PortadaGruposCharlasMásPanorama actual
Buscar en el sitio
Este sitio utiliza cookies para ofrecer nuestros servicios, mejorar el rendimiento, análisis y (si no estás registrado) publicidad. Al usar LibraryThing reconoces que has leído y comprendido nuestros términos de servicio y política de privacidad. El uso del sitio y de los servicios está sujeto a estas políticas y términos.

Resultados de Google Books

Pulse en una miniatura para ir a Google Books.

Cargando...

Plum Upside Down (A Farm Fresh Romance #5)

por Valerie Comer

MiembrosReseñasPopularidadValoración promediaConversaciones
522,973,743 (4.5)Ninguno
Farm Romance and Farm Living - a new take on Christian Romance Novels! Christian Contemporary Romance with a Farm Lit Flair Topsy-Turvy... or Right-Side Up? Green Acres newcomer Chelsea Riehl is annoyed. After all, she signed on as an event planner, not to pit plums alongside mission-minded hippie Keanan Welsh, the only other single on the farm. Discouraged by Chelsea's lack of spiritual depth, Keanan is confused when she offers to arrange meals for the church Alpha program he is co-hosting. Maybe he misjudged her, after all. When fake it 'til you make it gives way to a leap of faith, both Chelsea and Keanan have some soul-searching to do. Will getting on the same page spiritually be enough to flip their budding romance right-side up? About The Farm Fresh Christian Romance Series 1. Raspberries and Vinegar 2. Wild Mint Tea 3. Sweetened with Honey 4. Dandelions for Dinner 5. Plum Upside Down Love farm life? Plum Upside Down is the fifth novel in the Farm Fresh Romance series. This Christian romance series follows the adventures, romantic and otherwise, of a group of young women who purchase an old farm together in northern Idaho to grow their own organic food and prove to those around them that they can make a difference. These farm romance novels are stories of farm life with a focus on local food. The Farm Fresh Romance series doesn't pad the issues nor preach about them, but allows the characters the freedom to grapple with environmentalism and sustainability as believers. Award-winning Christian contemporary romance series at its finest!… (más)
Añadido recientemente poracs728, MarFisk, ReinaMWilliams, MeezCarrie
Ninguno
Cargando...

Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará.

Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro.

Mostrando 2 de 2
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I have read many of Valerie Comer’s books and keep coming back because of the strong characters, and the conflicts they face in both life and faith. It says a lot for her writing I got confused when I started Plum Upside Down as to whether I’d already read this book because I knew the two of them in relation to each other. I soon figured out where Keanan was first introduced and his conflict with Chelsea begun, but it had been a couple of years since I read Dandelions for Dinner, and for even minor characters to stay so clear just demonstrates why I keep coming back.

I believe Plum Upside Down may be the most complex of her works I’ve read so far, regardless of series. This is definitely a discussion-worthy book for the faith aspects as well as what these two people face as a couple. I had some issues with how the book seemed to be condoning peer pressure where faith was concerned, though it was often unintentional, especially in how it made Chelsea feel unworthy and worthless. I shouldn’t have been worried. That is only one of the very real issues struggled with in the story. There are a lot of snap judgments and assumptions between the two of them that make everything more difficult.

Chelsea is not firm in her faith in the beginning, though she refuses to admit it to herself as much as to anyone else. She sees how easy and deep a relationship with God seems to be for the other inhabitants of Green Acres and considers herself lacking in comparison. It doesn’t help that the organizational skills she thought would make her a valuable member of the community are unnecessary on the farm. She’s reduced (her words, not mine) to simple farmhand labor, an indication that she’s certainly not perfect either. The pressure to do something more, be something more, is never stronger than when she’s with Keanan.

He dismisses Chelsea’s gifts and how she’s been using them, because he sees anything tied to privilege as tainted. He embodies the phrase “Holier than thou” for me not it how he acted as much as in how he judged the worthiness of others, or most specifically, of Chelsea. He doesn’t seem to have any difficulty accepting how the other members of the farm have chosen to express their faith or find their calling, but from the start, he judges Chelsea as a pampered princess who should face up to her own lack of value.

It’s interesting the contrast in perceptions from one of the other farm members who pointed to how Chelsea jumps in where needed without complaint, but its Keanan’s perspective that has the strongest impact on Chelsea, and not always in a good way. I’m reminded of a conversation I had with my mother years ago. I said I felt like I wasn’t contributing enough to helping people. She turned around and pointed out the many hours of programming I did while volunteering for my online writing group, efforts, along with being part of the moderating team, that helped others get the inspiration and encouragement that’s critical to living full lives. I had not even considered that in the context of giving because I fell into the position and enjoyed what I was doing.

This is how I see Chelsea. She devotes hours organizing events for her church in Portland even after she moves to the farm, allowing them to provide for the less well off in their community and even fund outreach missions like Keanan went on. Without efforts like hers, those missions wouldn’t happen, but because it’s not hands on in foreign countries, it has no value to him. This also raised another issue for me because elevating missions abroad while ignoring the suffering at home is another form of judgement. It’s saying because people in Africa, to use the example from the book, don’t have the same life as in America, their life is worse off than every person in America (where the book is set). Starving in a land of plenty is still starvation. I’m not saying Keanan believes this, but that his words imply that he does, something tied up with his own history, and an attitude that exists in the real world.

Remember what I said about discussion worthy? As a reader, I had to be patient, but Keanan has his own issues that brought him to such judgements. His break from privilege left a bad taste in his month, and he can’t see how that’s tainting his view of the world until he’s hit over the head with a very heavy brick. I still think he has room to grow in that direction, but he comes to some pretty shattering conclusions by the end that point him in the right direction. And to his credit, he doesn’t fall back on the bad habit of blaming others as he does with Chelsea in their early relationship but faces up to the truths God reveals to him.

After what I said above, you’ll think I didn’t like Keanan at all, but that would be far from the truth. He’s wonderful with children, caring, and truly focused on helping people see into their own hearts. It’s quite likely an afterimage of fighting his attraction to Chelsea that makes him so blind to her strengths and to her weaknesses. She’s the only one he pushes to abandon everything she’s known and do what he thinks is the proper calling, and while that’s the part I don’t agree with, he does recognize her own fears eventually and helps her to resolve them where her faith is concerned, so it’s certainly not all negative between them. If it were, Chelsea would not have been inspired to break down her barriers instead of settling for an okay, but not transcendent, life.

I thought for a while that Chelsea would be called upon to make all the adjustments in the story, which isn’t why I read romances. A proper relationship is a mutual compromise that allows something stronger to grow out of the union. Had she persisted in seeing herself as the lessor, a child at Keanan’s knee, the relationship wouldn’t have worked for me at all. Instead, she grows and he’s hit with a brick. Yes, I’m avoiding spoilers, but things get scary and crisis-filled for a good while which allows both of them to look at what they are doing to each other and in their relationship with God, making this a fascinating, deep story.

This book focuses very heavily on faith and learning your own value and purpose, but it is still true to the Farm Fresh series by also having hands-on work descriptions and out-there housing options that involve everyone to put into place. I love how Green Acres brings disparate people together as a community and a family whether they live at the farm or only come to visit. The heart in these books is tangible even when the main characters are frustrated or struggling with what their hearts tell them is true on both a faith and relationship level. Besides, the characters are real enough to linger across years, as are their questions. ( )
  MarFisk | Jan 31, 2018 |
When this popped up in my Kindle last night (I'd pre-ordered it, which is very rare for me), I started reading and put off things today to keep reading. For me, that's praise. :) This book is my favorite in the series so far. I really identified with Chelsea, and Keanan was a different sort of hero, even a bit from the other men in the Farm Fresh series, exceptionally passionate for/in Christ, who falls for somewhat-conventional Chelsea. As usual, strong setting, strong characters, strong Christian message, all woven together by a wonderful storyteller. I look forward to book six of the series! ( )
  ReinaMWilliams | Mar 31, 2017 |
Mostrando 2 de 2
sin reseñas | añadir una reseña

Pertenece a las series

Debes iniciar sesión para editar los datos de Conocimiento Común.
Para más ayuda, consulta la página de ayuda de Conocimiento Común.
Título canónico
Título original
Títulos alternativos
Fecha de publicación original
Personas/Personajes
Lugares importantes
Acontecimientos importantes
Películas relacionadas
Epígrafe
Dedicatoria
Primeras palabras
Citas
Últimas palabras
Aviso de desambiguación
Editores de la editorial
Blurbistas
Idioma original
DDC/MDS Canónico
LCC canónico

Referencias a esta obra en fuentes externas.

Wikipedia en inglés

Ninguno

Farm Romance and Farm Living - a new take on Christian Romance Novels! Christian Contemporary Romance with a Farm Lit Flair Topsy-Turvy... or Right-Side Up? Green Acres newcomer Chelsea Riehl is annoyed. After all, she signed on as an event planner, not to pit plums alongside mission-minded hippie Keanan Welsh, the only other single on the farm. Discouraged by Chelsea's lack of spiritual depth, Keanan is confused when she offers to arrange meals for the church Alpha program he is co-hosting. Maybe he misjudged her, after all. When fake it 'til you make it gives way to a leap of faith, both Chelsea and Keanan have some soul-searching to do. Will getting on the same page spiritually be enough to flip their budding romance right-side up? About The Farm Fresh Christian Romance Series 1. Raspberries and Vinegar 2. Wild Mint Tea 3. Sweetened with Honey 4. Dandelions for Dinner 5. Plum Upside Down Love farm life? Plum Upside Down is the fifth novel in the Farm Fresh Romance series. This Christian romance series follows the adventures, romantic and otherwise, of a group of young women who purchase an old farm together in northern Idaho to grow their own organic food and prove to those around them that they can make a difference. These farm romance novels are stories of farm life with a focus on local food. The Farm Fresh Romance series doesn't pad the issues nor preach about them, but allows the characters the freedom to grapple with environmentalism and sustainability as believers. Award-winning Christian contemporary romance series at its finest!

No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca.

Descripción del libro
Resumen Haiku

Debates activos

Ninguno

Cubiertas populares

Enlaces rápidos

Valoración

Promedio: (4.5)
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4 1
4.5
5 1

¿Eres tú?

Conviértete en un Autor de LibraryThing.

 

Acerca de | Contactar | LibraryThing.com | Privacidad/Condiciones | Ayuda/Preguntas frecuentes | Blog | Tienda | APIs | TinyCat | Bibliotecas heredadas | Primeros reseñadores | Conocimiento común | 205,092,780 libros! | Barra superior: Siempre visible