Falling to Pieces A Shipshewanna Amish Mystery Series
by Vannetta Chapman
Zondervan (2011)
Five Stars *****
Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels
Callie is a young widow who comes to Shippshewanna after her
beloved aunt dies. Auntie owned a quilt shop and several Amish women are
reliant upon her to sell their quilts. One of the women has a significant need
for the funds as she has a child with a rare illness. Callie is a spunky woman from a big city in Texas suddenly
in small town Indiana. A real fish out of water. But as the story progresses one senses she
was a goldfish swimming in the ocean who needed to be in a tank, required the
cozy closeness that provided. Lovely job of dropping that into the story over
time. The Amish quilters are lovely women,
each with distinct voices that are also unlike most other Amish stories I have
heard.
Callie hasn’t gotten over the loss of her husband, in fact
doesn’t even share this with her new friends until very late in the book. She is an endearing character despite her
prickly behavior, which furthers the story line, especially when she becomes
the prime suspect in a murder. This is not a romance but there are a couple of
romantic possibilities. By the end of the story we have a real possibility for
a boyfriend in the next book, which I am looking forward to reading/listening
to!
This was a great Christmas season listen because it a) has
an easy tempo b) has an excellent narrator (amazingly she sounds almost exactly
like the real Vannetta Chapman!) c) it’s like having a girlfriend in your room
with you telling you the story d) while it is a suspense/mystery it has a cozy
feel and is not knuckle whitening – I mean who needs that this time of year? It
has a soothing quality to it despite the suspense and the murder mystery. It
may be one of the first women’s fiction reads I’ve read in a long time, but
Vannetta’s book almost defies genres.
I plan to listen to this book again sometime as I really
liked it and it has the qualities of a repeat listen - great voice, characterization, and pleasing story line.
Bibliotherapy: Loneliness, estrangement, grieving, child
with a rare disease, and friendships.
Formats: I listened through http://audible.com and it is available in paperback, ebook (e.g., Kindle), and audio.
Giveaway: Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of one
of Vannetta’s books this week.
Thank you for the kind review, Carrie! Actually, it's NOT my voice, but the sweet professional that Zondervan hired to record the book called me and asked, "How Texan do you want Callie to sound?" Isn't that a hoot? Looking forward to comments today. You have a wonderful blog!
ReplyDeleteAnother great review from the pen, er, computer of Carrie Pagels! I love her insightful reviews and this one was no exception.
ReplyDeleteThat is funny about the narration, Vannetta, as the Kindle books that I have listened to thus far just have a monotonous computerized voice. I'm looking forward to listening/reading to this one when I get the chance.
The narrator really sounds like Vannetta! Zondervan did good with that! Thanks, Vannetta!
ReplyDeleteThanks Diana. This is a great listen!
And our 120th follower was located - Wendy Marple, and she asked for a Kindle copy of Falling to Pieces! So she has been sent that! Congrats to Wendy!
ReplyDeleteWooHoo, Wendy! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteDiana, the kindle books that you listen to on audio ARE a flat robotic voice. Zondervan did an actual audio book with this series ... so it's a bit nicer. : )
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who loves quilting so I need to share this with her. It would be great to win, read and share the paperback copy!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, jsmithg@hotmail(dot)com
Janice, the series is set in Shipshewana, IN ... and the inspiration for the quilt shop was Lolly's Quilt Shop. You can visit it at http://www.lollys.com/. Let me say, it's an AWESOME place. : )
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope my comment isn't too late for the giveaway. Sounds like a great and wonderful story.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com
I am a huge fan of Vannetta's. I loved the review Carrie. Would love to win a copy of Falling to Pieces!
ReplyDeleteBlessings To Everyone!
judyjohn2004[at]yahoo[dot]com
Sounds like a wonderful book!
ReplyDeletemarissamehresman(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks, Judy, so glad you love Vannetta, who is such a sweetie! Yes, Marissa, a great listen! Hi Barb! Janice, my mom was a quilter and I have many beautiful quilts from her, which is such a blessing.
ReplyDeleteJANICE, I love quilting too. : ) It was one of the fun things about writing this series.
ReplyDeleteBarb, thanks for posting. : ) I hope you have a wonderful evening. : )
ReplyDeleteJUDY, fun seeing you here. Thanks for coming by. : )
ReplyDeleteMarissa, I'm glad you like the sound of Falling to Pieces. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteWonderful Review Carrie and sounds like a great read...I would love any book from Vanetta Chapman!
ReplyDeleteBlessings.....Joy
ibjoy1953{at]yahoo[dot]com
A book that defies genres? This one certainly sounds interesting! Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletewriter.chicka[at]gmail.com
JOY, I'm glad you enjoyed the review! Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteSUGARPEACH, You made me smile today. : ) I think that's because a cozy mystery, by definition, includes a little of each genre. There's a bit of mystery, some romance, some women's fiction, and a little humor in there. And of course an overall spiritual message. I REALLY enjoy writing this series!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!
Sounds like a great read!! I would love a chance to win a copy. Thanks! margie at mijares dot net
ReplyDeleteI received this book via kindle and can't wait to read it. It sounds so good
ReplyDeletewsmarple/at/gmail/dot/com
BC
Thanks Margie and Wendy for coming by!
ReplyDeleteThe reviews are fantastic and love the interview.
ReplyDeleteI would love to read these.
Thank you for the chance.
Wendy
wdesirees[at]yahoo[dot]com
Thank you for the wondeful giveaway.
ReplyDeleteWendy BC
wdesirees[at]yahoo[dot]com