Reinventing Leona [NOOK Book]

You will like it.

I thought this was a good book. Easy read - a little predictable but still makes you feel good with the end.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

LOVED this book!!!!

If you're a minister or minister's wife, if you know a minister or minister's wife, if you go to church, if you ever thought about going to church, or you know someone who goes to church - you should read this book!!! I loved watching Leona cope with her church family and her bilogical family while also dealing with the challenges centering around her husband's death.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

We're all Human--A Preacher's Life and His Wife's--Not Easy

Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry published by Tyndale's Digital First program in June 2011 is full of figurative language and realistic characters. I loved Lynne's writing style and her creative use of words and quips. The book hooked me with the first chapter, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. It's fast paced and an easy read. Though one part of the novel was predictable, there were a few surprises along the way, and I could just picture the characters, since they were so vividly illustrated. Annoying as some were, they proved their value in the end and that they were really true friends. This is a novel where you can say the characters make it a gem. I loved the laugh near the end, and I especially loved the methods the author used to demonstrate how a preacher's life and a preacher's wife's life aren't easy. I feel the characters were realistically portrayed by showing them all as mere humans and none of them as perfect, even though they were Christians. The vivid descriptions of the looks in their eyes and on their faces were awesome.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Couldn't Put It Down!

Lynne Gentry nails the balance between painful reflection and joyful support throughout this story.

In a nutshell, Leona is a preacher's wife. Has been for thirty years. Other than raising her two kids, that's about all she could attribute to herself. Aside from some frustration about the decisions of her grown kids, she is quite content with her life. Until her precious husband dies in mid-sermon. Reeling from the tragedy, and surrounded by people who want to control her decisions for their own personal agendas, Leona has to find a way to lean on the God she's afraid to fully trust.

The characters of this book are it's best asset - and a glowing one! I'm sure I know them. ALL of them! Even the dog has a disposition I'm familiar with. Normal people with strong personalities are given difficulties that might happen to anyone. Their faith grows as they are tenderly guided along their own unique paths. Along the way are some hysterical scenes, quips and one-liners, and snappy conversations between quick-witted friends.

At the end, I found pure satisfaction that comes from the consistency that Lynne used when creating each individual. Leona and her friends and family don't always act in the way that I would expect, but they are always true to their nature.

This poignant story ranks high on my list of favorites!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Read!!

Reinventing Leona has strong characters that make you smile, a great plot, and a great message of hope. We are not always going to become what we start out to be or who we think we are supposed to be. We are thrown curveballs so often in life. Lynne Gentry does an excellent job of showing how one woman resolves these issues.

But overall, I love the characters. Not only do I see parts of myself, I see parts of other people I know. Characters are vividly drawn. You wouldn't be surprised to see one of them take a seat beside you. :)

Read this book. You won't be sorry!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good, not great. I really wanted to like it and I did LIKE it bu

Good, not great. I really wanted to like it and I did LIKE it but I didn't love it. It seemed a little confusing at times and a lot of the characters are too over the top. Honestly, I'm unsure of the message. Was Leona doing right because she's so long suffering? Or should she have stood up for herself more? The book mentioned her husband loved a good fight. So should Christians play peace keepers or should they stand up for themselves? It really bothered me the way the book ended, especially with regard to the replacement pastor and his family. I really liked the premise of the book but feel it could have used more work. 

Read this book in two days....very good. Couldn't help but laugh

Read this book in two days....very good. Couldn't help but laugh out loud at some of the characters and get teary eyed at times.

Loved it!

Finally, someone writes from the inside of the fishbowl. My heart went out to Leona through her tragedy yet I laughed so hard through some of it. I wish I had a best friend like hers!

Excellent Read! Ahh the Joys of Ministry!!

Just finished "Reinventing Leona"!! Wonderful! I laughed and I cried and I laughed and I cried....Please continue writing about Leona and the Mt. Hope gang!!

Not nearly as good as it sounds.

unoriginal. predictable. poor writing.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Refreshing

Very enjoyable.

Very good

You never know what life is going to throw at you, but Leona rides the roller coaster through her husband's death, her distant relationship with her children, and ultimately finding herself as an individual.

uplifting Christian fiction

This book is a very light drama. The story moves along, although I could guess very early on where it would end up. The characters are stereotypical and over-the-top - the long-suffering preachers wife, the self-centered mother, the ungrateful kids, the annoying church members who show they are really true friends in the end, on and on. Everyone wondering why God is putting them through the trials in their life. I am sure many will find inspiration in the story, it was just a little to by-the-numbers for me.

Good

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