Gone to Green

Starred review from June 22, 2009
Lois Barker, a successful big-city journalist, never imagined ending up in the tiny town of Green, La. She never guessed that within months she would unexpectedly inherit a smalltown newspaper. She never believed she would leave her rising-star career impulsively after a quiet, inner prompting urged, “Go... I’ll help you.” Yet that improbable route to upheaval is precisely where Christie (Goodbye
, Murphy’s Law
) engagingly guides both readers and the charming yet flummoxed Barker. As the editor and owner of the Green News-Item
, the ever uncertain Barker transforms from an overwhelmed and overly self-reliant Jane Doe into a considerable power for reform and revitalization in her depressed Louisiana borough. Refreshingly realistic religious fiction, this novel is unafraid to address the injustices of sexism, racism and corruption as well as the spiritual devastation that often accompanies the loss of loved ones. Yet these darker narrative tones beautifully highlight the novel’s message of friendship, community and God’s reassuring and transformative love.

June 1, 2009
Lois Barker gives up the corporate newspaper life in the Midwest for the charms of the simple life in rural Louisiana. Her fantasy of running "The Green News" turns out not to be quite the perfect dream she imagined. Instead, Lois must learn to deal with corruption and prejudice while building friendships and a new life in a small, isolated community. VERDICT Narrated with the same warm charm as Philip Gulley's "Harmony" series, this debut is an above-average small-town novel.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.