heymama_755's review against another edition
4.0
Barbara O’Neal has a unique way of telling a story, in that she focuses more on the people than the event. I’ve read several of her books now, and each one possesses its own unique band of characters, each with their own pasts and emotions. This story, in particular offered a really interesting take on faith. It was poignant, reflective and hopeful and showed several sides of the same story making it an interesting read. I do wish that perhaps so many characters hadn’t been introduced, which would free up more space to go in depth with a few of the storylines, but as someone who has struggled with her own faith several times, I appreciated Elsa and Joaquin’s journies. I just wish there was more there.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure what I had expected going into this book. It had popped up as a recommendation awhile ago, and even that I'm fuzzy on the origin. But it had "garden" in the title, was supposed to be romantic, and supposed to be about food, and so I was in!
Elsa is a Minister who's having a crisis of faith; needing to recover she is somewhat forced by her sister and an old friend to come back to her hometown to recover. But unfortunately they both have issues of their own, some of them serious, that cloud issues. And a new project she's on, while great for the community, doesn't make everyone happy.
All of the characters are likable; Elsa, her sister, the priest, the random guy who helps out with the community gardens, the kids, etc. Elsa is probably our main character and her struggles are really relatable. Her sister, maybe not as relatable, and to be honest her issues are kind of something that will never happen to the average person. But she was a quilter, so that makes her alright in my book! Her daughter's struggles are even less relatable, and honestly a little bit too good to be true.
I think a lot of the happenings in this book happened quick, somewhat implausibly, and resolved too quickly as well. While I liked the general theme of the book (and was surprised by it being centered on religion and losing faith aspects), I think the way it was told was just a bit too unbelievable. Maybe if it was a longer book, or maybe if there was one less story line or conflict it would have helped shape the book up much better.
Review by M. Reynard 2020
Elsa is a Minister who's having a crisis of faith; needing to recover she is somewhat forced by her sister and an old friend to come back to her hometown to recover. But unfortunately they both have issues of their own, some of them serious, that cloud issues. And a new project she's on, while great for the community, doesn't make everyone happy.
All of the characters are likable; Elsa, her sister, the priest, the random guy who helps out with the community gardens, the kids, etc. Elsa is probably our main character and her struggles are really relatable. Her sister, maybe not as relatable, and to be honest her issues are kind of something that will never happen to the average person. But she was a quilter, so that makes her alright in my book! Her daughter's struggles are even less relatable, and honestly a little bit too good to be true.
I think a lot of the happenings in this book happened quick, somewhat implausibly, and resolved too quickly as well. While I liked the general theme of the book (and was surprised by it being centered on religion and losing faith aspects), I think the way it was told was just a bit too unbelievable. Maybe if it was a longer book, or maybe if there was one less story line or conflict it would have helped shape the book up much better.
Review by M. Reynard 2020
kerrynicole72's review against another edition
3.0
Ehhh, this book was just okay. I never really got into the characters or storyline that much, which was sort of a disappointment since the first book I read by this author was really great.
setaian's review against another edition
4.0
After a young child in her parish is murdered, Rev. Elsa Montgomery has a crisis of faith. Fleeing her church in Seattle and returning to the poor community in Colorado where she grew up, she finds purpose by making meals for the poor in the soup kitchen of her best friend's church. With the help of a recovered alcoholic and the community they take over a rubbish strewn vacant lot and create a garden. But gang violence is a constant threat.
The Garden of Happy Endings is an unconventionally spiritual book about loss, grief and healing. It somehow manages to broach these issues without ever being too preachy or offering up pat answers.
The Garden of Happy Endings is an unconventionally spiritual book about loss, grief and healing. It somehow manages to broach these issues without ever being too preachy or offering up pat answers.
karak's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book by one of my favorite authors. Barbara O'Neal writes about food and heartbreak like nobody else.
jeannemurray3gmailcom's review against another edition
5.0
Exceptional! Drama about a woman pastor who has lost her faith.
mishale1's review against another edition
3.0
Spoilers included
Elsa is a reverend. In her lifetime she has had two events that turned her away from religion and the book starts with the third event.
The events that caused her crises of faith include:
-At 14 being told in a very unkind way that she could never be a priest
-As a 20something, her fiancée leaves her to become a priest
-As a 30something reverend, a member of her parish who is only a teenager is tortured and killed
The first two events caused her to leave her religion as a Catholic since she could never be a priest herself, which lead to her becoming preacher of another denomination.
The third event caused her to question her beliefs entirely.
She moves back to her hometown while on a sabbatical from her Parrish. But this is complicated by her ex (the priest) having to acknowledge that he's still in love with her.
There's also the drama with her sister.
Ultimately the garden in this book is not all happy. Lots of bad stuff happens since the garden is in a bad part of town.
All the animals in the book survived.
The ending was mostly happy but jeese there was a lot of sadness in the book too.
Elsa is a reverend. In her lifetime she has had two events that turned her away from religion and the book starts with the third event.
The events that caused her crises of faith include:
-At 14 being told in a very unkind way that she could never be a priest
-As a 20something, her fiancée leaves her to become a priest
-As a 30something reverend, a member of her parish who is only a teenager is tortured and killed
The first two events caused her to leave her religion as a Catholic since she could never be a priest herself, which lead to her becoming preacher of another denomination.
The third event caused her to question her beliefs entirely.
She moves back to her hometown while on a sabbatical from her Parrish. But this is complicated by her ex (the priest) having to acknowledge that he's still in love with her.
There's also the drama with her sister.
Ultimately the garden in this book is not all happy. Lots of bad stuff happens since the garden is in a bad part of town.
All the animals in the book survived.
The ending was mostly happy but jeese there was a lot of sadness in the book too.
kglaham's review against another edition
3.0
Not really my cup of tea. A lot of character self doubts but the resolutions left me flat.