Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
315th out of 1,795 books
—
4,041 voters
Susannah's Garden (Blossom Street #3)
by
Debbie Macomber (Goodreads Author)
When Susannah Nelson turned eighteen, she said goodbye to her boyfriend, Jake--and never saw him again. She never saw her brother, Doug, again, either. He died unexpectedly that same year. Now, at fifty, Susannah finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Long married, a mother and a teacher, she "should" be happy. But she feels there's something missing in her life. No...more
Mass Market Paperback, 394 pages
Published
April 1st 2007
by Mira Books
(first published April 25th 2006)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
I read this book thinking it was a sequel to The Shop on Blossom Street. And Blossom street was only mentioned at the very end of the book. I was hoping for something more like Blossom Street and instead I got a book full of characters that I disliked intensely and a story that only kept me reading to find out the answer to the mystery behind the story. I was glad when it was over and I was disappointed that the characters who deserved it never got their comeuppance and the characters the reader...more
This is a book that you are supposed to read befor "Back on Blossome Street" It isn't part of the series but yet it is. I was a little upset with having to read the whole thing to finelly figure out in the end why I should read it befor the final book in the series. Like I said you don't have to read it but it is a good idea to do it. It helps in the last book so you know the characters. I did like the book I was just trying to figure out how it all went together the whole time I was reading it...more
TITLE/AUTHOR: SUSANNAH'S GARDEN by Debbie Macomber
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/# OF PGS/PUB DATE: Romance, 347, 2006
TIME/PLACE: Present, Colville, WA
CHARACTERS: Susannah Nelson/50 yr old teacher mother to Chrissie &
daughter to Vivian
COMMENTS: Susannah returns to her hometown to take care of her mother. Since her father's death, her mother's mental & physical health has been going downhill. Going home brings back memories of high school and a her last boyfriend. She's heard nothing about Jake for...more
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/# OF PGS/PUB DATE: Romance, 347, 2006
TIME/PLACE: Present, Colville, WA
CHARACTERS: Susannah Nelson/50 yr old teacher mother to Chrissie &
daughter to Vivian
COMMENTS: Susannah returns to her hometown to take care of her mother. Since her father's death, her mother's mental & physical health has been going downhill. Going home brings back memories of high school and a her last boyfriend. She's heard nothing about Jake for...more
Definitely Old-Married-Lady lit, but as usual for Debbie Macomber, engrossing characters and storylines. Nothing deep here but a good story.
I liked this book also, mainly because it was about a character that I read about in one of her other books. This one was not as fun to read, because the main character seemed to be hung up on finding answers on her old boyfriend even though she we now 50 years old and married for 25 years. It seemed that she was desperated to find out information that she just needed to let go. I did like the ending and how everything did work out between all characters. This author tends to have happy endings...more
Probably would have given this one a 3 1/2 if halves were an option here.
I love Debbie Macomber's books, they are quick and light reads. This wasn't one of my favourites although I did still enjoy it.
I seem to be reading several books this year about the road not taken and missed opportunities. Life is full of what ifs and in this book, Susannah goes back to the town where she grew up to see her aging mother and make arrangements for her now that she's unable to live on her own. While there, f...more
I love Debbie Macomber's books, they are quick and light reads. This wasn't one of my favourites although I did still enjoy it.
I seem to be reading several books this year about the road not taken and missed opportunities. Life is full of what ifs and in this book, Susannah goes back to the town where she grew up to see her aging mother and make arrangements for her now that she's unable to live on her own. While there, f...more
My first impression of the women in this novel was "What a bunch of Whiners!!" The main characdter Susannah is having some sort of a midlife crisis, while her mother, who lives in a very small town in NE Washington begins to fail. She hasn't seen her mom in a long time, and somehow is surprised that she is failing and losing her memory. Her mother, Vivian, acts pretty much like an older woman, who misses her recently dead husband, terribly, and who is losing her memory might act . . . really cra...more
Just as Susannah was completing another year of teaching she had a disturbing phone call about her mother. Since her father had died Susannah's mother had been extremely lonely, her memory had gotten worse and now she was accusing her long time housekeeper of stealing. The only thing to do was visit Vivian in her home and observe her behavior. Then decide what to do. Coleville had not changed much since her childhood so visiting was a nice change. Susannah reconnected with Carolyn, her best frie...more
This is a romance novel that covers young love, missed love, love in marriage and love after death. Susannah is bored with her life, which although is good, isn’t really happy. Susannah struggles with her college age daughter, her mother, her anger towards her dead father and her sense of missing something in her marriage. Susannah wonders if she married the wrong man and seeks to find her first love in her hometown while getting her mother moved into an assisted living facility with the “help”...more
Debbie Macomber's books never disappoint. EVER. Susannah comes back to her hometown to deal with a mom with failing mental capabilities and a 20 year old daughter that is getting mixed up with the wrong guy.
As always, Debbie focuses more on relationships rather than love and passion. Her books touch your heart, because there's something about everyone's life in Debbie's book.
Susannah is in a rut when she goes home to Corville. She's frustrated with life and maybe a little bit frustrated with her...more
As always, Debbie focuses more on relationships rather than love and passion. Her books touch your heart, because there's something about everyone's life in Debbie's book.
Susannah is in a rut when she goes home to Corville. She's frustrated with life and maybe a little bit frustrated with her...more
I've tried to read this book twice, and it keeps calling to, so I tried to read it a third time and finished. It wasn't anything special or life changing. It's about Susannah who comes home to put her elderly mother into a home and then to clean out the house (or so she says, there wasn't a whole lot of cleaning going on). When she gets there she decides to look up her high school boyfriend to see why he stopped writing to her when she was in France many, many years ago. This of course makes her...more
Susannah Nelson is returning to her hometown of Colville, Washington to help her mother Vivian, who is recently widowed and not coping well. While Susannah's main reason for the visit is to help her mother, she has another reason - to reconnect with old friends, especially her high school boyfriend Jake. Even though Susanna is happily married with two children, she can't help wonder how Jake is doing. What she discovers will not only change her marriage but her relationship with her parents (inc...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
At age 50, Susannah Nelson finds herself regretting the paths she has taken in life...often thinking in "what-ifs". She should be happy, she's been married for quite awhile, is a mother and a teacher but still feels that something is missing, but not sure what.
In addition to her own musings regarding her lifepath, she is also dealing with a temperamental 20 year old daughter (haven't we all been there?!) and an aging mom who recently became a window. During her summer break, Susannah heads back...more
In addition to her own musings regarding her lifepath, she is also dealing with a temperamental 20 year old daughter (haven't we all been there?!) and an aging mom who recently became a window. During her summer break, Susannah heads back...more
I found Susannah's Garden to be very sympathetic. I first read it the year I turned 50, thinking of moving back home to care for aging parents, and having an older teen daughter myself. The characters resonated with my own life, and I found it helpful to see a reflection of life similar to mine unfold in the story. I had no forgotten boyfriend or completely rebellious daughter, but still, I found Susannah to be a real character, with real concerns and troubles. I appreciate Debbie Macomber's abi...more
A journey of self discovery... and of recognizing ones true love... the one who has stood by you for 25 + years.
Susannah - 50 years old, teacher, mother, wife, daughter.... This summer finds her taking a journey backward and forward...
At 17, she was sent abroad to to separate her from Jake... and her brother Doug died in an accident. She never forgave her father for keeping her away from Jake & not returning her for her brother's funeral... and her family was never the same after her brother...more
Susannah - 50 years old, teacher, mother, wife, daughter.... This summer finds her taking a journey backward and forward...
At 17, she was sent abroad to to separate her from Jake... and her brother Doug died in an accident. She never forgave her father for keeping her away from Jake & not returning her for her brother's funeral... and her family was never the same after her brother...more
There is not much I can write as a review for this book as there were so many twists and turns and surprises at the end I know I would give something away. This book turned out to be some what suspenseful and I couldn't put it down until I had it all figured out.
Susannah is a woman in her 40's who has been married to Joe for 25 wonderful years. Although her life is happy in Seattle her mother is failing in health back in her home town of Colville. After her father's and brother's deaths life ha...more
Susannah is a woman in her 40's who has been married to Joe for 25 wonderful years. Although her life is happy in Seattle her mother is failing in health back in her home town of Colville. After her father's and brother's deaths life ha...more
I actually rented the audio version. I really enjoyed this book.
The story line was good. The people and situations were quite believable. This book gave a very clear picture of how things can go from normal to out of control in a matter of days.
I got a bit frustrated when I figured out a good deal of the ending before I finished the 4th of 8 CD's, but I decided to let it play out, in case I didn't get it quite right. I was glad I did. There were a couple of surprise twists in the end.
I almost...more
The story line was good. The people and situations were quite believable. This book gave a very clear picture of how things can go from normal to out of control in a matter of days.
I got a bit frustrated when I figured out a good deal of the ending before I finished the 4th of 8 CD's, but I decided to let it play out, in case I didn't get it quite right. I was glad I did. There were a couple of surprise twists in the end.
I almost...more
Seldom does so much of a story’s plot develop in a graveyard. This is appropriate in Susannah’s Garden, however, because in this fast-paced story, Susannah does a lot of digging to unearth truth and burying misperceptions to make peace with her past. Legacies, multigenerational family challenges, faithful friendships, razor-edged evils, secrets, and lies twist and turn toward a love-conquers-all ending. This is a thrilling, engaging novel. Any woman could easily identify with the emotions of one...more
This is the third book in the Blossom Street but unlike the earlier two, the story is away from Blossom street and that to me, this is a pre-quel of the the continuation of the Blossom Street in the next book. This book tells the story of Susannah, struggle to relocate her mother to a self assisted complex after the death of her fathr and at the same time, dealing with her own personal issues. It all started when there was recurring dreams of her first love and being back to her hometown doesnt...more
Probably 3 1/2 stars, not my favorite in the Blossom Street series. Susannah comes back to her birthplace, Colville, Washington to check on her mother, following the death of her father. Her mother is not doing well and is moved into assisted living. Susannah appears to be going through a mid-life crisis. At the age of 50, she has decided it's necessary to lookup her old boyfriend, Jake. He had mysteriously stopped writing her at the age of 17 while she spent a year in France. She is also happil...more
This might be a 3.5 star book. It appealed to me on several levels and I enjoyed the different characters and their stories. Having spent a lot of years taking care of old people, I felt empathy for the mom. I understood the daughter in the role of caregiver and related to the difficulty of making changes for a parent who doesn't welcome them. She was also the person stuck in the middle between her mother and her daughter, worried about both at a time when support from the daughter would have be...more
Dispite this book being what I would call (slightly) "linked" to the Blossom Street series, and not actually taking place on Blossom Street, I really enjoyed it. It's probably the best book by Debbie Macomber I've read, to-date. I was confused how it connected with all the other characters from the series, but in the end, it's kind of a stand alone book, like the first was, or at least was meant to be. It was a little slow in the beginning. The middle was good. I loved the ending (I felt a littl...more
Read slightly out of sequence - it's not a "true" Blossom Street story, but introduces characters who turn up in other, later Blossom Street stories.[return][return]Susannah (this is known as "Susannah's Garden" in the US) is a 50 year old woman, married with two kids, who has just finished another year teaching and is feeling restless and depressed. Her ageing mother is a source of concern, and she travels back to her home town to make some difficult decisions, including searching for her Old B...more
I listened to this book with my mother on the way to my mother's new retirement community. I knew the author and liked her very much, and knew my mother would enjoy anything she'd written, but I had NO idea what the storyline was. Much to my dismay it was about a daughter moving her mother to an assisted living home due to her increasingly poor memory.
My mother is in excellent health and while her memory can be problamatic it was nothing like the woman in the story. My mother enjoyed the book v...more
My mother is in excellent health and while her memory can be problamatic it was nothing like the woman in the story. My mother enjoyed the book v...more
I think I liked this one the best. Things sometimes change in mid-life, call it a midlife crisis or whatever, but they do. I love the way the author spins her tales and develops her characters in the storyline
1 like · like · see review
view all 5 comments
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story, although I had pretty much figured out the twist ending about half-way through the book.
And I was a little surprised that this book is considered part of the Blossom Street series, as it is not set in Seattle. After checking three times for confirmation, I went with it. Things were cleared up at the end of the book.
The only problem I has with this story was the character of Susannah's daughter. For a nineteen year old she seemed not only incredibly nai...more
And I was a little surprised that this book is considered part of the Blossom Street series, as it is not set in Seattle. After checking three times for confirmation, I went with it. Things were cleared up at the end of the book.
The only problem I has with this story was the character of Susannah's daughter. For a nineteen year old she seemed not only incredibly nai...more
I thought this book would explore one woman's mid-life musings and wonderings about what could have been. It was to some degree, but not at all in the way I expected. It turns out to be more of a mystery story.
The unfolding twists and turns did keep my interest, but as I closed the book it hadn't really brought me any great insights into human nature or stirred much emotion. I would liken it to reading a tv miniseries or soap opera since the overriding interest was not so much in the characters...more
The unfolding twists and turns did keep my interest, but as I closed the book it hadn't really brought me any great insights into human nature or stirred much emotion. I would liken it to reading a tv miniseries or soap opera since the overriding interest was not so much in the characters...more
i should have read the other reviews but the 3rd book in the blossom street series really caught me off guard. I assumed it would be based on the Blossom Street characters but it didn't. I kept waiting for my usual characters to appear but suddenly i was halfway through and nothing so I peeked at a review or two and found my feeling was shared. The story was great though and I enjoyed the plot twists. At the very end I realized how it would become part of the Blossom Street series.
I liked all o...more
I liked all o...more
This is the second of two Debbie Macomber audiobooks I listened to recently.
Her books are the only ones that are ever "in stock" in my library's Overdrive program.
Now I know why. Ugh. This book was awful.
The characters were so whiny and ridiculous. Especially Susannah and her spoiled daughter, Chrissie. Oh, I wanted to slap them both.
And the ending! Absurd. I guessed the ending halfway into the book and laughed thinking that couldn't possibly how the author will end the book. Oh, sure it's h...more
Her books are the only ones that are ever "in stock" in my library's Overdrive program.
Now I know why. Ugh. This book was awful.
The characters were so whiny and ridiculous. Especially Susannah and her spoiled daughter, Chrissie. Oh, I wanted to slap them both.
And the ending! Absurd. I guessed the ending halfway into the book and laughed thinking that couldn't possibly how the author will end the book. Oh, sure it's h...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Different from most of Macomber's books | 1 | 27 | Aug 21, 2008 05:42am |
With more than 140 million copies of her books in print, Debbie Macomber is one of today's most popular authors.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author is best known for her ability to create compelling characters and bring their stories to life in her books. Drawing on her own experiences and observations, Debbie writes heartwarming tales about small-town life, home and family, enduring friends...more
More about Debbie Macomber...
The #1 New York Times bestselling author is best known for her ability to create compelling characters and bring their stories to life in her books. Drawing on her own experiences and observations, Debbie writes heartwarming tales about small-town life, home and family, enduring friends...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
