Here If You Need Me : A True Story

by Kate Braestrup


This book was not quite what I expected. Knowing that Kate Braestrup was a minister, I still expected the book to be about Kate and her life as a single mother with an extraordinary career as minister to the Game Wardens in Maine. And so it was, more or less.

The book is chock full of bible references and quotations. Too full in my opinion. While the book is written in a charming and easy going way, and Kate and her family and friends are portrayed in what you know is a real and even amusing way, the Bible references become intrusive.

I wanted more of Kate! I kept hoping that th next chapter would have more about her experiences in the Maine woods and as a single mom. Clearly she is an amazing and down to earth woman. Obviously her job leads her into difficult and fascinating situation. She uses a self deprecating approach to describing herself in situations that is often endearing.

All too often, what I found was more of the Bible. What I missed in purchasing this book was what became all too obvious in the end, the title is a double entendre. What I took as She would be there if needed by the wardens, and her family was true, but I believe that it also means that God is there for all of us.

Finally, the ending came to quickly. I felt that I was swooped from the middle of her story, to her current life all too quickly. It felt almost as if she woke one morning feeling as if she had done enough writing and and basically wrote that they all live happily ever after.

I am not anti-religion at all, I am just a reader who is somewhat disappointed in a book that I had looked forward to reading.

The Widows of Eden: A Novel

early reviewers copy

This is not a book that can be summed up in a single descriptive sentence.

Christian fiction? Sort of, it certainly has its share of religious references, but it is never preachy.
Chic lit? Sort of, I see more women reading this one than I do men.
Charming? absolutely!
Witty? Its that ,too.
A mystery? You will find more than one mystery between these pages.

Wilma is down home good ol' gal funny, The characters from Loretta, to Clare to Clem and Buford are all trite and improbable, unless you have ever lived in a very small town. Not everyone is big city savvy and chic.

There really are quilting circles, ladies clubs, ad friends who have each others back. Just like in this book. Perhaps Vern Moores and widows in RV's who can read minds and obliquely promise miracles and fortell the future are less common, but mores the pity.

This is a simple story. Rich with improbability but that is its charm. I recommend it even if this is not your usual fare. You just might be surprised.