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Customer Reviews for Abingdon Press Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Abingdon Press Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Widow Charlotte Figg's new home, Paradise Trailer Park, isn't exactly heaven on earth. Her ramshackle trailer needs repair, and her neighbors are harboring a multitude of secrets. Soon she discovers that her new friend, Suzy, is being abused by her husband. Can Charlotte save Suzy and deal with painful memories of her own difficult marriage? 400 pages, softcover from Abingdon.
Average Customer Rating:
(8 Reviews) 8
Rating Snapshot (8 reviews)
5 stars
6
4 stars
2
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0
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5 out of 5100%customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Review 1 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Much better than volume 1
Date:March 18, 2013
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
I thought this book was pretty good overall, reminiscent of Mitford Series books in some ways. But I also thought the introduction of abuse and threats later in the book detracted from an otherwise upbeat story. I never quite got a handle on Charlotte's actual age either.
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Review 2 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:March 4, 2013
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
When Charlotte's husband suddenly dies, she decides it's time to make some changes and to take her life in a different direction. After inquiring on a double-wide trailer, she sells her house, packs up her car and heads out for her new home. But once she get's there she finds that neither the trailer nor the trailer park is not as immaculate as the brochure represented.
But Charlotte is determined to make the best of it and starts to renovate her trailer. As the days and weeks go by she begins to met her unusual neighbors and together they slowly begins to become a community.
I loved this book. I loved the characters because they could be people that everyone of us knows. And while this book did make me smile and laugh a lot of the way through it, there were some serious plot lines that keep the the book well grounded.
This was a new author for me and I'm happy to say that I will be looking forward to reading more from her.
But Charlotte is determined to make the best of it and starts to renovate her trailer. As the days and weeks go by she begins to met her unusual neighbors and together they slowly begins to become a community.
I loved this book. I loved the characters because they could be people that everyone of us knows. And while this book did make me smile and laugh a lot of the way through it, there were some serious plot lines that keep the the book well grounded.
This was a new author for me and I'm happy to say that I will be looking forward to reading more from her.
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Review 3 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:June 7, 2012
Shareja
Location:Alexandria, VA
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
Very engaging, a fun and easy read, with great characters.
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Review 4 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Fabulous, fun, and quirky book!
Date:July 16, 2011
DMayne
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise evokes a wide range of emotions. I found myself laughing one minute and crying the next. As Charlotte moves through all the quirky scenes in the book, readers are slowly offered glimpses into her past to show her motivation. I love the subtle inspirational message, "the hand," the quirky characters I can relate to, the softball team, the pies...and, well, all the extra little touches that make this book so enjoyable! Joyce Magnin is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
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Review 5 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Take a trip to Paradise with Charlotte Figg
Date:November 7, 2010
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
This book starts out fast and holds your attention until the last page, Joyce Magnin is a new to me author, with a writing style that reminds me of Fannie Flagg, its a story of a lady really becoming the person she was meant to be, all it took was the death of her husband, and a move to a trailer park!
Charlotte Figg's husband Herman was the top Fuller brush salesman in his area, basically a unhappy man, Charlotte seemed oppressed by him, but a few pages in he drops dead in the kitchen floor, and even though Charlotte doesn't realize it yet her life is about to change for the better.
When Charlotte finds a life insurance policy in the bottom of Herman's salesman's bag, she knows at least she wont have to worry about money for a while. One of the first changes Charlotte makes is allowing a stray dog, whom she calls Lucky into her life. When Lucky steals the neighbors mail, Charlotte starts looking thru one of their magazines called Road Tripper, a RV magazine. When she comes across an ad that says nice looking double wide for sale with the contact person being Fergus Wrinkel at Paradise Trailer Park, she gets a bit of wanderlust, the picture included in the ad shows an eye catching trailer with wide window and awnings hanging with pots of pink and purple verbena. So she calls and purchases the trailer site unseen. So after selling her home, she heads for Paradise, where she is shocked at what she finds, instead of the pretty trailer in the ad she has purchased a run down mobile home that has racoons living inside it, when she complains to Mr. Wrinkel he informs her she is stuck with the trailer. Charlotte feels like such a fool, but soon she meets some people from the trailer park and they assure her that they will help her get her trailer fixed up.
She meets a quirky bunch of people at the trailer park from Rose Tattoo, to Ginger Rodgers, the trailer park residents each have their own issues. When Rose realizes that Charlotte used to play softball, she convinces Charlotte that they should get a team going in the trailer park. While everyone at the park suspicions that Mr Wrinkel his hiding something, Charlotte believes he is abusing his wife Suzie. When Charlotte encourages Suzie to leave Fergus, she realizes it wont be an easy thing to do, and when Fergus threatens Charlotte will she back off or will she continue to try and help Suzie?
Taking a trip to Paradise with Charlotte was a real adventure. The trailer park was filled with such a cast of characters, and Charlotte fit in perfectly. After the death of her husband, whom she was married to for 26 years, she was able to start living her life the way she wanted, and even though she sometimes made mistakes it seemed as if she had friends that were there to help her, and friends was something she never really had while Herman was alive. This story had some very humorous moments, but also some very serious ones as well, the one thing that Charlotte tended to do when she was upset or worried was bake pies. I really enjoyed the way the author allowed Charlotte to grow from a frumpy oppressed housewife into a lady with courage strength and a sense of who God wants her to be.
The author does an amazing job weaving this story in a way that allows the characters to capture your heart, I felt like I was visiting old friends while reading this book.
If you enjoy a story with a quirky cast of characters, that deals with a few tough topics then pick up this book, you wont regret it.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me a review copy of this book.
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Review 6 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:September 5, 2010
Terri Gillespie
CHARLOTTE FIGG TAKES OVER PARADISE is nothing short of delicious fiction. The second book in the Bright Pond series (THE PRAYERS OF AGNES SPARROW, Book One) stands on its own as an introduction to another community hungering for change.Although Charlotte Figg is known for her pies, this delightful book reminds me of the delicacy baklavamany layers of flavors that are both sweet and nutty. Author, Joyce Magnin serves up a unique blend of characters that will surprise and enchant the reader. Charlotte Figgs journey from a frumpy mousey nobody to a woman of strength and courage will inspire and challenge us to learn from our pain and move on from our mistakes. An Every-woman on a heroic journey.Magnins voice and characters resonate long after the book is finished and will make readers hungry for more of her distinctive writing, perspective and storytelling.
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-2points
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Review 7 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:July 31, 2010
I. Clemmer
Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise made me laugh, cry, and cheer. I stayed up too late many a night because I wanted to find out how each new twist would be resolved and to know Charlotte and her neighbors better. Joyce Magnin's characters come to life as they encounter life's challenges and bond together to face them . Each one learns something about taking risks, being willling to trust, and accepting oneself and others, all while having some good fun! In these pages you will find comedy, tragedy, romance, mystery, and adventure. This is a fun book with a message of hope in the midst of adversity.
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Review 8 for Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, Bright's Pond Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:July 16, 2010
A few months ago, I fell in love. In love, that is, with the small fictional community of Brights Pond. In love with characters who revealed strength, frailty, and a generous dash of fun. In love with an author whose penchant for Converse sneakers mirrors her fresh, distinctive voice.I loved Joyce Magnins debut novel, THE PRAYERS OF AGNES SPARROS and was delighted to receive an advance reader copy of her September release, CHARLOTTE FIGG TAKES OVER PARADISE. Although Charlotte Figg is also a Brights Pond novel from Abingdon Press, it has only limited connections to Agnes and should not be considered its sequel. The colorful characters of Charlotte Figg live in their own unique world.In quick succession, Charlotte Figg becomes a widow, buys a mobile home in the Paradise Trailer Park sight unseen, and moves into it with her dog Lucky. Soon, she begins an unlikely friendship with free-spirited artist and prayer warrior Rose Tatoo. The relationship yields new purpose for Charlotte when Rose half-prays, half-pushes her into the role of founder/manager of a womens softball team. As the Paradise Angels season progresses, Charlotte discoversand revealssome less-than-comfortable truths about herself, her fellow players, and her God.One of my favorite elements in both books is Magnins uncanny ability to use flawed but believable characters to display painful truths. Charlotte Figg forces its namesake to confront not only the abusive marriage in which one of her players is trapped but her own past wounds as well.Plot twists combine to propel the story in a direction readers may not intend to go. But dont let the hot topics scare you. Find a quiet spot and savor this book. Its combination of tough and tender goes down with all the appeal of one of Charlottes homemade pies.Read the book, visit Paradiseand fall in love all over again.
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