Sometimes you have to return to the place where you began, to arrive at the place where you belong.
It’s the early 1970s. The town of ... read full description
It’s the early 1970s. The town of ... read full description
reviews
May 17, 2008
Sheila
rated it: 
I enjoyed the simplicity of this book. It has a Fannie Flagg feel to it and is a very quick read. There is a little bit of Catherine Grace is anyone who grew up in a small town. The desire to see what is out in the world but the decision to leave is a hard one to make especially when you are 18.
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Apr 09, 2008
Lisa
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A nice read - very real characters. The voice of the narrative character, captured with youth and a charming southern drawl, was almost audible. Story twists keep you interested and the citizens of Ringgold leave you wanting more.
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(3 people liked it)
Mar 24, 2008
Carol
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I was expecting a little bit more from this book. It was a fast enjoyable read, but nothing too memorable. The best part of the novel was a secondary character, neighbor Gloria Jean.
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(4 people liked it)
May 28, 2008
Hillary
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A Review of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
I read Susan Gregg Gilmore’s novel Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen just on a whim, but I am glad that I read it. It gave a new meaning to going for your goals. I learned from Catherine that if you don’t succeed at least you tried. She improvised her dream and it all worked out.
Gilmore gives hope to people that read this novel. After I completed this book I felt a little better about my own goals. The classic humor t More...
I read Susan Gregg Gilmore’s novel Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen just on a whim, but I am glad that I read it. It gave a new meaning to going for your goals. I learned from Catherine that if you don’t succeed at least you tried. She improvised her dream and it all worked out.
Gilmore gives hope to people that read this novel. After I completed this book I felt a little better about my own goals. The classic humor t More...
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Apr 23, 2011
Carol
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I love when I'm so in tune to my mood that I choose my next book to read just right. I couldn't have been more on the mark with Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen. Generally I'm a thriller reader, thriving on blood and mayhem. Too much of this sparks a need for a sprinkle of laughter in my life, and sends me seeking lighter fare. This was just the ticket.
As soon as I started Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, I felt a whole world deprived as I've never had a Dilly Bar More...
As soon as I started Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, I felt a whole world deprived as I've never had a Dilly Bar More...
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(5 people liked it)
Nov 27, 2011
Flash Beagle
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Looking For Salvation is a delightful read, and when we first meet Catherine Grace she is a pint-sized philosopher, ruminating at the age of 10 on how she knows God could not possibly be listening. After all, she prays every day to get her out of that little town - whose name is larger than its population - and every day she wakes up in the old same place.
Not content to dream about leaving, Catherine Grace begins earning her way out by making strawberry jam - but not before taking time to More...
Not content to dream about leaving, Catherine Grace begins earning her way out by making strawberry jam - but not before taking time to More...
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(1 person liked it)
May 05, 2008
Sandra
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 15, 2009
Julie
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This was a favorite of my book club's. In fact, since I live in Nashville, Susan came to our monthly book club meeting to discuss the book. She is a lovely person and to have her at our meeting was quite impressive. The book is entertaining - several giggles, but also has some life lessons we can relate to and can learn from. I'm looking forward to her next book.
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Jan 11, 2012
Wileyacez
rated it: 
Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I got this one for Christmas, and I really, really needed a very light, fluffy read. I zoomed through it; and I admit that the main character, who narrated the whole book, was fairly compelling. Unfortunately the ending was soooooo obvious--the big surprise hook at the end was not a surprise at all. The author did, blissfully, stop short of having the main character get married and live happily ever after, but it was so trite and sexist that it hurt me. You have a young woman
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Aug 11, 2011
Annette
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May 22, 2011
Lindsay
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I don't know if I would say that this book was amazing that the 5 stars claim it is, but it was really good. Read it in like 4 hours.
It's about Catherine Grace who is a the daughter of the preacher in small town Ringgold, GA who's mothered died when she and her little sister were very young. The first part of the book is about her life growing up in a small town with a preacher for a dad and her joy for Dairy Queen's Dilly Bars. Maybe that's what I should've gotten when I went there today More...
It's about Catherine Grace who is a the daughter of the preacher in small town Ringgold, GA who's mothered died when she and her little sister were very young. The first part of the book is about her life growing up in a small town with a preacher for a dad and her joy for Dairy Queen's Dilly Bars. Maybe that's what I should've gotten when I went there today More...
May 07, 2011
Friends of
rated it:
This story is about Catherine Grace Cline, the daughter of a preacher in a very small southern town (population 1923 depending on who was coming or going). From the time she was born, Catherine Grace knew she wanted to get out of Ringgold, Georgia. It was all she dreamed about her entire life. She and her sister, Martha Ann, lost their mother when Catherine Grace was six and Martha Ann, four. Their preacher father does his best with the girls, but they grow up knowing more about football than af
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Apr 30, 2011
Saxton B. Little
rated it:
I love when I'm so in tune to my mood that I choose my next book to read just right. I couldn't have been more on the mark with Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen. Generally I'm a thriller reader, thriving on blood and mayhem. Too much of this sparks a need for a sprinkle of laughter in my life, and sends me seeking lighter fare. This was just the ticket.
As soon as I started Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, I felt a whole world deprived as I've never had a Dilly Bar at More...
As soon as I started Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, I felt a whole world deprived as I've never had a Dilly Bar at More...
Mar 09, 2011
Vicky
rated it:
When I sat down to read this, I was not enthused. I’ve never been a huge fan of “coming of age” stories, but Susan Gilmore won me over. The reading is light, witty, and full of all the angst that comes with growing up.
The story is about Catherine Grace Cline, the daughter of a preacher in a very small southern town (population 1923 depending on who was coming or going). From the time she was born, Catherine Grace knew she wanted to get out of Ringgold, Georgia. It was all she dreamed a More...
The story is about Catherine Grace Cline, the daughter of a preacher in a very small southern town (population 1923 depending on who was coming or going). From the time she was born, Catherine Grace knew she wanted to get out of Ringgold, Georgia. It was all she dreamed a More...
Mar 08, 2011
kolibri
rated it:
Catherine Grace grew up in Ringgold, GA, a small town in the South of the US. Her daddy is a preacher, she's got a little sister and a dead mother. All she dreams about is to escape this life, go to the city and become a successful girl. She is planning her escape, sitting on the bench in front of the local Dairy Queen. After graduation she leaves town and her first love and gets herself a job in a big department store in Atlanta. But soon she is to home as a tragedy struck her family. Even a so
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May 27, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com
It's the 1970's, and Catherine Grace Cline is stuck in the one place she knows she doesn't belong - her hometown of Ringgold, Georgia. It's a town that just doesn't fit her. It's too small and too quiet. She spends every Saturday eating Dilly Bars at the Dairy Queen and plotting her escape.
Catherine Grace is the daughter of a third-generation Baptist minister. Her father leads his flock through the joys and sorrows of their lives, th More...
It's the 1970's, and Catherine Grace Cline is stuck in the one place she knows she doesn't belong - her hometown of Ringgold, Georgia. It's a town that just doesn't fit her. It's too small and too quiet. She spends every Saturday eating Dilly Bars at the Dairy Queen and plotting her escape.
Catherine Grace is the daughter of a third-generation Baptist minister. Her father leads his flock through the joys and sorrows of their lives, th More...
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Apr 21, 2009
Tessa
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I don’t know if this book counts as a YA novel since it’s told from the pov of the main character as an adult, reflecting back on her childhood and teenagehood. But the only adult thing in it is found on the last page of the book. It’s the author’s first novel.
The main character, Catherine Grace Cline, grows up in a tiny town in Georgia, Ringgold. She hates it. She spends her entire childhood figuring out ways to get out of there when she turns 18. For example, she learns to make s More...
The main character, Catherine Grace Cline, grows up in a tiny town in Georgia, Ringgold. She hates it. She spends her entire childhood figuring out ways to get out of there when she turns 18. For example, she learns to make s More...
Nov 08, 2011
Jo
rated it:
OH my I did not want this book to end.
Ringgold, Georgia is the last place that Catherine Grace Cline wants to spend her life, tending a tomato garden and having lots of babies for a small town farmer. Somehow, though, it looks like that's exactly where her future is headed.
With her daddy being the great Reverend Cline and no mama around to guide her through the toughest years of her life, Catherine Grace has to rely on help from an outrageous, and loving, neighbor who tends t More...
Ringgold, Georgia is the last place that Catherine Grace Cline wants to spend her life, tending a tomato garden and having lots of babies for a small town farmer. Somehow, though, it looks like that's exactly where her future is headed.
With her daddy being the great Reverend Cline and no mama around to guide her through the toughest years of her life, Catherine Grace has to rely on help from an outrageous, and loving, neighbor who tends t More...
Sep 10, 2011
♥Xeni♥
rated it:
I was surprised at how lovely this story turned out. Not "perfect", but definitely quaint. It really made me wish that I had grown up in a small-town somewhere in the American South, rather than SoCal (southern California). Not because SoCal was bad, just because I think growin my own tomatoe vines seems like something I'd like to do for the rest of my life. Ah well, at least I can experience it through this book!
While not an incredibly amazing story in and of itself, this no More...
While not an incredibly amazing story in and of itself, this no More...
Aug 15, 2011
Terra
rated it: 
This book was horrible on so many levels, it pains me to think about it. What was especially frustrating was that it started so strong. I was sure it would garner a four- or five-star rating and be something I would recommend to friends and family, especially those who like Southern charm and humor. The stars began falling as I noticed such inconsistencies as a 1972 prom followed immediately by letters posted in 1975. Despite this glaring error, I continued to hope for a rebound. Instead, th
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Jan 10, 2012
I couldn't finish this hokey story. As another review said, this book is what you'd get if you mixed Hee-Haw with a biscuit.
Imagine a parallel universe in which there is genre even more stereotypical and lazy than "Southern fiction." We'll call it "Northern fiction!" These books all take place in New York City. Every character is named Vinny. The ONLY food they eat is bagels. They ALL work in the Empire State Building.
Sound bad and unrealistic? Then why More...
Imagine a parallel universe in which there is genre even more stereotypical and lazy than "Southern fiction." We'll call it "Northern fiction!" These books all take place in New York City. Every character is named Vinny. The ONLY food they eat is bagels. They ALL work in the Empire State Building.
Sound bad and unrealistic? Then why More...
Oct 31, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I was hoping to be more wow'd by this book, as it was a very cute cover and a clever title I thought, and was pretty happy to have stumbled upon it at the library when I was literally browsing every shelf for a random book to read. Turns out it was just ok. I was not wow'd and while the title of another of her books sounds good as well I'm not thinking of reading it after this one let me down.
I did like the southern down home feel. I liked the country phrases and while the character More...
I did like the southern down home feel. I liked the country phrases and while the character More...
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Feb 01, 2010
Linda
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I loved this book ! The author is new, the story is fresh, and it was time so well spent !
Set in the South, Ringgold, GA, is the home of Catherine Grace Cline the first person narrator of the story. Written in the style of Fannie Flagg with southern humor and lots of "Y'alls", we come to love Catherine Grace who loses her mother as a child and is raised by her Preacher Father. She and her sister, Martha Ann, are stifled in this little town of 1,923 characters and Catherine More...
Set in the South, Ringgold, GA, is the home of Catherine Grace Cline the first person narrator of the story. Written in the style of Fannie Flagg with southern humor and lots of "Y'alls", we come to love Catherine Grace who loses her mother as a child and is raised by her Preacher Father. She and her sister, Martha Ann, are stifled in this little town of 1,923 characters and Catherine More...
Jan 01, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
They say you can never come home again, but for Catherine Grace Cline, that’s perfectly okay. Restless and bored of small-town life, she spends her days plotting her great escape out of Ringgold, Georgia. Every Saturday afternoon, she sits with her best friend outside the DQ licking a Dilly Bar and daydreaming about her new life in the big city of Atlanta. When her dream finally becomes a reality, tragedy brings her back home. Shortly after her arrival, she discovers an earth-shattering betrayal
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Jan 26, 2010
Mary
rated it:
It's the early 1970s. The town of Ringgold, Georgia, has a populatiion of 1,923, one traffic light, one Dariy Queen, and one Catherine Grace Cline. The daughter of Ringgold, third-generation Baptist preacher, Catherine Grace is quick-witted, more than a little stubborn, and dying to escape her small-town life.
Every Saturday afternoon, she sits at the Dairy Queen, eating Dilly Bars and plotting her getaway to Atlanta. And when, with the help of a family friend, the dream becomes a More...
Every Saturday afternoon, she sits at the Dairy Queen, eating Dilly Bars and plotting her getaway to Atlanta. And when, with the help of a family friend, the dream becomes a More...
Aug 10, 2009
Katy
rated it:
Okay, I picked up the book from the library because I liked the title. It really intrigued me. The book is a good teen book (but I found it in the adult section, where it clearly didn't belong!) Catherine Grace Cline has spent her entire life trying to figure out how to leave her hometown behind her. (Haven't we all been there!) Her mother died when she was six, her father is the beloved pastor of the Cedar Grove Baptist Church, and her sister really doesn't remember much about the mother.
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May 23, 2008
Dianne
rated it:
A great storyline - I believe this is a first from this author and I hope to read more from her. But I love local Southern books, especially from the 50's, 60's, or 70's. You'll want to keep reading until the end just to see if there will be any kind of "happy ending" for these characters.
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Oct 28, 2009
Nely
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Catherine Grace Cline wants to get the heck outta Dodge... or better said, the heck outta Ringgold, Georgia. There is just something about this town that just makes her restless - maybe it’s that it’s too quiet, or too small, or that it has a very small population - where everyone is your neighbor and they all know every little thing about your life. She and her sister spend every Saturday eating Dilly Bars at the Dairy Queen and plotting their big escape.
Catherine Grace lives with h More...
Catherine Grace lives with h More...
