Doesn't She Look Natural?...Review

About the book:
How do you cope when God asks you to bury a dream? In this new series by best-selling author Angela Hunt, readers will meet Jennifer Graham, the no-nonsense chief of staff for a Virginia senator who quits her job after a divorce and finds herself an unemployed single mom. Forced to live with her mother until she can find work on Capitol Hill that does not involve her gregarious ex-husband, her efforts are stymied until she learns that she has inherited a funeral home in picturesque Mt. Dora. Jennifer journeys to the small Florida town with her two sons and her mother, never dreaming that within a mortuary she will discover she has inherited a rewarding career that teaches her far more about life than death.

After a painful divorce, Jennifer Graham finds that she has inherited a small-town funeral home from an elderly great uncle. Needing a fresh start, she and her children move from Virginia to Florida. The Fairlawn funeral home is in need of remodeling and repair, much like Jen's own life.

As Jen embarks on this new journey, she meets new people, makes new friends and learns about herself and her relationship with God along the way. The Christian theme is subtle throughout the book.

The story is light and predictable. Jen decides to keep Fairlawn, and run it, rather than sell it. There is very little depth and minor character development. It's a nice little story that had potential. I liked Jen. I loved Gerald. I thought the ex-husband was a cad, but there was also very little backstory and the conclusion was just a little too convenient for me.

My big complaint with this story is the narration. Jen's story is told in first-person, which I rarely like. The chapters then alternate between Jen and the other characters like her mom, Gerald, and her son. These supporting characters aren't written as first-person, but are an awkward present-tense third-person narrative. It was actually quite annoying and very distracting. The story would have been much stronger had the author maintained the same style throughout it.

I'd give this 2.5 stars. It's a good, not great, story that had a lot of unfulfilled potential.

Thanks to my local library for having a copy I could borrow.  You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 11/08


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2.5/5 Stars

Comments

  1. I read this a couple of months ago and couldnt get past the whole dead people stuff. I guess I am immature but I just didnt want to read about it.

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  2. Hmmmm... your review has piqued my interest, as has Laura's comment. I will have to see if I can find this and check it out.

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  3. April, if you read it, I'd be interested in seeing your take on it!

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