Abby Quinn McDougall is a Southern lady whose once picturesque small-town life seems to be shrinking. Widowed at fifty and burdened by the care ... read full description
reviews
Aug 06, 2011
Brandy
rated it: 
My friend/neighbor/and walking buddy, loaned me this book to read. What a GREAT book! Just a heartfelt story about Mothers/daughters/and grandma's. With some romance thrown in. I highly recommend this book to mother's/daughter's/Grandmother's/Granddaughter's. Just a perfect read for ANY and ALL of the generations of women in your family. I LOVED the Quinn women, Abby, her mother Edith, and Abby's teenage daughter, (Edith's Grandaughter), Neal Grace. I ABSOLUELY fell - IN - LOVE with Devin! :-) C
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Apr 04, 2009
Louise
rated it: 
Lovely story about three generations of the strong "Quinn" women.
From dust jacket:
"This is the legend attached to the Wishing Jar, handed down through five generations of the Quinn family. Great-Grandma Gracie purchased the painted ginger jar almost a hundred years ago, and now the beautiful little jar with the red-and-gold bird emblazoned on its side is as familiar as the family motto--"Purity of Heart, Faithfulness of Soul"--and the legacy of th More...
From dust jacket:
"This is the legend attached to the Wishing Jar, handed down through five generations of the Quinn family. Great-Grandma Gracie purchased the painted ginger jar almost a hundred years ago, and now the beautiful little jar with the red-and-gold bird emblazoned on its side is as familiar as the family motto--"Purity of Heart, Faithfulness of Soul"--and the legacy of th More...
Aug 11, 2011
I did find this predictable but still enjoyable, although probably not one I'd read again. The characters didn't seem individual enough to me; they seemed more like stereotypes. I much preferred the flawed, more realistic characters in Francine Rivers' "Leota's Garden." I did like the lesson that we can't always find the "why" in our pain, but we can see that God's love is there.
I did think the motif of the Phoenix was cool, but a book that is a Christian novel but is a More...
I did think the motif of the Phoenix was cool, but a book that is a Christian novel but is a More...
Mar 24, 2011
Diane
rated it:
I found myself tearing up in several places in this book. It was very touching family story. I found two quotes that I could feel in my soul. "When your trials come and they will come sooner or later don't look for answers look for love." When your faith is challenged but things that happen in your life you should't ask God why this had to happen to you but instead ask for his love to help you face and get through it. The second quote was "Live so that when your time comes you can
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Dec 11, 2010
Jodi
rated it:
I liked most of the book, but the middle was weird. It was like reading Scrooge and having no idea what was going on. The older lady got to see her past life and all her family members and touch and talk to some of them. I had a hard time with this. Will try one more by author and if not much better be done with her. In the end the story ended well though. The wishing jar had been in the family for over 100 years.
Dec 16, 2010
Gregandemy
rated it:
an easy, quick read. Kind of a "it's a wonderful life" where a woman gets to look into her past and into her mother's and grandmother's and learns a new perspective on life, mixed in with the stories of her daughter and granddaughter as well. Not amazing, but I enjoyed it.
Mar 21, 2011
Jessie
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OK book. It started to drag in the middle a little. Not any action or suspense. A book about family and what and the strong women that make a great family.
Jan 21, 2009
Jessica
rated it:
This book was...okay. It wasn't great, but somewhere in the middle I suppose. I really liked the writing style, language used, etc. but to me, the middle of the story dragged on, and was a bit...weird. It started out great, and ended very well, but the middle was just way too long.
Jun 16, 2009
Jody
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Wonderful book! Fast read~but really gets you thinking about how things that happen in your life are meant to be.
Jan 27, 2009
Tina
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a very good , quick-read . made me wish there was a jar in my family , or something......
Nov 07, 2010
Laurel
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If you like happy (unrealistically so) endings, this is the book for you.
Aug 16, 2009
Laura
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This story goes through several generations of women who all believe in the powers of a family heirloom wishing jar. The beginning and the end were both good, but the middle of the book seemed to drag by.
Jul 12, 2010
Brinlie
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It was ok, I knew the whole time that Charles was a jerk and she really liked Devin.
May 03, 2010
Amy
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I loved what these women learned from their trials. " Don't ask why, have faith in God and find the love.
Sep 18, 2010
Susan
rated it:
A story spanning the legacy of 5 generations of Quinn women.... each one with a strong character and a strong faith. The story centers around a wishing jar passed down to each Quinn woman. The main character Abby, Abby's mother Edith, and Abby's daughter Neal must confront thier own pain, doubts and circumstance to remember what is important in life....love and faith. A quick light read.
Apr 25, 2010
Bonnie
rated it:
"When the earthquakes come, you find out what in your life is shakable, and what is unshakable. You discover the true foundations of your soul."
A story of the Quinn women, their memories, loves, faith and grace. The greatest of these is God's love.
A must read
A story of the Quinn women, their memories, loves, faith and grace. The greatest of these is God's love.
A must read
Sep 25, 2008
Angie
rated it:
I like Penelope Stokes, her books are quick easy reads and there is usually some good advice about life and/or family.
Sep 30, 2008
Jennifer
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I enjoyed this story about living the life you are given and enjoying the most of it.
Mar 11, 2008
Ruth
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I found this book a bit slower to 'get into' but later I could not get my nose out of it!
Apr 19, 2008
Rachel
rated it:
This was a fast read. Not the best by Penelope Stokes, but still a good one.
Feb 12, 2012
Feb 01, 2012
