enough to look back on the seasons and see pieces of our lives that were missing. I think the noise of this house is really my own. It's my heart trying to tease out the unspoken things...more
A great honest book about how hard it is to live out your faith in the midst of life.
Here's a long quote that I have kept with me since I first read the book:
I have believed in Jesus nearly my whole life. That's not to say that I understand him much. I do trust him more than I used to. But it still bothers me that after all these years, Jesus hasn't offered an opinion or an explanation about my fevers and dreams. Some prayers you pray, and you really know the answer, but you just need some enco...more
Here's a long quote that I have kept with me since I first read the book:
I have believed in Jesus nearly my whole life. That's not to say that I understand him much. I do trust him more than I used to. But it still bothers me that after all these years, Jesus hasn't offered an opinion or an explanation about my fevers and dreams. Some prayers you pray, and you really know the answer, but you just need some enco...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I really enjoyed the storytelling in this book, and found the characters believable and even likable. "Velma" tells the story of her life in a small town in Kansas. The story unfolds rather slowly, and may not hold the attention of some readers. But the plot is much like many people's lives, with both expected responses from folks, as well as characters that change their minds, make bad choices when you expect them to be "good," and wear their Christianity like a Boy Scout patch.
There is a redem...more
There is a redem...more
May 20, 2008
Kathy The
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys inspirational fiction
I LOVED this book. I loved the LANGUAGE of this book. The author's choice of words, the flow, were so poetic. Somewhere around page 50, Granny Lenn gives Velma a story. Granny Lenn who is full of disappointing life experiences shares a story of a little girl that doesn't talk to anyone but the night flower. Velma, a small girl of 10 or 12, asks Granny Lenn why the little girl didn't take friends into the night to see the flower and if GL were the little girl. Granny Lenn tells Velma that she nev...more
What Happens:[return]Velma, in the form of a rambling journal, tells us about the last year of her life. Velma runs a little diner in the small town on Leeway, KS. During the course of the book she deals with a dying relative to comes to stay with her while he waits for the inevitable. Then there is also the saga of her next door neighbor's daughter, who ends up pregnant after a date rape situation. Velma is like the rock that her neighbors and relatives turn to for help, but she herself falls a...more
Well done. Each chapter is about a person, place or event. They begin with a verse from Ezekiel and end with a recipe. After I finished the chapter I would look back at the verse to see how it fit and then to the recipe to see the connection. When I finished the book I went back to the beginning to do the same. Vinita Hampton uses Velma's life in a small town full of love, struggle, trials, healing and forgiveness to unravel a story that has much insight and a deep love for the Lord.
The main character Velma is a caring woman who listens to her friends and neighbors and is there for them in the good times and bad.Velma loves cooking in her restaurant and is dedicated to her church. These loves are evident as each chapter begins with a scripture from Ezekiel and ends with a recipe. My favorite bits are when Velma remembers her Gran Lenny and the journal she gave her"to sort out my thoughts and remember my dreams".
Read this at Katrina's recommendation and it was fantastic! I'm now reading everything else Vinita Hampton Wright has written. I thought these characters were realistic, and I could identify with some of their situations. This isn't a great and lofty work of literature, but it's a story that rings true, and I like those a lot.
This book took me a little while to get into. However, once I did I found myself thinking about Velma and her life throughout the day. If I had to compare this book to a color it would be grey. I kept hoping for bright rays of sunshine or suspenseful plot twists but Vinita let me down in that area. Overall I enjoyed the read but it wasn't one of my favorites.
This book, though published by a religious publisher (the Southern Baptists' Broadman & Holman) was well reviewed in PW, so I decided to give one of these a chance. But I only read a chapter, finding it the kind of melodrama I expected.
Aug 21, 2011
Angelique
added it
loved it! will try to find her other book, Grace at Bender Springs. loved the Ezekiel quotes at the start of each chapter....I was reading Ezekiel at the time I found the book. lovely story, good christian fiction.
Read it again as soon as I was done with it. Enjoyed it very much--it was recommended as a book club title on the Midday Connection book club from WMBI.
A really lovely book. So often inspirational writers sacrifice good writing for spiritual content, but this book was full of lovable characters, a good storyline, and was woven together with thoughtful writing. I would definitely recommend it.
"Pre-release, excellent, wonderful characters, rich prose, recipes included! (Vinita is co-worker of mine. Excellent writer. :)"
Great book to discuss as a group. Tho it may be hard to find several copies of the book as it is was published a while back. The recipies were good too.
Not your typical Christian novel--honest, down-to-earth, incredibly well written
I don't like Christian fiction, because I find it cheesy, unbelievable, and cause me to question why my life hasn't turned out so cheery as those in the text. But, Velma, she can be believed, trusted, and not some sappy, "my life is turning out just the way I expected it to" heroine. Wright-Hampton has that reality driven sense of a life lived out in the midst of humans, their anxieties and fears, and how those lives interact with a relational God. My literary friends say the writing could have...more
Extremely insightful. I plan on reading her other works.
Happy Bookers Sept 2002
granddaughter of German immigrant growing up in Kansas...
The best thing about this book is that the author has the ability to make the reader care, really care, about the various characters you meet in the story. Equally impressive was the authors' ability to describe everyday life in a small town in a way that makes their seemingly ordinary lives, extra-ordinary. Added to that, the explicitly Christian beliefs of the main character (Velma) were believable because of her honesty in facing the struggles of life. Thanks to Hannah for recommending this!
Heartwarming story of neighbors helping neighbors and family helping family.
Not a fan. The storyline really drags
May 30, 2009
Elaine
marked it as started-reading-but-didn-t-finish
This doesn't start out by grabbing the reader. In fact, once it's put down, (at the beginning at least) it's difficult to pick up again. While the author seems to jump from one thing to another - sort of like rabbit trails, in this book as in "Grace at Bender Springs," she gives far too much detail, making both stories cumbersome. I'll pass.
reminds me of at home in mitford series by jan karon except grittier. actually i've never read the mitford series, but they are both set in a small town where there's lots of gossip and people are involved with the local church.
wonderful character studies. it's deep! worth re-reading and buying.
wonderful character studies. it's deep! worth re-reading and buying.
A rich and wonderful novel with good characterizations. I am so glad I read it, as it touches on the realness of life as a Christian, the legacy of mothers and grandmothers, illness, marital struggle, small-town life, service, etc., and finding God in it all. Very good.
I LOVED this book. A good friend sent it as a surprise and what a treat it is. Quirky, home-townish,beautifully written--- a lovely story about Faith and community and cooking and love.
This is a wonderful Christian fiction which doesn't read like typical Christian fiction. The characters are real and the story is believable. Highly recommended!
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| Hi Katrina | 2 | 7 | Sep 12, 2009 05:36pm |
Jan 25, 2008 12:49pm