The Happy Room

by Catherine Palmer

Drawn together by their sister's tragic illness, each of the Mossman siblings must face the truth of their past. As they reminisce about both good and bad memories of their childhood in Africa, they discover the God who never left them. This life-changing best-seller is now available in softcover.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Clean Romance, Contemporary

359 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Catherine Palmer lives in Atlanta with her husband, Tim, where they serve as missionaries in a refugee community. They have two grown sons. Cathy is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and holds a master's degree in English from Baylor University. Her first book was published in 1988. Since then she has published over 50 novels, many of them national best sellers. Catherine has won numerous awards for her writing, including the Christy Award, the highest honor in Christian fiction. In 2004, she was given the Career Achievement Award for Inspirational Romance by "Romantic Times" magazine. More than 2 million copies of Catherine's novels are currently in print. The Author's Work With her compelling characters and strong message of Christian faith, Catherine is known for writing fiction that "touches the hearts and souls of readers." Her many collections include A Town Called Hope, Treasures of the Heart, Finders Keepers, English Ivy, and the Miss Pickworth series. Catherine also recently coauthored the Four Seasons fiction series with Gary Chapman, the "New York Times" best-selling author of "The Five Love Languages."

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel explores the adult feelings & experiences of a set of siblings who grew up in a missionary family in Africa. Of course I can identify with some of what they go through (fortunately not the boarding school part of it!), & I'm glad I read the book--in one long sitting last night.

I also appreciate the novel's focus on sibling bonds, which are hugely important in my family too--they are generally given short shrift in novels.

As literature, this work isn't hugely successful; it's not subtle or poetic. But it's worth reading for those who need to think again about their experiences growing up in a Family With a Mission & what effects those experiences might have had on their adult choices.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fictional account of a missionary family whose adult children are looking back on their childhood in an African missionary boarding school. Honest and forthcoming about how each one dealt with life differently because of their personalities, it was sometimes sad and often humorous.

[Derek Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Palmer's story of three grown missionary kids confronting their past and their parents is at its best when telling their childhood stories of Africa and the missionary subculture in which they were raised. The story has trouble in the narrative present, in America, as the same children struggle with finding their own places in the world. Perhaps the story is not long enough to deal with this amount of complexity -- or perhaps we are not meeting the characters at the right point in their lives. Though the ending is not tidy, it does come cross as though the characters themselves believe that their problems, and their respective solutions, are simpler than they are. When reading this book, I found myself comparing it to The Last Year of the War, another work of fiction which describes the evangelical Christian subculture with more particular detail and depth.

Despite its flaws, though, this book's inside view of the missionary subculture is more accurate than the one given in, for example, The Poisonwood Bible. As a missionary kid myself, I know and recognize people like those in The Happy Room; I don't recognize the ones in Kingsolver's book, whom I suspect represent an outsider's projections.

[Shelly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! It was well written. Fun, animated, characters!! It makes you appreciate
what you have in your life! I loved how each person was able to tell their side of a
situation through flashbacks of growing up. From being raised with missionary parents,
who tried to make the best possible choices for their children, and the children as
adults tell how they feel to their parents later in life. Its good for you to know if you
are truly a Christian, and I loved how Julia explained that to her brother Peter towards
the end of the book. I believe this book will give some good insights for those planning
to be missionaries in Africa, and I have read and heard worse stories then what was told
in this book. This is fictional, but seemed so real! I felt sorry for them being in the
(The Happy Room!)...But at least they had adventures, and good up bringing considering!!!

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book about three adult children of missionaries, trying to deal with their past and God.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special book to me, it was written by my 6th grade teacher!

[Christine Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to see these issues tackled in a novel. Three missionary kids with ordinary parents. The author did a good job of showing us piece by piece the lies that each believed and the pain that that had caused.
As someone who attended 12 years of missionary boarding schools, I recognized many of the feelings and situations described, within my own family or those around me.
There was a little head-hopping in this story but it was easy to read (I read it in one afternoon) and helpful to see the different family members talking/working through issues.
I am hoping that the author wasn't describing her real boarding school as it sounds terribly bleak. Thankfully my two were excellent and very good.
Would be an excellent book for those with this background to discuss together.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this book. The first time was in the first year or so after it was published. It had a deep impact on me then and I decided recently to reread it. Having 18 years go buy between readings allowed quite a bit of growth in my own life and understanding of my family. This second reading the book spoke even more deeply to me. I'd highly recommend it for anyone but especially those who are struggling with family of origin issues related to having Christian parents, differences in how siblings remember and define their childhood years, or someone with anorexia.

[Deidre · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot going on with this book. The bouncing back and forth was exhausting with how long it would take for the past to be told and frankly some of it didn’t fit what was going on in the present time. One sibling has all this anger but then suddenly seems to have all the answers after speaking with his dad and then becomes the one “preaching” to another sibling when they are dealing with anger. Without giving the book away, the issue with the other sibling seems so unfinished as well. It doesn’t make sense. There was definitely a lot left on the table.

[Karen R. Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Happy Room explores life as adult children of missionary parents, who all have struggled and are struggling with their place in the world, with each other, and with themselves. Lots of insightful things going on, and Palmer tackles quite a lot in one novel. The writing is straight-forward and understandable for Christians; not sure how a non-believer would take this. But she does deliver the Gospel message clearly with great analogies everyone should be able to relate to.

[Megan Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a lot. It was recommended to me since I work with TCK's, but this book is a lot. It takes a lot of trauma and wraps it up into one book. It was a quick read but very heavy. I was not a fan of a lot of the "easy" answers that the book had, and there was not a lot of resolution. I think the author used this book to process through some things (this is a work of fiction, but she grew up as a TCK) which is great but it was a lot for a reader to hold.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story with a lot of information about children whose parents are missionaries. It also gave great insight as to the thought processes behind anorexia. I am somewhat reserved about the book, because I know all parents make mistakes - and the novel shows angry adult children feeling the need to make sure their parents knew they felt abandoned as children.

[Jan Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started well but then I lost interest

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

4674)

[Ruth Pauw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simply written, but it captures the feelings of a missionary kid quite well, which is appreciated here, as I am one.

[Jeanne Modisett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy her books but I found this one tedious. I did like the characters so I did finish it.

[Day's Library ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content Breakdown:
This book mentions a a disorder and mental health condition known as Anorexia nervosa as well as many people not seeing the signs of this disorder and the depression.

There are also mentions of dead bodies and naked people but there is nothing overly graphic or sexual.

Also one mention of memory of one of the characters as a child underage drinking.

My Review (Possible Spoilers):
What I liked + Positive Themes
• This story takes the reader on a journey of understanding these characters' walk with Jesus and how each character has high and low points of their walk. They each have struggles, pain, and doubt if God is working in their life or cares for them and this helps make the story more realistic and relatable since that is a struggle many Christians have at one point or another. In the end, each of them realizes that God was always watching over their lives waiting for them to come to Him.

• I love how this book has different POV's that cover all of the thoughts, emotions, and memories of Julia, Debbie, and Peter. With each character, you see their struggles and how their past experiences and emotions led them up to how they are now with both the pros and cons. Even though they each have different traumas from growing up in the ministry as kids and having parents who weren’t around often or understood them, each of their stories connects perfectly. If one story misses a blank, the other fills in from their memory. If one forgets a positive moment, the other remembers it and on the other hand, if one doesn't remember a pivotal moment of hurt and pain, the other remembers.

• I love how the author describes the work of a missionary and how it affects each one involved, especially a family of missionaries. I also love how the author gives great detail of Africa, the villages, the people, and just the whole culture. It makes readers feel as if they are actually there experiencing the country and its culture with the characters.

Favorite Quotes:
• Each had tried one thing or another, stumbling through life, guessing at what "normal" life was supposed to look like.

• (Baby Debbie) "I'm not sure what the Gospel is. I know you can spread it, and you can share it. I think it might be kind of like peanut butter. I haven't seen it in our suitcases, but Mommy and Daddy packed a lot of things. I might have missed it.

•" It's like a sharp thorn is buried deep inside you, all infected, filled with anger and hate and unforgiveness and bitterness. That raw pus just keeps seeping out all over the place in the things you say, in your relationships with your family. You need to get in there and get that thorn out. I mean really deal with this stuff once and for all. Otherwise, you're just going to keep festering and making yourself and everybody else sick."

• “The only way to be washed clean inside, is to surrender your life to Christ. let Him do it.”

• “ Bad stuff happens to Christians all the time. That’s why He tells us to run to the Rock of our Salvation. He tells us to hide in His name. God is here for us right now. He’s going to protect us from satan’s attempts to own our souls. But He’s not promising to always keep harmful things from happening to us….Because that’s how we grow. Pain is part of it.


Why You Should Read This Book:
• If you are looking for a book that dives deep behind the lives of a missionary family as well as tells a story of forgiving family and healing from the hurts and pains of feeling neglected and misunderstood by parents, then this would be a great book for you. It also shows each character’s journey back to Christ with many moments that are relatable and teachable.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to read this book in a rather unusual way. I picked it up with a group of other books in the Library's book sale room because of its color. The hardcover books were five for a dollar. I was attempting to use the colorful books as decor. I started out thinking of getting an orange stack, but there weren't enough orange books, so I started picking out rainbow colored books. That worked. I chose ten books.

The Happy Room, happened to be the purple book. I read the first page of all ten to see how many of them I could actually read, and The Happy Room was the only one in that batch that caught my interest. The others didn't even remotely interest me.

I quickly realized that The Happy Room was going to be one of those 'inspirational' type books. Still the story of Julia, Peter and Debbie was holding my interest and so I kept on reading. Julia thinks her parents and childhood were wonderful and she has an optimistic outlook on life, even when it takes a sudden turn. It's Peter that is angry and defensive and argues that their parents abandoned them as children. They grew up in Africa, the children of missionaries. Their parents loved them but were always busy with 'God's will'.

The children were desperate for the attention of their parents. Julia tried to earn it by being the good daughter. Peter rebelled and was a wild child. Debbie was the one who became lost.

Back in America as adults, the family is summoned together at Debbie's side in the hospital. She is suffering from Anorexia. As the siblings remember their different versions of their childhood, they each start to see things from a different point of view. Peter knows it's best to have Julia confront their aging parents rather than to do it himself, because he always gets so angry at them. There is a big turn of events in each of their lives as they come to grips with God's will.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 1,2 and 3

Julia is in the garden waiting for a phone call that tells her is she is having twins or not. Peter is on the process of having his wife leave him and deb is in the hospital with anerxia. Peter and Julie go to see deb and they bring her flowers at the end of chapter 3 they bring up the happy room and it's the room where they were babysat on the boat. There parents would drop them off and pick them up all three of them did not like the happy room.



As the book developed the three children are faced with things that have affected there whole life like Peter and his sword and never truly understanding the bible in the end of the book he has let god into his life and is trying to truly understand the bible Debbie is telling how she always feels alone and is always lost he body is truly giving up on her and she dies of cardiac arrest but she is truly were she belongs now and Julie confronts her parents about everything and then she gets so upset with her parents that she runs away trips and has bleeding which her baby's who are named at the end of the book Are born too early but she is taking control of her life and sees that god is with her and she doesn't have to always be kind to have god love her and look after her and she can be mad and god will still accept u for who u are and will always look after u no matter what u do in the world.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

No hesitation this is five stars! I first read Palmers Kiss of Adventure and realized I do not like adventure books. But liked her style and her incorporation of scripture. Picked up Happy Room at the library; not wanting to spend money on another book I might not like. This book is wonderful - believable characters, interesting story line, and as one review on the book said "this book will bring healing to many people who have kept their pain secret." I totally understand one of the character's statements - how can you be full and empty at the same time (emotionally). After my daughter's death and for many years I was so full of pain but felt drained and empty. The first 254 pages are good and kept my interest. The last 100 pages totally pulled me into the lives of the characters as they struggled with their faith, their lives and the relationships within the family. I just cried my way thru those last 100 pages taking time to wipe away the tears and to pray to God. I closed the book, came upstairs and have added it to my cart on Amazon. I want this book on my shelf for rereading. I think at different points in my life it will speak to me in different ways. Now to decide which of her books to read next!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part of this book was Mr. Mossman's analogy of one particular African tribe's judicial process of fining a thief or a murderer. He took that and compared it to God's requirement for wrongdoing. While I was pondering on that, it then dawned on me that that analogy (sadly) was flawed.

While it is true that one of the character's conversion came a bit too swiftly, it really hadn't. This person had been hearing the News all his/her life. It's only after understanding it a bit more, that the conversion took place. The changes brought about immediately following, however, were too quick.

I liked it that everything wasn't happy-ever-after. That made it more realistic.

One important note I want to make because of something that was said in the book shortly after… If that person after having accepted Jesus, had gone back to questioning everything once again because of new realities, he would NOT have been eternally lost. Jesus doesn't lose any of his people. (I forget the actual bible verse but it's there.)

[Reni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book, it is my all time favourite and has been for a very long time. It is just so touching and you get involved with the characters. It also teaches quite a few life lessons, and I would advice everyone out there to read it! Catherine Palmer weaves together a story of healing. It is about a family who throughout childhood, weren't always together. They were always separated, but they finally got together and discovered the God who never left them. The Happy Room is a moving story and a captivating portrayal of family dynamics. Read it because it's a fascinating tale, but also because you'll walk away with a deeper understanding of the lasting memories of childhood, and the expectations, hurts, and joys of family life.

[Madelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

These three siblings who were raised in the African bush by missionary parents returned to the United States as adults and basically had little contact with one another or with their parents. Through a series of events, their lives are thrown back together as they try to repair their relationship with one another and their parents.
they were able finally to speak with their parents about the desertion they felt as children and bring some reconciliation to their lives in the midst of a crisis.

[Shari Blakey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for my book group-Catherine Palmer is a new author for me. It was interesting to me to read what I assume is the reality of lives of missionaries. As a parent, I don't believe I could have sent my children to boarding school, especially in an environment that made them so very unhappy, although it was obvious by the end of the book that they recognized some of the value they had gained from the experience. However, they all lived with the wounds from their childhoods for much of their lives before any healing occurred.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Quick read but found it difficult to really enjoy. Covers the topic of anorexia well but the rest of the storyline is too churchy for me. Part of the siblings issues relate to their parents having put God's work before family. The dialogue lacked a lot, I didn't feel it flowed well at all or was believable conversation between siblings. I did finish the book,moreso to see what happened to the sister who was ill. I have to say one of my least favorite books that I have read recently.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book to help anyone who has grown up in the church - specifically those who's parents have been in ministry. It will definitely be a good conversation starter and possibly a tool for healing for anyone still needing to work through hurts coming from a religious community. And even though it's fiction, it's based on a true story and serves as a testimony that God does heal and restore His children.

[Linda Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this wonderful book in 2 days. An interesting look at sibling dynamics, parents and faith. I think anyone who grew up in a Christian home at some point has to look at their childhood and their walk with God and decide if it their own or their parents faith passed down. Everyone has baggage from childhood. The Mossman children have to face it in the midst of a tragedy.

This book deals with hard topics without being too heavy. No tears, just touching.

[Ann Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading most of Palmer's books, I believe The Happy Room is her crowning work. Palmer draws heavily from her experience as a child of African missionaries to tell the story of siblings neglected in the name of God's ministry. Heavy with real emotion, the novel grips and doesn't let go. I was disappointed to see the book is not yet available in electronic format. It is, however, available in paper for the price of postage.

[Randy Alcorn]

Catherine Palmer’s The Happy Room is both a moving story and a captivating portrayal of family dynamics. This novel has the ring of truth. Read it because it’s a fascinating story, but also because you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of the lasting memories of childhood, and the expectations, hurts and joys of family life.