chefbelmear's Full Review: Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson - The P...
This book was not at all what I expected. I was anticipating a lot of laughs. What I got, however, was a good story about 6 women, who sometimes make you want to laugh at them, but not so much with them.
The Potluck Club is named for a group of 6 woman (Evangeline, Lisa Leann, Goldie, Donna, Lizzie, and Vonnie) who gather regularly for a potluck lunch and prayer. The story is written from 7 different perspectives - the 6 ladies each telling the story in 1st person, and one narrator type role, telling the story in 3rd person. Every other chapter is preceded by a title page with the name for the character who is telling their story. There is also a recipe card with the chapter's featured recipe. (While you cannot read the entire recipe, no worries, all the recipes are shown in entirety at the back of the book.) In between the chapters by the PLC, there is a very short chapter written in 3rd person about a journalist named Clay Whitefield. Does all of this sound confusing? Well, it is at first. But, hopefully after reading this review, you will have the upper hand.
The story revolves primarily around the 6 woman of the Potluck Club. I hesitate to call them friends, although I guess that is what they are even if on a very shallow and sometimes vindictive level. Many friendships are like that aren’t they? All 6 of the women have different motivations for coming to the PLC. The official purpose of the group is to share a potluck lunch, and spend time in prayer for their personal concerns and those of the community. However, their time together is mostly spent in gossip. Only of the ladies really seems to be coming for the prayer aspect of the meeting, and only one really appears to be coming for the food (which is only mediocre until Lisa Leann shows up).
All of the woman come from different back grounds. The women are young, old, locals, and transplants. Two are happily married, two are unhappily married, and two are unhappily single. They all have baggage and secrets that create an underlying tension which has all of the women holding one another at arms length. This is why their friendships are less than ideal. No one is totally honest with anyone.
The first half of the book is spent delving into the secret lives of the ladies. As the reader, I saw deep into the hearts of these women, and found myself disturbed, saddened, and enlightened. Every one of the ladies is at a crucial time in her life when she must make some decisions. As they all try to work out individually what is happening to them privately, they are brought together by two common concerns. These common interests are delivered via two people. They are Leigh Banks – Evangeline’s niece - and Jan Moore – their pastor’s wife. In the second half of the book, as these two woman face very public personal crises, the PLC is forced out of their selfish ways, and their priorities are adjusted.
As the story progresses, we see each woman pushed to her personal brink, forcing her to change. Through the process, the women begin to focus more and more on Leigh and Jan. In doing so, they discover what precious friends they have in the PLC. Thankfully, they also discover the value of prayer, something they had severely neglected. The women all learn life-lessons that will change them and deepen their friendships. Hopefully we will see more of this in the second book of the Potluck Club series “Potluck Club: Trouble’s Brewing”.
Although this book was not what I expected, I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the story and the characters. Even though the gravity of their pain deprived me from the freedom to laugh too much, I did laugh. I also found myself occasionally frustrated by these characters, but also compassionate toward them. (Maybe I’m schizo!) This story could happen in Anytown, USA, and I’m sure that everyone can relate to at least one angle of the story. My official advice: Grab a fork and dig in to “The Potluck Club”!
In Summit View, Colorado, the ladies of Grace Church meet once a week to share a hot dish---and to pray. But the group serves up a disastrous menu of ...More at Christianbook.com
In the small Colorado town of Summit View, a surprising multi-generational mix of women from Grace Church meet once a week to pass a hot dish and to p...More at HotBookSale
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.