Gentle Reads (discussion March 13, 2007)
Compiled by Nancy Bent, LaGrange Public Library

“Gentle reads” as a genre is more difficult to define than many others.  The simplest definition may be that gentle reads are “feel-good” books which take the reader back to a gentler, less complicated time.  They tend to be hopeful books, often laced with humor and a colorful character or two, and take place in a small town or other small community.  They contain no strong language and no explicit sex or violence, and tend to have happy endings.  While much Christian or Inspirational fiction can be considered “gentle,” there are many more gentle read titles that are not strictly religious.  British authors traditionally have dominated this genre, but now a number of American authors are writing gentle reads.
 
Chiaverini, Jennifer.  The Quilter’s Apprentice, 1999.
Young Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, move to Waterford, PA when landscaper Matt, who has been unemployed for a while, lands a job there.   They are sure that Sarah, with her training as an accountant, will have no trouble finding employment, but interviews lead nowhere.   Finally, she takes a temporary job at Elm Creek Manor, where Matt has a landscaping project, to help cranky, elderly owner Mrs. Compson prepare the home for sale.  When she learns that Mrs. Compson is a master quilter, Sarah asks to be taught quilting as part of her salary.  As the two women bond and Sarah befriends other quilters in the community, she learns her employer’s family stories surrounding World War 2 and makes plans to help Mrs. Compson make peace with her past and retain her family estate.  Recommended for adults and teens.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange Public  Library

Chiaverini, Jennifer. The Quilter’s Apprentice, 1999.
Through family stories and quilting, a young woman brings reconciliation to two sisters-in-law who have been estranged for fifty years.  The book shows the importance of female friendship and the way in which a shared interest, such as quilting, can bring people together.  Pleasant.
Recommended for adults.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Dalby, Rob.  Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly, 2006.
When told by Mr. Choppy that he may have to close Second Creek’s Piggly Wiggly, a fixture for generations, Laurie Lepanto enlists her group of wealthy widows, the Nitwitts, and handsome ballroom dancer Powell Hampton to help attract interest to the Mississippi grocery store. Some romance, humor, and a realistic ending make for an enjoyable read.
Recommended for Adults.
Brenda O’Brien, Woodridge Public Library

Dallas, Sandra.  The Persian Pickle Club, 1995.
Set in Kansas in the 1930s, this is another story of female friends of different ages brought together by quilting.  (Persian Pickle is the name of a paisley fabric design.) Because the story does touch on spouse abuse, Depression-era poverty, and a near rape, it is less gentle than some others, but has the same sense of place and community as many other gentle reads. Folksy.
Recommended for adults.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Early, Tony. Jim the Boy, 2000.
This understated, graceful novel traces an ordinary year in the life of Jim Glass, a 10-year-old living in Depression-era rural North Carolina. Although his father died unexpectedly a week before Jim’s birth, the boy has been happily brought up by his quiet mother and three devoted bachelor uncles. During the course of the story, Jim begins to see his place in the wider, sometimes discomfiting world: visiting the seashore, enrolling in a new school, consoling a polio-stricken friend, and meeting his estranged grandfather. Jim the Boy’s clear prose, endearing characters and bittersweet nostalgia gently evoke a time when less was more.
Recommended for adults and young adults.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

Edgerton, Clyde. Walking Across Egypt, 1987.
At age 78, Mattie Rigsby of Listre, North Carolina, thinks she may finally be “slowing down”—after all, this God-fearing, good-natured widow sometimes lets the lunch dishes sit unwashed in the sink for an entire hour while she indulges in an episode of All My Children. But after an odd encounter the local dogcatcher, she befriends Wesley, his foul-mouthed juvenile delinquent nephew, and decides that Jesus would want her to reform the wayward teen. When Wesley escapes from the local detention center and flees to Mattie’s house (in part to sample a slice of her famous pound cake), chaos ensues. This southern charmer is stuffed with eccentric characters, laugh-out-loud slapstick and folksy wisdom, not to mention mouth-watering descriptions of down-home cooking. It is also available in audiobook format, with a delightful reading by acclaimed voice actor Norman Deitz.
Recommended for adults and older young adults.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

Gallico, Paul.  Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris, 1958.
Mrs. Harris may be just a widowed London char, but she loves things of beauty.  When she comes upon a Christian Dior dress in the closet of a client, she immediately yearns for one of her own.  Though she knows that a woman of her class will never have occasion to wear a Dior creation, just owning it will be enough to satisfy her.  Through various means (scrimping, the football pool, luck) over the course of several years she manages to save enough money to travel to Paris and purchase the dress of her dreams.   Though the trip doesn’t turn out exactly as she planned, she gains new friends and learns lessons along the way.  This charming, fable-like story is recommended for adults and YAs.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange Public Library

Gulley, Philip.  Home to Harmony, 2000.
This series was first published by an Evangelical publisher, but now are published by HarperCollins.  Since they have a Quaker minister as the main character, the books do revolve around happenings at the church, although not everything in the church is seen in a completely positive light.  These episodic stories are sweet and humorous in a Garrison Keillor sort of way without Keillor’s off-color of scatological humor.
Recommended for adults. 
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Hassler, Jon. The New Woman: A Staggerford Novel, 2005.
87-year-old Agatha McGee reluctantly moves into an apartment building for seniors in her Minnesota town.
A missing brooch, a friend’s death, a visit from a kidnapped girl, and leading an impromptu support group all lead to Agatha’s reconnection with friends and former students.
Recommended for Adults.
Brenda O’Brien, Woodridge Public Library

Larson, Kirby.  Hattie Big Sky, 2006.
Hattie is 16, and has been handed around from relative to relative ever since her parents died.  When she finds out that a long-lost uncle has willed her his claim in eastern Montana she jumps at the chance to prove the claim and live an independent life.  Relying on the kindness of her neighbors, and coping not only with the elements but also with the rapacious demands of a rancher who wants her to sell out, Hattie discovers strength she didn’t know she possessed.
Recommended for YA and interested adults. 
Nancy Bent, LaGrange Public Library

McCall Smith, Alexander. 44 Scotland Street, 2005.
The author of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency welcomes readers to 44 Scotland Street, an unassuming converted townhouse in the heart of Edinburgh. Its eccentric denizens include Pat, a sensitive young art gallery receptionist who must endure the slights of Bruce, a narcissistic flatmate; Domenica, a worldly widow who enjoys tooling about town in a custard-colored Mercedes; and Bertie, a precocious 5-year-old with a pushy mother who insists he study Italian, play the saxophone and read the Sunday paper. Originally published as a serial in the Scotsman newspaper, 44 Scotland Street shines with the sharply observed characterization and warm wit that have become McCall Smith’s signature. The story continues in the 2006 book Espresso Tales.
Recommended for adults.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

Medlicott, Joan.  The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love, 2000.
Grace, Amelia and Hannah are widows who meet in the senior citizens’ boarding house in Pennsylvania to which their children have relegated them.  Discontent with the idea of their lives winding down slowly in this dismal place, they jump at the chance for a small adventure when Amelia inherits a farmhouse in Covington, North Carolina from a distant cousin, and they head south (at 40 mph) with Grace at the wheel.   Initially dismayed by the condition of the old house, they are quickly charmed by the beauty of the area and the friendliness and helpful attitude of the local residents, and decide to make it their home.  In the process, they build friendships, learn self-reliance, and even find a bit of romance.  Recommended for adults.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange Public Library

Peck, Richard.  London Holiday, 1998.
Three very different women – childhood friends from Missouri, who have managed to stay in touch despite their geographic distance – arrive in London to help one of their number recover from an act of violence.  Fate intervenes to change all of their lives in the form of unexpected romance, a beautiful B & B, and a rebellious teen.  The slightly acerbic touches anchor the book in the world of today.  A satisfying ending completes a very nice story.
Recommended for adults and YA.
Nancy Bent, LaGrange Public Library

“Read, Miss.”  Thrush Green, 1959.
May Day in Thrush Green, a small village in the south of England, has always meant the arrival of Mrs. Curdle’s fair.  A small traveling show, the fair becomes the center around which one day’s momentous events happen.  A small boy recovers from his fever, his nursemaid finds love with the son and heir of Mrs. Curdle’s fair, his doctor takes a partner, and his aunt recovers from her broken heart.  This classic gentle read will transport the reader to another time and place.
Recommended for adults and YA.
Nancy Bent, LaGrange Public Library

“Read, Miss.”  News from Thrush Green, 1971.
Another delightful tale of everyday life in the English village of Thrush Green, introducing writer Phil Prior and her young son Jeremy, who move into Tullivers, a neglected cottage. Neighbors Winnie Bailey and Harold Shoosmith quickly befriend her, and are very helpful after a sudden death.
Recommended for Adults and Young Adults.
Brenda O’Brien, Woodridge Public Library

Woodhouse, Sarah.  The Peacock’s Feather, 1988.
A gentleman returning to England from Jamaica, an army doctor on the run from a failed romance, and a young woman in labor meet on a coach.  When the woman dies after giving birth at a wayside inn, the two men are left with the baby.  This odd threesome repairs to the gentleman’s newly-purchased estate where they meet the former occupant of the home, a woman painter whose feckless father lost the property due to his indebtedness.  How this all works out makes for a truly romantic read full of period detail.
Recommended for adults and older YA.
Nancy Bent, LaGrange Public Library